Shrewsbury Town FC

Shrewsbury is a place where history runs deep. Set in a loop of the River Severn and almost encircled by water, its medieval centre still follows its original street plan, lined with timber-framed buildings from the 15th and 16th centuries. It has been a fortified Anglo-Saxon town, a Norman stronghold, a royal headquarters during Edward I’s conquest of Wales, and today serves as the county town of Shropshire. It’s also the birthplace of Charles Darwin.

Formed in 1886 at the Turf Hotel on Claremont Hill, Shrewsbury Town emerged from the ashes of the Shrewsbury Castle Blues, a team based at the castle in the early 1880s. The Castle Blues wore blue shirts and were known for their uncompromising style of play, with matches occasionally ending in multiple injured opponents. When they disbanded, former players carried their colours and competitive edge into the new club, shaping Shrewsbury Town’s early identity.

The club began at Monkmoor Racecourse but moved several times in its early years—to Amblers Field in 1889, Sutton Lane in 1893, and the Barracks Ground in 1895—before settling at Gay Meadow in 1910. Gay Meadow’s picturesque riverside location and Victorian turnstiles became part of the club’s character for nearly a century until the move to New Meadow in 2007.

The blue and yellow of their kit reflects the arms of Roger de Montgomery, the first Earl of Shrewsbury. The badge has almost always been based on the town’s coat of arms, featuring three “loggerheads”—lion or leopard faces shown full on. These likely originate from the three golden lions of the English Royal Arms and may have been granted during the reign of Edward I, who often used Shrewsbury as his headquarters and substantially rebuilt its castle. Locally, the loggerheads have been part of civic identity for centuries, with the Loggerheads pub in the town centre being over 400 years old. The town’s motto, Floreat Salopia (“May Shropshire Flourish”), adds a proud flourish beneath the emblem.

On the pitch, Shrewsbury Town have spent most of their history in the lower two tiers of the Football League, but have enjoyed memorable moments, including Third Division titles in 1978–79 and 1993–94, and six Welsh Cup wins in an era when English border clubs competed. Wrexham and Hereford are seen as close rivals—Shrewsbury traded wins with Ryan Reynolds’ men two seasons ago. They reached the EFL Trophy final in 2018 and have had notable FA Cup giant-killings against top-flight sides, including Everton, and in 1982 beating Bobby Robson's UEFA Cup-winning Ipswich Town.

Shrewsbury’s position on the River Severn made it a key military and trading hub. Known then as Scrobbesburh—“the fortified place among the shrubs”—it grew into a stronghold of the kingdom of Mercia. In the 9th and 10th centuries it was fortified by Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, daughter of Alfred the Great, as part of the defence against Viking incursions. By the reign of King Athelstan in the early 10th century, Shrewsbury was significant enough to have its own royal mint, striking coins that circulated across England. Religious life also took root early: the relics of St Alkmund were brought to Shrewsbury, giving it a place of spiritual importance alongside its military role.

This was not lost on the Normans. William the Conqueror granted Shrewsbury to Roger de Montgomery, one of his closest allies, who became the first Earl of Shrewsbury. Roger transformed the town, building the red sandstone Shrewsbury Castle around 1074 to secure the border with Wales and founding Shrewsbury Abbey in 1083 as a Benedictine monastery. These enduring landmarks reshaped the skyline and anchored Norman control in the Marches. The castle became a key military base during campaigns into Wales, while the abbey grew into one of the most important religious houses in medieval England, drawing pilgrims and wealth into the town. Shrewsbury’s prominence as a semi-royal centre was cemented during Edward I’s wars against the Welsh in the late 13th century, when the king used the castle as his headquarters.