Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Bridgnorth

Bridgnorth is a fascinating old market town in Shropshire, 13 miles to the North West of Kidderminster, and on the River Severn.

It was formerly a thriving river port.

The uniqeness of Bridgnorth stems from it being on two levels. High Town, the actual town centre, is situated on top of a red sandstone cliff, which divides it from Low Town, at the foot of the cliff and spreading across the river.

The Cliff Railway links the two for a modest fare, and is the only funicular railway in Britain outside the seaside resorts. There are also several flights of stairs, and the Cartway is a steep road.

St. Mary Magdalen's Church was built by Thomas Telford in the 18th century, after a fire had destroyed the earlier church.

Nearby, are the ruins of Bridgnorth Castle, whose tower leans at a much greater angle than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Church and castle are connected with the High Street by an elegant street that was a fashionable promenade in the 18th century.

At the other end of the town, St. Lawrence's Church stands in a Close reminiscent of the surroundings of many cathedrals.

The 17th century Town Hall stands in the middle of the High Street, and the surviving North Gate now houses a museum.

The cliffs contain many caves, which were used as dwellings until the 19th century. A mile away, there is another sandstone ridge, one of whose caves was occupied by Elfward, the hermit son of Edward the Elder, who succeeded his father as King for a few days, before dying mysteriously at Oxford.

Bridgnorth Station is the terminus of the restored Severn Valley Railway, whose steam trains run to Bewdley and Kidderminster.

Francis Moore, the originator of "Old Moore's Almanac", was born in Bridgnorth in 1657.