Shifnal had something of an early industrial revolution during the late 16th century with the construction of a charcoal fired blast furnace near to the Manor House.

A fire swept through the town on 7 July 1591, setting alight the roof of the church.
The fire is thought to have been started by a maidservant's candle that accidentally set fire to some hanging flax.
The fire devastated many, if not all, of the buildings east of the Wesley Brook.
The church and the timber-framed Old Idsall House at its foot to the east (a listed building), are said to be the only two buildings to have survived the fire that destroyed the rest of the settlement.
This is now commemorated by a blue plaque fixed to the wall of the house.
After the fire, Elizabeth I sent money to help rebuild the town.

A wall memorial tablet inside St Andrew's Church is for Mary Yates – known locally as Nanny Murphy - who walked to London as a teenager just after the Great Fire in 1666, married her third husband Joseph Yates when she was over 90, and died at the age of 127.
There is a Nanny Murphy's Lane just to the north of Shifnal.
The same stone memorial tablet records that William Wakely was baptised on 1 May 1590 and was buried on 28 November 1714, after living through the reigns of eight kings and queens.

The best example of Shropshire Scroll – a 16th-century style of swirling wall painting unique to the county - was uncovered in 2010 by renovators in a Grade II listed property on Broadway.
The 2m by 2.5m work, on display at what is now the Black Orchid hair salon, had been hidden behind a wall for more than a century.
Shifnal had something of an early industrial revolution during the late 16th century with the construction of a charcoal fired blast furnace near to the Manor House.
A fire swept through the town on 7 July 1591, setting alight the roof of the church. The fire is thought to have been started by a maidservant's candle that accidentally set fire to some hanging flax. The fire devastated many, if not all, of the buildings east of the Wesley Brook. The church and the timber-framed Old Idsall House at its foot to the east (a listed building), are said to be the only two buildings to have survived the fire that destroyed the rest of the settlement. This is now commemorated by a blue plaque fixed to the wall of the house. After the fire, Elizabeth I sent money to help rebuild the town.
A wall memorial tablet inside St Andrew's Church is for Mary Yates – known locally as Nanny Murphy - who walked to London as a teenager just after the Great Fire in 1666, married her third husband Joseph Yates when she was over 90, and died at the age of 127. There is a Nanny Murphy's Lane just to the north of Shifnal. The same stone memorial tablet records that William Wakely was baptised on 1 May 1590 and was buried on 28 November 1714, after living through the reigns of eight kings and queens.
The best example of Shropshire Scroll – a 16th-century style of swirling wall painting unique to the county - was uncovered in 2010 by renovators in a Grade II listed property on Broadway. The 2m by 2.5m work, on display at what is now the Black Orchid hair salon, had been hidden behind a wall for more than a century.
Shifnal