The Shifnal Discovery Trail is a free history trail for families and friends to complete on July 20th, 2024.
The trail is being launched by Shropshire Festivals on behalf of Shifnal Town Council and Love Shifnal, to get people exploring Shifnal whilst learning about Victorian Britain’s largest banking fraud. The main event on July 20th will include actors who will bring the history to life with their eyewitness testimonies, helping you solve the case. If you can’t make the date, you can complete the trail over the summer at your leisure.
Over 150 years ago, Shifnal was the scene of Victorian Britain’s largest banking fraud. In 1855 The Shropshire Banking Company’s branch manager, William Allen, was found to have been stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds over the course of a decade. When police arrived to arrest him at the bank in Horse Fair (where Market Place today meets Park Street), Allen is said to have leapt over the bank counter and fled. Some £159,000 of bank funds were never recovered, which would be worth over £16million today.
Budding detectives are being called on to find a series of clues hidden around Shifnal, which when solved will reveal the code to unlock an overseas safe.
Beth Heath, Shropshire Festivals’ Director of Fun, said, “If you enjoy escape room style experiences, then you will love the Shifnal Discovery Trail. We’ve put together a fun trail which will call on your problem-solving and investigative skills. You will get to spend the day outdoors as a family or group of friends, solving clues together, finding out some fascinating history and discovering more of Shifnal.
“You can collect your free trail booklet from the Square and use the map to follow the trail around the town to solve the challenges.”
On July 20th, you can collect the trail booklet from 10am onwards. Complete it by 4pm to collect your certificate of completion. You can visit Shifnal History Group at The Old Fire Station to learn more and collect your certificate from 10am – 4pm.
Sally Themans from Love Shifnal, said, “This is a great opportunity to explore our wonderful town. The trail will take around 1-2 hours to complete, so why not make a day of it – stop in a local café for lunch and have a browse of our fabulous shops. Have fun enjoying all Shifnal has to offer!”
The Shifnal Discovery Trail will take place on Saturday, July 20th from 10am – 4pm, with actors included. The trail will remain in place until the end of the summer holidays. LoveShifnal.co.uk will list where the trail booklets will be located after July 20th, which will include Woods the Cleaners and Presence Cards and Gifts. You will also be able to download it from the website.
