Shrewsbury: St. Mary’s Church and Robert Cadman

In 1739, towards the end of what became known as ‘The Little Ice Age’, Shrewsbury suffered a fierce winter, lasting thirteen weeks from late December to early March. It was so cold that the River Severn, which loops around the town, froze to a depth of several feet, thick enough to support the weight of a printing press and the apparatus needed to roast a sheep.