Shoemakers' Arbour

This important structure is associated with the town's unusual history for drama and pageantry and he dedication of Kingsland to that purpose in Tudor and Medieval times, 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"^[4] by David Harley that describes the execution in 1752 of a participant in the Jacobite rising of 1745.

Stature of Sabrina

Statue of Sabrina, The Dingle, 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 (Welsh: Hafren) was a nymph who drowned in the Severn.

War memorial

War Memorial in Sherwsbury Quarry

Shropshire county's main war memorial, the focus for Remembrance Sunday, is situated within the Quarry. near St Chad's Terrace. It consists of a bronze winged and armoured statue of St. Michael under a canopy designed like a classical Greek temple in the form of six Ionic columns supporting a circular dome. It is inscribed: 'Remember the gallant men and women of Shropshire who gave their lives for God, King and country 1914-18 and 1939–45'.^[5]

This War Memorial was built in 1922-3. It was designed by George Hubbard and Son and built in Portland stone. The richly embellished floor shows the County, King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) Regimental arms and French Croix de Guerre on a gold mosaic background. The seals or arms of the six boroughs of the County are embossed on the inside frieze. The bronze figure of Saint Michael beneath the canopy is by Allan G Wyon and was cast at the foundry of A.B. Burton of Thames Ditton.^[5]

St. Michael the Archangel is viewed as the field commander of the Army of God. In late medieval Christianity, Michael, together with Saint George, became the patron saint of chivalry. Michael is also considered in many Christian circles as the patron saint of the warrior.

Bandstand

Bandstand Shrewsbury Quarry

This bandstand, which stands below the entrance to the Quarry in Shrewsbury, was built in 1879 and donated to the park by the Shropshire Horticultural Society. The bandstand is used by military bands during Shrewsbury Flower Show. Other uses include as a dry place for people practising fire arts, and other activities which require shelter from the rain. Between 2006 and 2008 the bandstand had a DJ playing music on most Saturdays during the day.

Harley’s Stone

Harley's Stone

This small boulder is said to be the anchor stone of the last surviving grazing allotment in the Quarry. This belonged to the Harley family, livestock were tied to the stone by a leash of no more than 16 yards in length. These 'circular' allotments once made use of the entire herbage ensuring that the grass was kept short through the entire year. This stone marked the boundary made by the Harley family of Rossall near Bicton who refused to sell their piece of land to the corporation when the rest of the Quarry was being acquired in the 18th century.

Statue of the Farnese Hecules, Shrewsbury Quarry

Hercules Statue

There is a stature of Hercules.

Victoria Avenue

Avenues of Lime Trees in the Park

St Chads church sits opposite the Quarry park.

The broad traffic-free avenue that runs along the River Severn is called Victoria Avenue and the largest avenue that runs downhill from the town centre to Victoria Avenue is Gloucester Avenue. The latter was known as Central Avenue, but in 1974 Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester came to the Shrewsbury Flower Show and the avenue was dedicated to her.

A special feature of Victoria Avenue are the rows of lime trees on each side. These are actually the second generation of trees to be planted. Thomas Wright first planted avenues of hybrid limes in the Quarry in 1719. They had reached heights of over 40 metres by the early 1950s when they were felled on the orders of Percy Thrower. A falling branch had killed a young girl and so the trees were considered unsafe. It was felt that the trees had originally been planted too close together.

The felled trees were found to contain bee and wasp nests, large amounts of mistletoe and much dead wood. They were replaced with hybrid limes at much wider spacing which are now reaching maturity. The clone that was planted produces a large number of epicomic sprouts which have to be pruned off annually.

Porthill Bridge crossing the River Severn at The Quarry

Opposite the School Boathouse is the remains of a wooden post used by a ferry crossing the river.In 1900, there were two ferry boats working on the River Severn in the Quarry, with the other operating across the river where Porthill Suspension Bridge has been sited since 1922.

Other features and culture

A bust of Percy Thrower in the Dingle gardens of The Quarry, Shrewsbury.

There are numerous memorial benches and plaques within the Dingle.

Of special interest is a bust of the gardening broadcaster Percy Thrower, who for many years was also the Parks Superintendent for Shrewsbury.

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 sixteenth century as punishment for witchcraft and murder.