Former station receives Red Wheel plaque

Shropshire's Lord Lieutenant Anna Turner (second left) unveiled the plaque

A former railway station in Shrewsbury has received Shropshire's first Red Wheel - a plaque recognising notable transport sites.

Abbey Station, which sits in the corner of what is now Abbey Foregate car park, was the terminus of short-lived rail ventures in the 19th and 20th Centuries, before the line was used to carry munitions during and after World War Two.

The plaque was unveiled by the county's Lord Lieutenant, Anna Turner.

Shrewsbury's mayor, Becky Wall, said the award was "an important accolade for Shrewsbury Railway Heritage Trust" which operates the site as a visitor centre.

The plaque lists the lines which operated from the station

Abbey Station was the terminus for the "Potts" Railway in the 1860s, and the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Light Railway between 1911 and 1933.

Both ventures were commercial failures.

The line was later used by the military, to move armaments to a large storage depot in north Shropshire, built for its proximity to the route.

The line has been unused since the 1960s, but the station was restored as a visitor centre by the Shrewsbury Heritage Railway Trust in 2012.