Day a famous Shrewsbury hotel closed

Fifty-two years ago today it was the end of an era for Shrewsbury as the town’s top hotel closed.

For years the Raven, pictured below, had been the number one place to stay.

But with the shopping boom in the 1950s the F W Woolworth store empire wanted to move into Shropshire’s county town and they put in a big offer for the site which the hotel owners couldn’t refuse.

It shut down on December 23, 1959, and an auction of its contents was held in February 1960.

Many Shrewsbury people were sad to see the Raven shut down but they were horrified when, with the much more relaxed planning laws in those days, the majestic building was demolished in June 1960 and a modern Woolworth store was built in its place, opening its doors on October 30, 1964.

Today the site is occupied by F & M stores, next to Marks and Spencer.

During the Second World War and the 1950s The Lion and the Raven had jostled for Shrewsbury’s top hotel spot.

The Raven had the Americans and more than 100 servicemen accommodated there. By April 1943, it was made into an American Red Cross Leave Club whose motto was “to give the boys a real good time” and they did that with cabarets and dances.

If the Raven had the Americans, The Lion had the British as their top events attracted the local gentry and VIPs.

With its rival gone, The Lion enjoyed its unsurpassed position as the town’s number one place to stay as the austerity of the war years had worn off by the 1960s as the hotel stepped into another golden age.

What were your memories of the Raven? Did you visit it or stay there? Send your memories to John@jbutterworth.plus.com

If you would like to find out more order a signed copy of Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury, for £6 including postage within the UK by emailing John@jbutterworth.plus.com