Shrewsbury Drapers Company
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The Drapers' Hall
10 St. Mary's Place,
Shrewsbury
SY1 1DZ
Charity No's: 213372 233903
Welcome to the Shrewsbury Drapers` Company website.
The Shrewsbury Drapers Company was founded as a Guild by Royal Charter in 1462. There are 80 elected Freemen of the Guild who are trustees for three charities which manage and support almshouses in Shrewsbury. The Drapers Hall, was built in 1576, and is now in the cutody of a fourth charity, (Shrewsbury Drapers` Hall Preservation Trust) which leases it for use as a boutique hotel and restaurant. The Guild retains rights to hold meetings and feasts, and keep its historic furniture in the Hall. The Freemen are much involved in charitable work, including the almshouses and running an annual textile competition each Autumn. The other three Registered Charities are Shrewsbury Drapers Company General Charities (no. 213372) and Hospital of St Giles (no. 233903) and Holy Cross (no.1132671).
Right: King Edward IV, who granted the Shrewsbury Drapers their first charter in 1462. Painted by Thomas Francis in 1660.
Shrewsbury is a very special place and is proud of its surviving guild and two 16c Guild Halls
The Shrewsbury Drapers` Company has retained many unbroken links back to its foundations in the 15c and its zenith in the 16c
The Shrewsbury Drapers` Company is the only surviving ancient guild in Shrewsbury but the Town is unique in having both a Drapers Hall and a Fellmongers Hall in use today.
The Drapers Hall, rebuilt in 1576 on the site of an earlier hall and extended in 1580, continues to be used by the Company for business meetings celebrations and feasts using much of the 17c furniture built in the Hall for the Company.
Today the Hall is a popular restaurant and boutique hotel and visitors are able to have full use of many of the original visual and environmental features of the building and original furniture belonging to the Company.
Drapers Chapel in St Mary`s Church, has been used by the Shrewsbury Drapers Company since 1444 before its formation in 1462.
The Old Market Hall in the Square was built in 1596 for the Shrewsbury Drapers to conduct their business on the first floor, today it is a popular coffee shop and an intimate cinema.
Many of the great timber framed buildings in Shrewsbury were built by Drapers in 15c and 16c and are open and available to visit. These buildings include Rowley's Mansion; which houses the Visitor Information Centre. Vaughan's Mansion; incorporated into the site of the proposed Shrewsbury Museum. Millingtons Hospital, Owen's Mansion, Bennet's Hall, Prowde's Mansion and Ireland's Mansion are all retail outlets and there are many other that can be visited by arrangement including Bowdler's House and Perche's Mansion
The Company has an unbroken link with the provision of supported housing for the people of Shrewsbury.
Almshouses were built in front of St Mary`s Church in 1444 by a draper but were replaced by more modern buildings in the 1820s (across St Mary`s Street) and again in 1964 in Coleham, where they are maintained to a high standard. The Company has also taken over responsibility of Almshouses near St Giles Church and more recently the almshouses of The Abbey Church of The Holy Cross were transferred to The Shrewsbury Drapers Company in 2010.