Shrewsbury

Wednesday was Em's birthday. Unfortunately I'd left her presents at home! as she'd often passed through Shrewsbury on the train and it looked a nice place, Em wanted a chance to explore, so we had booked two nights at Cromwells Inn in the centre of town. The hotel was great and the people really friendly and helpful. I was shocked to find out that it had been the subject of fake reviews on trip Advisor. http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2012/08/18/internet-troll-threat-to-ruin-shrewsbury-hotel/

This is getting horribly common nowadays, including the blackmail, give me a refund or I'll give you bad reviews. I know of a writer who upset a cult leader and consequently gets his books slagged off online from cult members all round the world. I've no doubt we'll get a bit of this with "Hazel" sooner or later.


In our room was a huge for poster bed. It was incredibly comfortable. Part of the charm of the place was its old uneven floors. Some people had complained about this on Trip Advisor!

On our way to Shrewsbury from Brecon we called at Presteigne to visit Ian and Hilary Marchant. Ian is the WCBS patron and is a writer and broadcaster.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Marchant_(author)



Ian has just completed his magnum opus, a book about the history of the hippy movement. His next project is a radio sitcom that he credits me with the idea for (do I get a percentage?)  It was nice to sit and talk with such interesting, intelligent and generally nice people. It was a little worrying to learn that, because of brexit, Hilary is trying to get Irish citizenship. Will the last intelligent person to leave the country please turn out the lights.


After touring round Shrewsbury several times we found Cromwells and the staff helped Em get our cases to the room while I drove about a mile out of town to where i could park for free, then I walked back past the old Shropshire & Montgomeryshire  Shrewsbury Abbey  Station.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrewsbury_Abbey_railway_station

There's too much to explore in Shrewsbury for just a couple of days, especially for someone with M E  http://www.afme.org.uk/

We ate that evening at the Old Post Office https://whatpub.com/pubs/SHR/4743/old-post-office-shrewsburyand had a really nice meal.

Thursday morning Em sent me out on a mission to check out the abbey and trip boats on the river. The Abbey used to be a huge great Benedictine monastery until dissolved by henry VIII. It plays a central role in the Brother Cadfael series of mediaeval detective fiction. http://www.originalshrewsbury.co.uk/visit/shrewsbury-abbey


Unfortunately the trip boats operate from the opposite end of Shrewsbury from the Abbey so Em didn't have the energy to do both. We rushed to get the 11Am boat but just missed it, despite some high speed wheelchair pushing,  because I took a wrong turn in the town centre.


Sadly, Shrewsbury now has lots of homeless people thanks to the draconian policies against poor people pursued by successive governments. We passed two burly policement dealing with a lady who had been sleeping on the grass. As I walked round the town earlier I had seen lots of people rising from shop doorways etc.


 We eventually had a pleasant run round the great loop that the river makes around Shrewsbury on the midday boat. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186368-d2097853-Reviews-Sabrina_Boat_Trips-Shrewsbury_Shropshire_England.html



The laconic commentary by the skipper was entertaining. Em was shocked to hear what the fees are at Shrewsbury School. It seems wrong that in our society there are people who can afford to spend on a childs education 10 times what many people have to live on.


Em was tired so we returned to the hotel and she relaxed it the four poster while I went off to look for the Shrewsbury canal. I crossed the station by a long old footbridge which came out by the prison gates. Now closed, Shrewsbury Jail was made famous by A E Housman

 

They hang us now in Shrewsbury jail:

The whistles blow forlorn,

And trains all night groan on the rail

To men that die at morn.

 

There sleeps in Shrewsbury jail to-night,

Or wakes, as may betide,

A better lad, if things went right,

Than most that sleep outside.

 

And naked to the hangman's noose

The morning clocks will ring

A neck God made for other use

Than strangling in a string.


  Cheerful stuff!


The prison is to be redeveloped as flats (!) but in the meantime they are doing tours and, had we stayed until saturday night, we could have gone to a charity concert there entitled "Jailhouse Rock"
http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2015/07/14/shrewsburys-dana-prison-to-be-opened-up-for-tours/

Behind the prison is a 19th century part of the town, a bit like parts of Ashton with terraced streets. By chance I came across the Canal Tavern and approached it, thinking I might stop for a drink. I was disappointed to find that it had closed down.


 Behind the pub I found the route of the canal, now a footpath.




 The terminal basins are behind the station forming a car park and the Morriss's oil works. The original terminus warehouse is now the Buttermarket night club.

I followed the canal route http://tonycanalpics.co.uk/shrewcan/s/index.html

and soon came to the old Flax Mill, now owned by Historic england and being gradually restored http://www.flaxmill-maltings.co.uk/shrewsbury-flaxmill-maltings-story

Here the canal route disappeared, but I was able to pick it up again further along, before turning off in the direction of the river,


 which I followed upstream, past shrewsbury weir and back to join Em at the hotel. She was too tired to go out so I went out to get us sandwiches from Subway. I spent the evening reading a really interesting book on early Christianity whilst Em got absorbed in  tinternet. We know how to have a good time.

Friday was our day for going home. I wanted to visit Blists Hill museum near Ironbridge. Em was now getting a bit exhausted but it was only about 10 miles so she agreed to it. It includes a Victorian village which I thought would interest her. When we got there she said that she was too tired to look round but that if there was a cafe she could have a couple of cups of coffee and that might buck her up a bit.

Entry is not cheap, £12.50 each even with our over 60s concession. I went to enquire about a cafe but the woman I spoke to said that the cafe was inside and that we'd have to pay our admission fee to get there. I explained the situation and suggested that she let Em in for free to get a cup of coffee, then she'd pay the admission if she was well enough to look around. she said it was against the rules. I asked to see the manager, she said she was the manager. We went to get coffee and teacakes in a nice friendly community cafe in Madeley.

While I understand that there will be people who try to blag their way in for free, I really didn't like the managers attitude. I've wanted to visit that museum since it was set up about 40 years ago. By being intransigent she lost the museum at least £12.50 for my entry, plus the profit on coffee and cake, plus probably another £12.50 for Em's entry after she'd perked up plus a lot of goodwill. I think I can manage another 40 years without visiting thanks.

With our coffee drunk and teacakes eaten we headed home. A wonderful few days away.