St Mary's Church

St Mary's Church stands in its own churchyard in the centre of Shrewsbury and is one of the finest medieval churches in the Welsh Marches. The building dates from the 12th century with substantial additions through the Gothic period, and the interior is full of carved detail and historical interest.

The church is now redundant — no longer used for regular services — but is managed as a heritage building open to visitors. The stained glass is the main draw: the Jesse window at the east end is extraordinary in both its age and its preservation. The church also has a medieval timber roof and several notable monuments. Access is free; donations requested.

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St Mary's contains one of the most remarkable collections of medieval stained glass in England. The Jesse window at the east end — depicting Christ's ancestry from Jesse — dates from the 14th century and survived the English Civil War (during which Shrewsbury was a Royalist garrison town) when many churches had their glass destroyed by Parliamentary forces. Some of the glass was brought from other sources, including German and Flemish workshops, making St Mary's a treasury of European medieval glazing.

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