Norman baron to whom William the Conqueror generously presented the
town. St. Mary is the oldest and most important church, and in some
particulars it surpasses the cathedral at Chester. It is architecturally
more pleasing and its windows are among the finest examples of antique
stained glass in the Kingdom.

We spent some time among the remarkable collection of relics in the
museum, and as they mainly came from the Roman city of Uriconium, we
planned a side-trip to this place, together with Buildwas Abbey and the
old Saxon town of Much Wenlock, all of which are within twenty miles of
Shrewsbury. When we left the Raven Hotel it was raining steadily, but
this no longer deterred us, and after cautiously descending the steep
hill leading out of the town we were soon on the road to Wroxeter, the
village lying adjacent to the Roman ruins. We found these of surprising
extent and could readily believe the statement made in the local
guide-book that a great city was at one time located here. Only a
comparatively small portion has been excavated, but the city enclosed by
the wall covered nearly one square mile. One great piece of wall about
seventy-five feet long and twenty feet in height still stands above
ground to mark the place, but the most remarkable revelations were found
in the excavations. The foundations of a large public building have been
uncovered, and the public baths to which the Romans were so partial are
in a remarkable state of preservation, the tile flooring in some cases
remaining in its original position. There is every indication that the
city was burned and plundered by the wild Welsh tribes sixteen hundred
or more years ago.

A few miles farther, mainly through narrow byways, brought us to
Buildwas Abbey, beautifully situated near the Severn. Evidently this
fine ruin is not much frequented by tourists, for we found no custodian