Wyle Cop is hailed for having one of the longest stretches of uninterrupted independent shops in the UK, and retailers have got together to highlight the street’s charm. 

Shrewsbury BID (Business Improvement District) has commissioned local artist Emma Williams, who is responsible for the striking displays in the Tanners wine shop window, to design a special one-off display in a unit which is currently vacant. 

Jonathan Soden, a director of Shrewsbury BID and owner of The Soden Collection at the top of Wyle Cop, said it was a great way of making the most of an empty shop unit. 

He said: “Wyle Cop is a fantastically vibrant part of Shrewsbury town centre, and it’s a fact of life that shops will change hands from time to time, so we were keen to do something creative when the opportunity arose. 

“Emma is well known for her amazing displays at Tanners, so we asked her to come up with a design which would celebrate Wyle Cop’s past and present. 

“It was important to feature as many traders from as many eras as possible, and we are delighted with how the design is looking. 

“It also includes a number of fascinating facts about Wyle Cop, so I would urge everyone to have a look next time they visit the town centre.” 

Emma added: ”I’ve always had a huge passion for Shrewsbury but especially Wyle Cop - it’s where I’ve worked for over 10 years, and it’s such an iconic street. 

“It’s been wonderful stitching historic images together with the present, I do hope onlookers will enjoy this one-off display which truly is a celebration of the area.  

“It’s been fantastic working with an entirely different space, I’m so used to making large-scale props for the massive display at Tanners, it’s been lovely to work on something more intricate.” 

People can see more about the making of the display on Emma’s Instagram account, @visualcreationsbyemma. 

Traders in Wyle Cop got together at the end of last year to create a distinct brand for the street, with associated social media accounts, to raise the profile of the street as a destination in its own right. 

A number of new shops have opened in recent weeks, including Lovely Little World and The Edwardian Bedding Company which took over the large unit previously occupied by Feather and Black.