How to pronounce 'Shrewsbury'? We have head both 'Shroosbury' and  'Shrowsbury' and it seem that it is an issue debated. Here is an article in the Shropshire Times. It seems the 'shroos' win here, but it is only one of many towns where travellers question pronunciation.(We noted that the BBC says 'Shrowsbury.) We visited there this afternoon, but spent the morning in Ludlow, not far away.

Ludlow, positioned in a bend of the River Teme has all the elements of a perfect historic town. It has a Norman castle, winding medieval streets, and over 500 listed buildings. As well it has become known for its gastronomic emphasis, with an annual food festival and many quality restaurants and butchers, bakers, grocers and cheese shops.
 
 
 
It was a cool and wet day, and the first time on this trip we have put on put on our Goretex jackets. We parked near Ludlow Castle, which is in very good condition. Henry VIII's first wife Catherine of Aragon once lived here, as did Edward V, but we started the day in De Grey's Tearooms. De Grey's is in a lovely old timbered building which dates back to 1570. It has stained glass windows, timber walls, old china and waitresses in traditional dress. We had coffee and shared a toasted teacake (brought to the table inside a silver dish to keep it warm). 

But the De Grey's building is only one of many fine timbered buildings here. What is noticeable is the ornateness of this style in this town. Not just the black and white theme, but wood carving, stained glass, bay-style windows, carved wood and sometimes quite a number of elements to make the style quite different to what we have seen so far.

It is interesting the idea of decorating timber framed houses by painting the beams black and the panels white is a relatively new one. Originally the timber was left unpainted and the panels were lime washed. In the 18C when stucco became popular many houses were covered in plaster. But the trend is now to uncover the timber to show the intricate patterns and there are even some reverting to the original lime wash finish.
 
 
 
 
in Shrewsbury we saw similar architecture. The winding and hilly streets of the town are almost completely encircled by a bow of the River Severn. Shrewsbury has been known for its wool trade and also as the birthplace of Charles Darwin, but today it is a thriving town with a large number of shops and eating places. It is a pleasant place to visit, and lunch inside a warm pub when a shower came was even more pleasant. Once again the rain was short-lived and as we left the pub the sun was shining. This is England.