Flags out, barriers at the ready as Shrewsbury prepares to welcome Queen Camilla

For tomorrow, Wednesday, Queen Camilla will be visiting Shropshire in an official capacity for the second time since King Charles III took the throne.

And while there is no smell of fresh paintwork in the county town the road-sweepers have been out, police have been highly visible and carrying out checks while council workers have been out and about making their preparations for the visit.

Union flags have been slotted into their holders above High Street and The Square, crowd crash barriers are in piles ready to be put in place and piles of cones and signs are out and about ready to enforce a multitude of road closures.

Woe betide anyone who leaves their car or van in an on-street parking space around the town centre.

Her Majesty The Queen will be stopping off at the The Farmers Market in Shrewsbury's Square before visiting Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings – the home of the grandfather of the modern skyscraper.

The Flaxmill Maltings was closed today in preparation for the visit, while security guards hovered around the venue's car park and a council road-sweeper was seen in the morning clearing the gutters and giving the Tarmac an extra polish.

There will be disruption in Shrewsbury as a number of road closures are in place throughout the day across the town, with people urged to plan journeys into Shrewsbury to avoid disruption.

Timings for the visit have not been made public by the palace.

The Farmers Market visit

The Queen will be welcomed to Shrewsbury's Square by Shrewsbury Brass Band before being introduced to a number of local dignitaries.

Stuart and Jenny Jones, who run the Shrewsbury Farmers Market, will then showcase the market's producers to The Queen, while introducing their royal visitor to a number of local artisan businesses.

The Queen will then move to the Old Market Hall where she will sign the visitors' book – also signed by Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 – before meeting members of the local Bee Keepers’ Association.

Shrewsbury Farmers Market has been held in The Square for almost 20 years and has grown into one of the best markets in the area with around 40 traders regularly setting up stall on the first Friday of the month.

The market includes many gold award winning producers and an international award winner – Tootsweets confectionery from Shrewsbury.

The Flaxmill Maltings Visit

The Queen will visit one of the region's most spectacular restoration projects at the Flaxmill Maltings in Ditherington, which opened in 2022 after a £28m regeneration.

The building is known as the grandfather of modern skyscrapers thanks to its ground-breaking iron frame.

The Queen will tour the restored site before meeting volunteers from local groups such as ‘The Repair Café’ who will be conducting a mini repair session – as well as Shrewsbury Food Hub, Shrewsbury Interfaith forum, Save Our Shropshire, and Shropshire Supports Refugees.

At the conclusion of the visit, Her Majesty will meet volunteers from the Royal Voluntary Services, Shropshire Good Neighbours Service, before she is led to the kiln area where she will be invited by Historic England to unveil a plaque to commemorate the visit.

The Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings site is an Historic England flagship heritage regeneration project, and home to eight listed buildings.

Historic England worked with partners and funders to renovate the site and manage the buildings and ongoing restoration whilst a trading company looked after the day-to-day visitor experience.

The Flaxmill Maltings is the world’s first iron-framed building (built 1796-1797) and is the forerunner to the modern-day skyscraper.

In 2022, 225 years after the mill originally opened, the site opened to the public, allowing visitors to learn more about its role in the Industrial Revolution and the contribution Shrewsbury and the Midlands have made to the world in manufacturing and innovation.

Welcome

The Queen's visit has been welcomed by local dignitaries, including the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner.

She said: "It is a total pleasure to be welcoming Her Majesty the Queen back to Shropshire.

"Her visit last year took her to Telford where she met representatives from some wonderful charities.

"This visit will be the turn of Shrewsbury to welcome Her Majesty and showcase the wonderful work that goes on in Shropshire."

Meanwhile, Vince Hunt, the chairman of Shropshire Council, said: “We are delighted to welcome Her Majesty to Shrewsbury, and it would be marvellous if there were crowds in The Square giving her a warm welcome.

“It is a great honour to be hosting the visit and, while we know it will cause some disruption to residents and businesses, everyone involved is keen to keep that to a minimum.

"All the shops and businesses will be open as usual, and road closures and parking restrictions will be in place for as short a time as possible.

"I am sure Her Majesty will enjoy both the Farmers Market and catching a glimpse of our vibrant county town at its best.”

Road closures, parking restrictions and park and ride

The following roads will be closed in Shrewsbury from 7.30am until 2pm on Wednesday, March 27:

• Wyle Cop - only upwards from English Bridge to High Street

• High Street

• Milk Street

• Market Street

• Princess Street

• The Square

• Shoplatch

• Bellstone

On-street parking will also be suspended from 6am on Wednesday at the following locations:

• Wyle Cop

• High Street

• Fish Street

• Shoplatch

• Barker Street

• Claremont Street

• Belmont

• Princess Street

• College Hill

Visitors are advised to use the Park and Ride services where possible. They will be running to the following stops:

• Harlescott Park and Ride – Shrewsbury Railway Station, Castle Street and Dogpole

• Meole Park and Ride – Asda, bottom of Wyle Cop, railway station at the lights end of Smithfield Road, Castle Street and Dogpole

• Oxon Park and Ride – Frankwell Island, railway station lights at the end of Smithfield Road, Castle Street and Dogpole