[MR] Book Review: Shrewsbury

[Garth G. Groff]

Noble friends,

Just received at the University of Virginia Fine Arts Library: 
SHREWSBURY: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF AN ENGLISH BORDER TOWN by 
Nigel Baker (ISBN 9781842173152; Library of Congress call # FINE ARTS 
DA690 .S58 B35 2010).

This work is mainly concerned with the town of Shrewsbury as an 
architectural whole, its structures, and how everything fit inside and 
outside the walls--definitely a bricks and mortar book, rather than one 
featuring everyday objects or the deeds famous people. As such, I found 
it particularly interesting, having visited Shrewsbury in 2004. Not 
surprisingly, the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul, known to 
most of us as the home of Brother Cadfael, gets a lot of attention. 
Other churches, the castle, town walls, the bridges, and 
commercial/residential buildings receive their due. The chapters break 
the town's history into various chunks, from pre-Conquest right up to 
1900 (the latter period showing how some medieval buildings survived and 
were adapted). In short, it is a fascinating look at a community 
evolving from a minor border village to an important medieval market 
town and beyond. The book is generously illustrated by early engravings, 
modern photos, diagrams and many maps, plus the usual scholarly 
bibliography and index. There is even a CD which includes maps and other 
resources.

This is a very useful book for understanding Shrewsbury, and English 
towns in general. It will be especially interesting to fans of Ellis 
Peters' novels, since it shows some locations that play an important 
part in her stories.

Kind regards,


Lord Mungo Napier, Shire of Isenfir's Unofficial Librarian
(mka Garth Groff, UVA Library cataloger)