Mountfields is an area in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

, England, just north of the

Welsh Bridge The Welsh Bridge is a masonry arch viaduct in the town of Shrewsbury, England, which crosses the River Severn. It connects Frankwell with the town centre. It is a Grade II* listed building. The bridge is located north-west of Shrewsbury where ...

History

Historically famous for pubs and brothels frequented by barge pullers after being paid on Frankwell Quay, Mountfields is now better known as the location of Shrewsbury's Theatre Severn. Mountfields forms part of the

Frankwell Frankwell is a district of the town of Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, England. It lies adjacent to the River Severn, to the northwest of the town centre, and is one of Shrewsbury's oldest suburbs. The main road running through the area is also call ...

area and has a rich history, much of which relates to the original Welsh Bridge (a.k.a.

St George's Bridge St George's Bridge was a bridge over the River Severn in Shrewsbury, England; so named as it was close to the medieval St George's Hospital. It connected Frankwell, an old suburb of the town, to the town centre via Mardol. The gate on the to ...

) which crossed the

Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

opposite the medieval street 'Mardol' 70m upstream from the current bridge. The quayside, from which a shanty-type industrial area known as 'Frankwell Forge' was forcefully cleared in 2004, still houses 'The Stew', a derelict building named after a nearby brothel that is the area's only remaining link with the town's history as a river port. The Stew has notoriously been trapped in planning controversies regarding renovation since 2004.

Darwin Trail

The Darwin Trail passes through Mountfields, following the

River Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

along the track used by the barge pullers, from the theatre to

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

's childhood home at The Mount. It passes through fields that Darwin explored when escaping from

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by royal charter, to replace the town's Saxon collegiate foundations which were disestablished in the sixteenth century, Shrewsb ...

, which he hated. His father

Robert Darwin Robert Waring Darwin (30 May 1766 – 13 November 1848) was an English medical doctor who is today best known as the father of naturalist Charles Darwin. He was a member of the influential Darwin–Wedgwood family. Biography Darwin was born i ...

and mother

Susannah Wedgwood Susannah Darwin (née Wedgwood, 3 January 1765 – 15 July 1817) was the wife of Robert Darwin, a wealthy doctor, and mother of naturalist Charles Darwin, and part of the Wedgwood pottery family. Biography Early life Susannah Wedgwood was t ...

built the house on land originally earmarked for Shrewsbury prison (which was instead built at The Dana). They constructed a 'thinking path' from the house down to the river and encouraged Charles and his siblings to utilise it. In 2014, the

Shropshire Wildlife Trust The Shropshire Wildlife Trust (SWT) is a wildlife trust covering the geographic county of Shropshire, England. Nature reserves The trust manages 42 nature reserves (plus its headquarters in Shrewsbury – see next section) in the county: ...

purchased an area that a part of the Thinking Path ran through. The trail extends through countryside to the proposed river crossing of Shrewsbury North West Relief Road, a project that may involve the felling of the 550 year old "Darwin Oak" that has attracted over a thousand objections at planning stage.

References

{{coord, 52.712250, -2.756961, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Suburbs of Shrewsbury History of Shropshire Charles Darwin Red-light districts in England Populated places on the River Severn