Shifnal beet hoers in the 1950s

At the Shifnal Local History Exhibition, we aim to stimulate interest in the history of Shifnal. Our emphasis is on telling the stories of Shifnal people – ordinary people who have no other memorial in the town.

  • We create changing displays to tell these stories – such as the sugar beet hoers (above) who worked on the local farms in the 1950s. These stories are also published in the Shifnal Parish Magazine and on our Instagram pages.

  • There is a permanent exhibition of objects connected to the history of Shifnal. The oldest object is a bronze age axe head, dating back 3000-4000 years ago. Who knew that people were living in the Shifnal area so long ago?

  • We have Roman items, mediaeval coins, a piece of charred wood from the Great Fire of Shifnal 1591, a model of the Wonder coach which changed its horses in Shifnal en route to London, examples of the work of Victorian clockmakers and twentieth century sporting memorabilia and tributes to World War heroes.

  • A timeline especially painted for children helps young visitors understand this flow of history.

  • Files of indexed photographs and documents help visitors research their own stories

  • Vital resources such as church registers, town directories, censuses, local newspapers have been indexed and transcribed for original research

Why not visit the Fire Station on one of our regular open days – Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.  It is entirely free and members of the Shifnal Local History Group will be on hand to guide you through the collections.  You are welcome to browse or start your own research.