Shrewsbury Abbey The Abbey of St Peter and St Paul and Parish Church of The Holy Cross Shrewsbury The Abbey as it stands now, whilst impressive, is a shadow if it's former self. Prior to the dissolution, it was 120 feet longer than it is now. The high alter was another 80 feet further and it contained the the Lady Chapel behind the high alter. Both north and south transept (the cross part of the building) no longer exist now.   The Abbey was founded alond with the monastary in 1083 by Roger de Montgomery, kinsman to William the Conquerer and was build on the site of a Saxon wodden church. Indeed, Roger died here in 1094 after being cared for by the monks during his last illness. There is a carved tomb slab which is said to bare his likeness in the south aisle of the Abbey. In 1283, a Parliament met in the Chapter house of the abbey. This was the first national assembly in which the Commons were involved. The restoration of the Abbey to it's former glory was started in the 1800's but sadly it ran out of money. Now a day's it concentrates of restoration work of the more immediate kind, such as keeping up the current state of the Abbey. The actual building itself certainly gives you the impression that this could have been where Cadfael worked and lived. Mentions of St Winifred are all over the place, including part of a stone statue said to belong to the shrine of St Winifred.

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