Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn. It is the seat of the Bridgnorth district. As of the 2001 census the district's population was 52,497. The population of the town of Bridgnorth is estimated to be 11,500.

Low Town is home to the Severn Valley Railway, which runs southwards to Kidderminster. Low Town is connected to the High Town by the steepest inland cliff railway in Britain, the Castle Hill Railway.

High Town is dominated by Bridgnorth Castle and St Mary's church , designed by Thomas Telford. Other notable buildings in the town are the seventeenth century Bridgnorth Town Hall , a surviving town gate, and Daniel's Mill , a watermill.

The Castle, built in 1190 by Robert de Belleme (later Earl of Shrewsbury) was besieged four times in its history, last by the Roundheads in 1646 during the English Civil War. Parliamentary forces used an artificial hill (Panpudding Hill) across from the castle in order to bombard it. The castle survived the seige only to be blown up by the Roundheads in order to prevent its use by the Royalists. The only part that remains, part of the great tower, leans at an angle greater than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

On August 21, 2003, Bridgnorth was granted Fairtrade Town status.

It is popular with Black Country tourists and drinkers because of, amongst many other things, its 27 pubs, including 'The Golden Lion ', 'The Railwayman's Arms', 'The Black Horse ' and 'The Black Boy '

Nazi HQ of Britain?

In 2005, German papers from 1941 were discovered outlining a possible Nazi invasion of the United Kingdom. There is a lot of detail about two Shropshire towns in the documentation - Ludlow and Bridgnorth. Some experts now believe that it was Hitler's intention to make Bridgnorth his HQ in Britain, due to its central, but rural, location and its now disused airfield.

External links

BBC Shropshire article