THE QUEEN WILL VISIT SHREWSBURY, SHROPSHIRE
Wednesday 27th March 2024
Engagement 1:
Her Majesty The Queen will visit Shrewsbury Farmers’ Market, Town Square, Shrewsbury.
The Queen will arrive at Shrewsbury Farmers’ Market where the Lord Lieutenant, Anna Tuner, will introduce Her Majesty to dignitaries before presenting Jenny and Stuart Jones who organise the monthly market. The Queen will tour the market including food, artisan, jewellery and craft stalls, while the Shrewsbury Brass band plays.
Her Majesty will then move to the Old Market Hall where she will sign the visitor’s book (also signed by Queen Elizabeth II in 1952) before meeting members of the local BeeKeepers’ Association.
Shrewsbury Farmers Market has been held in The Square for almost 20 years and has grown into one of the best markets in the area with around forty traders regularly setting up stall on the first Friday of the month. The market includes many gold award winning producers and an international award winner – Tootsweets Confectionery from Shrewsbury.
The stalls are very diverse and include street food from around the world. The emphasis is on natural ingredients, artisan crafts, and local food produce.
Engagement 2:
Her Majesty The Queen will visit the recently restored Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, before meeting local volunteer groups including the Shrewsbury Food Hub, Shrewsbury Interfaith Forum, Save our Shropshire and Shropshire Supports Refugees.
The Shrewsbury Flax-mill Maltings site is an Historic England flagship heritage regeneration project, and home to eight listed buildings. Historic England worked with partners and funders to renovate the site and manage the buildings and ongoing restoration whilst a trading company looked after the day-to-day visitor experience.
The Queen will tour the restored site before meeting volunteers from local groups such as ‘The Repair Café’ who will be conducting a mini repair session; Shrewsbury Food Hub, Shrewsbury Interfaith Forum, Save Our Shropshire, and Shropshire Supports Refugees.
At the conclusion of the visit, Her Majesty will meet volunteers from the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), Shropshire Good Neighbours Service, before the Queen unveils a plaque to mark her visit.
Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings is the world’s first iron-framed building (built 1796-1797) and is the forerunner to the modern-day skyscraper.
In 2022, 225 years after the Mill originally opened, the site opened to the public, allowing visitors to learn more about its incredible role in the Industrial Revolution and the great contribution Shrewsbury and the Midlands have made to the world in manufacturing and innovation.