VISITORS to Wem’s History Day at the Town Hall last weekend were treated to the fruits of more than a year’s research about the town’s rich history.

The Victory County History (VCH), Shropshire, shared its findings on the remarkable history of Wem, with four speakers covering a wide range of topics.

This included the town’s architecture and public buildings, its breweries and pubs, its agricultural development, its transport and communications and, of course, its residents – people lived there since 

medieval times.

Professor Richard Hoyle, chairman of VCH Shropshire, said already high expectations of Wem’s history have been truly exceeded.

“In fact, Wem has turned out to be even more interesting than we imagined,” he said.

“We are delighted we can begin to share our findings. 

“One of the hallmarks of VCH is its accuracy and precision and our research team has developed a comprehensive and fascinating account of Wem’s history.

“We have approached our task in an innovative way – for example, new techniques have been applied to study the urban topography, and new light has been shed on the history of the castle and the church.

“For the first time we will be able to prove Wem is an archetypal medieval-planned castle town and as such, can take its place alongside the best examples in England.”

The talks were well attended and people learned more about issues such as the mystery of the missing King John charter of 1205.

*For a full-page picture special on the event, see this week's Whitchurch Herald.