The spire of St Mary’s is one of the tallest in England and for over 500 years it has dominated the skyline of Shrewsbury’s old town. In 1739, showman Robert Cadman attempted to slide from it, head first, using a rope and a grooved breastplate. His engraved obituary stands outside the west door. The church is now the only complete medieval church in Shrewsbury.
Live in the House hosted its first show at St Marys in 2018, where the accomplished vocalist Jo Harmen, demonstrated the impressive reverberatory acoustics of St Marys whilst performing her award winning soul and blues repertoire. St Mary’s continues to be one of our favourite ‘go to’ venues for the best in vocal performance.
ACCESS – The show areas of St Mary’s can be accessed by wheelchair from the front entrance without any change in floor level. The internal toilet is also accessible via ramps.
There has been a place of worship on the site since Anglo-Saxon times. The Abbey was founded as a Benedictine Monastery by Roger de Montgomery in 1083 on the site of an existing Saxon church. After the dissolution of the monasteries in the reign of King Henry VIII the part of the Abbey building which survived continued as a Parish Church – as it has to this day.
Live in the House hosted its first show at the Abbey in 2021, when local hero Dan Owen played to a capacity audience for 2 nights. These shows have made the Abbey another firm favourite with the Live in the House team, with its stunning architecture and soaring acoustics.
ACCESS – Wheelchair access to the show area of the Abbey is from the front entrance via a ramp that can be easily deployed on request. The show area of the Abbey is on one level throughout, including access to the internal disabled toilet.
Formally known as Bellstone Hall, it was renamed in the 1930’s after the late James Kent Morris. It displays a magical mix of 14th and 16th style but was fashioned by the Arts and Crafts designers of the time. Now reopened as a community venue for the people of Shrewsbury and surrounding area, the Live in the House team find Morris Hall is the perfect venue for more intimate music events and live comedy.
ACCESS – The show areas of Morris Hall cannot be accessed by wheelchair from street level. The front entrance is accessed by 2 flights of external steps (8 steps per flight) and a further 3 steps to the front porch. Once inside the show area, bar and toilets are on one level.
Abbeygate Hall, is part of The Cut Conference Centre, within the beautiful surroundings of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust HQ. The site can be accessed directly from the large Abbey Foregate Public Car Park or of the Abbey Foregate footpath. Abbeygate Hall is within the grounds of the Centre, in part of a converted 13th Century range of buildings within easy walking distance of Shrewsbury’s town centre and train station. Nestling in a wildlife garden, this venue really is unique. On the first floor, the large performance space is notable for is 2 large stained glass windows.
ACCESS – The show areas of Abbeygate Hall cannot be accessed by wheelchair from street level. The performance space can be accessed by both stairs and a lift, however for fire safety all attendees must be able to evacuate by either of the internal and external staircase. The lift cannot be used in an emergency. Once inside, the bar is in the hall, however the toilets are at the entrance of the site, in the shop area on the ground floor.
