With the beginning of demolishing a former Shropshire shopping centre and medical practice, the transformation of The Smithfield Riverside area in Shrewsbury town centre will be marked with a community effort to remember what was.
‘Riverside Remembered,’ will see Shropshire’s Council and Archives working together to curate memories of the Riverside Shopping Centre area from over the last 50 years, or between 1974 and 2024. For inclusion in the project, the public are encouraged to submit their photos online at smithfieldriverside.com.
For those with physical photographs, videotapes or mementos, a drop-in event will be held at Shropshire Local in the Darwin Centre on September 5 from 9am – 3pm.
On October 1, an event will be held at Shropshire Archives on Castle Gates, Shrewsbury, including a display of images submitted, and screening of a film about the historical development of Raven Meadows.
Expected to take three months to complete, the demolition marks the first visible sign of change as part of the wider Smithfield Riverside regeneration scheme – an ambitious revitalisation plan funded by £19 million from the government and led by the Council and its development manager, RivingtonHark.
The first phase of the project will be the creation of a landmark park adjacent to Roushill, designed to help breathe new life and vibrancy into the area, as well as to improve biodiversity and flood resilience in the town centre. It will feature play equipment, accessible facilities and a dedicated events and performance area.
Mark Barrow, Shropshire Council’s Executive Director of Place, said “This is a significant moment for Shrewsbury. We’ve been working hard with the project team towards this moment for many months, so it’s truly fantastic to see the project now officially moving forward.
“The Riverside area has a rich history going back centuries. Riverside Remembered is the perfect way to celebrate those memories and mark the beginning of a new chapter for this part of the town centre”
Spencer Winter, Project Director at RivingtonHark, sees the start of on-site work as "truly a testament to the hard work of Shropshire Council and the entire project team over the last 12 months."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here