Dingle Gardens Shrewsbury
Just a short drive from
Shrewsbury town centre lies The Dingle Flower Garden, a former stone quarry,
but now a landscaped sunken garden. Between 1324 and 1588 it was known as the
Wet or Water Quarry because it was liable to flood. It was quarried for both
stone and clay. The project to clear out the Dingle and then plant it was
funded by the Shropshire Horticultural Society, with the ornamental gardens
opened in 1879, featuring many flower beds and borders, with ponds and fountains.
Although there are still formal planted beds, in recent years the planting
scheme has become more naturalistic in style, reflecting modern tastes of the
people of Shrewsbury.
History of Dingle Gardens in Shrewsbury
A statue of the goddess
Sabrina was presented by the Earl of Bradford in 1879. The inscription on the
statue is based on a poem by John Milton (1608–1674). In myth, Sabrina was a
nymph who drowned in the Severn. Another feature to look out for in the Dingle
is the Shoemakers' Arbour. Associated with the pre-Victorian town festival, and
originally sited in Kingsland, it was moved to the Dingle in 1879. It dates
from 1679 and includes statues of Crispin and Crispinian, the patron saints of
shoemakers. The gateway is built of stone, and bears the date of 1679 and the
initials, H. P. and E. A.
the wardens of the
Shoemakers' guild at that time. The Shoemakers' Arbour plays a large part in
the song Thomas Anderson. by David Harley that describes the execution in 1752
of a participant in the Jacobite rising of 1745. There are numerous memorial
benches and plaques within the Dingle. Of special interest is a bust of the
head of Percy Thrower, formerly Shrewsbury Parks Superintendent. According to
local legend, the Dingle is haunted by the ghost of Mrs. Foxall, a local woman
who was burnt at the stake nearby in the 16th century as punishment for
witchcraft and murder.
Dingle Gardens, National
Cycle Rte 81, Shrewsbury SY1 1JL
For more info visit : http://www.rooferintelford.co.uk/areas-covered/roofer-in-shrewsbury/
