Shuts of Shrewsbury No. 1 - Blower's Repository

Castle Gates - Raven Meadows

Welcome to the first in a series of threads exploring the many shuts, passageways and other shortcuts in Shrewsbury's ancient, haphazard and ever-evolving town centre.

The first shut I will be showing you is one that many do not know exists, mainly because it's closed whenever Shrewsbury's new research library is closed (making it officially a shut!) and also because it's only 10 years old. It just proves my theory that for every shut closed in the town, a new one opens up somewhere else.

Starting half-way up Castle Gates, next to the reference library, is the archway to the top entrance of the shut, which has written in its masonry "Blower's Repository".



Walk through this archway (if the door is open of course) and you'll enter a small courtyard outside the new research library. Look down and you'll see this...



Floreat Salopia! This courtyard is an excellent place to view the back end of the Old Shrewsbury School buildings, now used as the main library of the county. To look the other way, you need to be in the children's section of the library.



Continue along the passage after the courtyard and down the steps. The good thing about this new shut is the natural light and seating. I've never had any problems with yobs hanging about down here, probably due to the fact that it's closed at night and is also so open. At the bottom of the steps you end up at the bus station. At the bottom is a handy map of the passages in the area too.



The shut technically isn't a public thoroughfare and is part of the research library. But that doesn't bother the people, including myself, who use it as a rather handy shortcut up the hill. As I've said, it is shut at night/whenever the library is closed.

I haven't found out why it's called Blower's Repository, but I'm sure you'll be able to find out in the research library itself.

Excellent photos Proud Salopian! Really detailed, clear. Did you take them ? And what an informative thread !

Yes I took them and they'd be even clearer if it weren't for the image hosting website scaling them down... but oh well ;)

I have become a bit of a fanantic about Shrewsbury's shuts and ways. Hopefully I can share my knowlegde and let people know about all the shortcuts available in the town centre - it can make life easier (and more interesting)!

Also, of course, my knowlegde is still patchy. If anyone can fill me in about why Blower's Repository is called so - please do! :)

I've found the "handy map" which is at the foot of Blower's Repository on the internet...

http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/res.nsf/67D34...%20Archives.jpg

(if the image link doesn't work, tell me!)

"Blowers" used to trade on Pride Hill (their name is still above superdrug) and the archives centre was built on the site of their repository(warehouse/lock-up)

PS the childrens libray has moved,it is now the literature section.

Thanks again for the info sgd! :D