The Market Cross was a massy building of brick and stone, having a reservoir over it. It was taken down in 1819. The reservoir was removed farther back, and a handsome new market house built by subscription.
The Theatre is supposed to he part of the palace which formerly belonged to the later princes of Pow is. It is fitted up with tolerable neatness.
The Iwo bridg.rs over the Severn are called the Welsh Bridge and the English or East Bridge. The former consists of 5 handsome arches, and is 226 feet long, 20 feet high, and 30 feet broad. A quay faced with stone, and with warehouses, adjoins to the bridge. The English Bridge, built of fine freestone, consists of 7 semicircular arches. It is 400 feet long. The middle arch is GO feet span and 40 high, and the rest 35 feet span and 20 feet high. The width be tween the balustrades is 25 feet, and the ornaments are light and graceful.
The principal charitable establishments are a small hospital dedicated to St. Giles, Millington's IIospi tal, severaLalms houses, an infirmary, a house of in dustry, a free grammar school, and several charity schools.
The Infirmary, opened in 1747, is a plain but re spectable brick building, with a stone portico in front and stone corners. it is in a healthy situation, and its internal arrangements are on the most approved footing. It is supported by voluntary subscription. The House of Industry, opened in 1784, maintains about 275 persons. The school-house and the free grammar school is a large and lofty building, form ing two sides of a square court. In consequence of this institution having declined, an act of Parliament was passed in 1798, vesting its management in the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry as visiters, and in 13 trustees, of whom the mayor is one. These trus tees elect two schoolmasters, one of whom is superior to the other. The other public schools are Bowdler's Charity, founded in 1724, for educating and clothing poor children; Allart's Charity School, founded in 1798; and a Subscription Charity School, founded in 1703. for instructing poor children.
A few inconsiderable remains of the Abbey of St.
Peter and St. Paul still exist in the suburb called the Abbey Foregate. The ground which it occupied is in a great measure converted into a garden. Among the remains is a small octagonal stone building gene rally called the Stone Pulpit, which is overhung with ivy, and much admired. The abbey was a spacious and magnificent building. The only existing part of it is the nave, which is now used as a Romish church tinder the name of the IIoly Cross. The beauty of its original structure may still be traced in many parts. Among other ancient private structures in the town is one called the Council House. which was once the residence the Court of the Marches of Wales.
Shrewsbury is governed by a mayor, a warden, steward. town clerk, an alderman, 48 assistants or common councilmen, and other officers. There are in the town 16 chartered companies. Shrewsbury sends to Parliament 2 members, who arc elected by the inhabiting burgesses.
The principal manufactures carried on in the town are two of linen yarn, an extensive iron foundry, and a porter brewery. Shrewsbury carries on a consider able trade principally with Wales; and about 20 yes es AT sell are employed on the Severn between Gloucester, Shrewsbury, and Bristol. Flannels were formerly the staple articles, and Welsh webs, which were a coarse kind of woollen cloth made in Montgomeryshire. They were dressed in Shrewsbury for importation to Holland, Germany, North and South America, and the West Indies. These webs are now bought up in the counties where they are made.
At the entrance to Shrewsbury by the London road there has been erected a magnificent column of free stone, with appropriate inscriptions, to commemorate the gallant achievements of Lord Hill, a native of the county. It was completed in 1816 at the expense of above £6000, which was defrayed by subscriptions in the town and county. Population in 1821, 21,695. See the Beauties of England and Wales, vol. xiii, and Some .dceount of the fincient and Present State of Shrewsbury, 1808, and Philip's History and ,dntiquities of Shrewsbury.