Turning back the clock to recreate lost Shrewsbury streetscapes
An artist who is capturing a town's moment in time has turned the clock back to create images of shops we've lost.
Shrewsbury Streetscape Project, which started in April 2019, is an attempt to document our county town over these last two years - a snapshot of our Shrewsbury streets during the Covid pandemic and beyond.
It is the brainchild of artist and architect James St Clair Wade, who has created finely-detailed images of some of the town's prettiest streets. Now, however, he has taken artistic licence and stepped further back in time to remind everyone of buildings that have been lost relatively recently.
He included the now demolished Raven Hotel in his Castle Street image, and replaced Waitrose in Pride Hill with the old post office.
James said: "The present buildings are too repetitive. If the aim is to record not just what you're seeing but also to make an interesting image, you do need some variation. Going back to what was there previously makes good sense, especially if good photos still exist. You just know there will be more interesting detail.
"These two buildings are not medieval, although The Raven has some older parts behind, but they are full of interest and the Old Post Office is a strong composition."
James is currently drawing Castle Gates and hopes to complete his first objective of drawing from English Bridge to Welsh Bridge and from Quarry Place to the Station by the end of October - architectural work permitting.
All Streetscape images and 6ft panoramas of Shrewsbury's main streets can be seen on streetscapeproject.com.
