7. The Square
View Wenlock Walk in a larger map
After looking at the interesting cottages across the street and the Georgian style houses on your left, cross the street and walk to the right towards the centre of town.
The town is dominated by limestone cottages, built from locally quarried stone. However limestone burns when exposed to extended heat, so if you will notice most of the cottages have replaced their original limestone chimneys with brick. Some of the cottages had brick linings put into the chimneys and so the outside remained faced with lime, but have a look as you walk along the streets.
Just past Wenlock Flowers you will see a cobbled pathway called The Mutton Shut. Shuts were like shortcuts to other areas and usually named after nearby inns or pubs. The Mutton Shut actually meets up with The George and Dragon Shut which one usually accesses from the High Street just to the right of the George and Dragon Pub, both lead to the car park and public toilets.
Passing Mutton Shut you have now reached The Square, a relatively new addition to the town - constructed in 1988. Nowadays it is a great gathering spot for the locals and a good vantage point for the visitors to enjoy the sun and watch the town’s activities.
Prior to The Square’s construction, the area was rough ground with some shops and served as a car park for the former cinema - now the Memorial Hall, museum & Tourist Information.
The small clock tower was erected by Mayor Thomas Cooke to commemorate The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria on 20 June 1897.
Mr. Cooke owned the grocery across the street (now the Spar Shop) and it said that he positioned the memorial there so that there would never be a building obscuring his view or other’s view of his shop!