Shrewsbury - Or is it Shrowsbury?
That thorny old question may forever remain un-answered – but one of the biggest questions of all was answered by Shrewsbury’s Charles Darwin. 200 years ago Shrewsbury saw the birth of Charles Darwin, the town’s most famous son, official ‘Great Briton’ and the man credited as solving the mystery of why so many people look like monkeys.
Born and educated in the town, it was here that Darwin’s interest in the natural world started and his theory of evolution changed the very way we look at the world and ourselves. Shrewsbury celebrates its famous son each year with an annual Darwin Festival and there’s also a Darwin trail highlighting the town’s connections with the great man himself.
Shrewsbury is stuffed full of black and white half-timbered houses, over 660 listed buildings and some very strange street names – Dogpole, Mardol, Gullet Passage and Grope Lane to name a few.
The Dingle and Quarry Park is where Darwin used to fish for newts as a young boy and is now home to the annual Shrewsbury Flower Show, where the town comes alive with blossoms and blooms and only the very best flowers and plants get exhibited – natural selection?
It is also the 150th anniversary of the publication of 'Origin of Species'.
What next?
Find out more about Darwin's Birthday Celebrations at www.discoverdarwin.co.uk
Find out more about Shrewsbury at www.visitshrewsbury.com
You can also read more about Darwin by reading our Darwin at a glance leaflet
