This article has its origins in research on Victorian Kingsland suggested by Dr Barrie Trinder but there also seemed to be a need to publish a more general account of Kingsland. Anyone who writes an account such as this incurs many obligations of gratitude to those without whom it would never have been published. First among them are Dr Barrie Trinder for suggesting the original project and for comments on the manuscript; Mr Eric Mercer (Victoria County History, Salop) for information on buildings and architects and helpful suggestions on the manuscript; and Mr David East of The Victorian Society.
The patient help of the owners and keepers of the key documents on which this account is based must also be noted. These included: the staff in the Shrewsbury Library (Local Studies) and in the Shropshire County Records Office; Mr James B. Lawson (Librarian, Shrewsbury School) for access to maps of Kingsland; Mr Lindner for access to the Minute books of the Pengwern Boat Club; Mr Etherington for access to his old photographs of the Poplars c. 1864; and Mr A. Stringfellow of the Borough Council Planning Department for details of planning applications and approvals between 1878 and 1902.
The approval of Shrewsbury Public Library is gratefully acknowledged to reproduce the following: Figs 3A (map of the Arbours c. 1780) & Fig. 3B (map of Arbours 1836); Fig. 5 (an old etching of the Arbours by Jewitt, 1844); Fig. 1 (extract from Tisdale’s map 1875); and Figs. 4 and 9 (from the Ordnance Survey maps for 1882 and 1902). Additionally, the approval of the Shropshire County Records Office to reproduce Fig. 2 (the Tithe map) is gratefully acknowledged. In Fig. 10, the photograph of The Poplars ca. 1864 is by courtesy of Mr Etherington. The permission of Rowley’s House Museum to photograph and reproduce Fig. 7 (Kingsland Bridge Toll board) is gratefully acknowledged. Figure 8 (Plan of Kingsland Estate with Building Plots) is reproduced by courtesy of the Guildhall.
The help and recollections of residents and former residents in Kingsland was important, including that of Miss Bridget Downer for information on her Craig relatives and Severn Hill; Mrs Mary Taylor and Mrs Joan Cooper for information on the School ferry; and Jonathan Blomfield for information on Rosemount Cottage. The expert comments of Pamela Jones on the Beck family are gratefully acknowledged.
Finally, I would like to thank my husband, Donald Straughan, for his unfailing support and for putting the manuscript into a publishable form.
Kingsland, Shrewsbury 