The Quarry is the main recreational park in Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...

, the county town of Shropshire

Shropshire

Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The park was created in 1719 and encompasses 23 acres (93,077.8 m²). Its name is derived from the fact that there used to be a small stone quarry there, used in the Middle Ages, which has now been transformed into a flower garden with ponds and fountains, called The Dingle (dingle being a Shropshire word used for a picturesque valley). Also in the Quarry park is a bandstand where people doing fire arts can often be found and nearby are the Shrewsbury town swimming baths and Shrewsbury Sixth Form College

Shrewsbury Sixth Form College

Shrewsbury Sixth Form College is a post-secondary co-educational sixth form college located in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The college, which is commonly referred to as SSFC, currently has an enrolment of approximately 1,300 students, generally ranging between the ages of...

. The River Severn

River Severn

The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...

 runs through the parkland, and is bridged by the Porthill Bridge

Porthill Bridge

Porthill Bridge, also often referred to as Port Hill Footbridge, is a suspension bridge for pedestrians crossing the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England....

, which connects the Quarry to the Porthill area of the town. Facing the Quarry across the River Severn is Shrewsbury School

Shrewsbury School

Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...

, Stoner's Bank and the Pengwern Boat Club. On the east side of the Quarry is St Chad's Church

St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury

St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury occupies a prominent position in the county town of Shropshire. The current church building was built in 1792, and with its distinctive round shape and high tower it is a well-known landmark in the town. It faces The Quarry area of parkland, which slopes down to the...

.

The Quarry holds various festivals, in addition to its normal, more informal recreational use, through the year including the Shrewsbury Flower Show

Shrewsbury Flower Show

The Shrewsbury Flower Show is an annual event held in mid-August over two days at The Quarry, the main park in the town of Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The show is organised by the Shropshire Horticultural Society and is one of the largest events of its type in the United...

 and the Shrewsbury Regatta. The headquarters of the Shropshire Horticultural Society are also located in the park. Recently The Quarry has been used as a live music venue, with performances in 2005 from Jools Holland

Jools Holland

Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...

 and Will Young

Will Young

William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...

, the Sugababes

Sugababes

The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...

 appeared in July 2006.

The avenue that runs along the River Severn is called "Victoria Avenue" and the largest avenue that runs downhill from the town centre to the Victoria Avenue is "Gloucester Avenue". The latter was known as Central Avenue, but in 1974 Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester

Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester

Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife and then widow of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of George V and Queen Mary.The daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry, Scotland’s largest landowner, her brothers Walter and...

came to the Shrewsbury Flower Show and the avenue was dedicated to her. Both are traffic-free at all times.