Arts and crafts in Shropshire

Shropshire (including Telford and Wrekin)It has a population of around 472,000 and covers approximately 348,000 hectares. Here is a list of nearby or neighbouring counties: Cheshire, Herefordshire, Powys, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Wrexham.

Shropshire borders Wales and a large part of the southern area of the county is covered by the Shropshire Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The county town is Shrewsbury, an historic market town which has nine bridges due to being mostly surrounded by the River Severn. It has many Tudor buildings and is home to the Shrewsbury Flower Show, one of the countries most important horticultural events. A recent addition to the town centre is an abstract sculpture called Quantum Leap, which was unveiled to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth in 1809 of Charles Darwin. Performing arts venues in Shropshire include The Festival Drayton Centre, Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury and the Ludlow Assembly Rooms, which has also hosted arts and crafts exhibitions and workshops.

Attingham Park is an 18th-century Regency mansion, set in a large estate which includes attractions such as a deer park, woodlands and walled garden. The house is noted for its picture gallery and grand staircase, which were designed by the architect John Nash. Sunnycroft, a late 19th century Victorian villa, was designed to imitate on a smaller scale the upper classes large country houses and estates. It was one of thousands of such properties built for the increasingly affluent middle class and is among the few to retain the original interior decor and furnishings and surrounding grounds. Weston Park is a 17th century country house in Weston-under-Lizard, which has finely decorated and furnished interiors and an extensive collection of paintings. There is an art gallery that exhibits a changing programme of works by emerging and established artists and a wide range of events are hosted at the house. The extensive parkland within which the house is set were designed during the 18th century by landscape architect Capability Brown and the grounds have served as a venue for a variety of events, including country fairs and the V Festival, a popular music festival. Other attractions in Shropshire include Stokesay Castle in Ludlow, the Ironbridge Open Air Museum of Steel Sculpture, Blists Hill Victorian Town, Stiperstones Nature Reserve and Carding Mill Valley.