Tag: Shrewsbury

Walking the Shrewsbury Battlefield – Part One

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date May 9, 2015
3 Comments on Walking the Shrewsbury Battlefield – Part One

Although we have lived in Shropshire for years it is only now that we have finally visited the site of the famous Battle of Shrewsbury and the Church of St Mary Magdalene built there to commemorate those who died in battle.

There were absolutely no clues that a battle ever took place here as we walked the footpath across the site of the battle, but we enjoyed wandering along the hedgerows with the song of Skylarks high above us and the distinctive call of the first returning migrant warbler, the Chiffchaff. We enjoyed seeing and hearing a Yellow Hammer a scarce farmland bird.

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Signs of spring were to be seen every step of the way, freshly bursting buds with the brightest of greens emerging and the earliest of blossoms.

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The willows were giving a light show, as the sun shone through their catkins.

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Some trees were still bare skeletons against the blue skies.

As we approached the scatter of buildings around the church, a shallow stream flowed alongside with banks of water plants coming to life.

In the woodland around the church we discovered the remaining fish ponds used by the college chaplains.

We wandered past the church and made our way to the nearby Battlefield Farm Shop which luckily had a coffee shop! We decided to have a look at the church on the way back when we would be well-refreshed. In converted old farm buildings an exhibition explained all about the Battle of Shrewsbury.

We began our walk back around the battlefield site following a narrow gravel path between a tall hedge and an old chestnut fence. In a field showing signs of ancient ridge and furrows agriculture we spotted a drainage pond rich in vegetation and a old fallen tree with the most amazingly shaped trunk and branches.

In part two of our look at the Shrewsbury Battlefield site we will look at the church and the skeletal tree in more detail.

Tags battlefields, Blackthorn, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, willows

Shrewsbury Shropshire steam power steam traction engines

Shropshire Steam – Part 2 – horse power and steam power on parade

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date September 28, 2014
1 Comment on Shropshire Steam – Part 2 – horse power and steam power on parade

I hinted at the end of part one that we would be looking at horse power and steam power for the second part. So this I shall endeavour to do but doubtless I shall have a diversion along the way.

After being enthralled by all those vintage tractors and their associated sundries I featured in the first Shropshire Steam post, we found a couple of seats just behind the rope that marked the display ring.

We were soon joined by this little chap who was sat on his master’s knee on the seat next to us. He eyed up our lunch and made us feel guilty eating it in front of him.

Working horses in all their show finery strolled around the ring under the scrupulous eyes of the judges.

We stayed longer than we had planned as a collection of vintage trucks in every colour and shape possible entered the ring.These in their original lives had carried all sorts of goods around the countryside. Some brought back memories but many were around before us.

And a collection of old buses came next. We were enjoying ourselves more and more and sharing memories of bus travel.

And a couple of old fire engines added a little glamour.

But I did promise some steam vehicles, so here they are in all their glory and finery. They not only looked majestic and magical, they also smelled wonderful too. Steam, hot metal, oil and coal smoke.

Sometimes the beauty is in the detail.

We enjoyed this little cameo, a set up showing road works from decades ago. Jude was specially interested as when we followed our family history research we discovered that one of her ancestors was a roadman. He may have used materials and machines just like these.

We always take a special interest and pride in seeing the old steam lorries as many of them were manufactured in Shrewsbury at the Sentinel Works. So these four photos are a good way to finish this second visit to the Shropshire Steam Rally.

Tags horse power, Sentinel Lorries, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, steam machines, steam power, Steam Rally, Steam show

allotments Britain in Bloom community gardening flower show fruit and veg garden design garden photography gardening gardens open to the public grow your own half-hardy perennials renovation Shrewsbury Shropshire town gardens townscapes

A town riverside walk

Although we live close to our county town of Shrewsbury we go for months between visits to the banks of the River Severn, in whose loops the town sits snuggly. In the summer the council garnish the river banks with bright coloured plants in all sorts of containers and hanging baskets.

I am not that keen on these brightly coloured bedding annuals but they seem to fit in with their setting so well here. Mother nature herself adds a little subtle planting herself with wild flowers growing close to the water and wonderful waterfalls of reflections.

Our footbridge an old Victorian suspension bridge has recently been completely refurbished and it is looking smart in its new green suit. The builders greatest challenge was to make sure that after the make-over the old bridge retained her sway. As you walk across her she sways from side to side!

This weekend is time for the famous Shrewsbury Flower Show so when we reached the open parkland spaces alongside the river we found signs of the village of tents and rows of arena seats appearing at a great rate of knots. It seemed to be growing up around us as we walked towards the little sunken garden called The Dingle.We now anticipate our day out at the show on Saturday most eagerly. We hope to go in the afternoon and stay until closing time with the magnificent firework display over the river.

And so to the Dingle herself, which is not my cup of tea at all, but it is enjoyed by thousands every year. It is all a bit garish for my taste, but I do admit that it takes a great deal of skill to create and maintain it. It certainly gives pride to the town. Come on a tour with us and see what you think.

We wandered back into the town centre to have a look at how the town council had decorated the Square as part of their “Britain in Bloom” campaign. All the allotment sites in and around the town had planted up mini-allotments small enough to fit on a pallet and these were collected up and put in the square. Local artists crafted two scarecrows from metal to give an extra dimension.

Each post marking loading bays along the High Street had been given a topknot of Ipomaea in two foliage colours. Very subtle and very effective.

Tags allotments, Britain in Bloom, community gardening, foliage, fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, grow your own, scarecrows, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, town parks

community gardening fruit and veg gardening grow your own half-hardy perennials hardy perennials herbs meadows nurseries ornamental trees and shrubs Shrewsbury Shropshire shrubs trees

BAC evening out.

A new nursery that has opened this year on the outskirts of Shrewsbury, emailed Jude, the Undergardener recently inviting members of our allotment community to visit them one evening after closing time for a tour of the nursery.

So earlier this week 20 of us arrived in the car park of “Love Plants” and gathered together anticipating an enjoyable evening talking plants. They have a very classy sign!

Susan spotted an interesting plant before she even reached the door. There were so many treats inside. Although we primarily went for a tour behind the scenes most of us were tempted by a few specimens each. Mrs Greenbench, the Undergardener managed to fill a trolley with Hemerocalis, Achillea and Echinacea.

Tim, the Plants Manager, gave us a quick talk about how the garden centre came about. We were delighted to know that plants were supplied by our favourite nurseries, The dingle and The Derwen, both near Welshpool and part of the same company. The Dingle is a pure nursery and its partner The Derwen more of a small garden centre. With these three outlets close by we have access to plenty of quality plants.

All the perennials were laid out in alphabetical order and they were impressive specimens. Likewise the shrubs. The first area visitors find is an area featuring plants currently in flower or with good foliage colour.

There is a good selection of seeds, herbs and fruit and veg plants.

The nursery is sited within a caravan sales centre and even between the caravans meadows have been sown. Topiary specimens impressed as did the new shade area.

Before leaving I spoke to Tim about the possibility of a joint venture where Love Plants could sponsor a new garden within our communal gardens back at BAC and the three linked plant centres supplying the plants. This looks like being an exciting project. Watch this space!

Tags allotments, community gardening, fruit and vegetable growing, gardening, grown your own, meadows, nurseries, ornamental trees, Shrewsbury, shrubs

architecture buildings renovation Shropshire

Exhibition in The Old Flax Mill

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date June 30, 2013
4 Comments on Exhibition in The Old Flax Mill

Our daughter, Jo, occasionally shows some of her jewellery at exhibitions. The latest was in an amazing venue, an old and unique building in Shrewsbury, the Flax Mill.

Sadly this special building is little more than a wreck but at last it is being renovated and given a chance of a new life. What makes it unique is that it is the first ever skyscraper in the world. All the earliest skyscrapers in Chicago were based on the construction used here. It is hard to comprehend how the current state of this building has been allowed to happen.

Anyway at last things are looking up. To help launch the redevelopment local artists and craftspeople were invited to exhibit some of their work based on the theme of “regeneration”. Jo showed some of her silver jewellery designed around the theme of the structure of plants that first regenerate a destroyed habitat.

The photos can only give a clue as to their quality as I had to photograph them through the glass of the show case.

The exhibition gave a rare chance to see inside this building prior to the builders moving in. Signs of old energy supply and structural materials gave glimpses into the previous lives of the building as a flax mill and as a malt house.

This unusual venue for art works to be shown presented strange juxtapositions.

There wereinteresting textures, shapes and colours wherever the camera lens roamed. Click on the “Flax Mill” photo and then follow me and my camera around using the arrows. I hope this helps you experience the strange atmosphere this building evokes.

Tags architecture, buildings, flax mill, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

architecture buildings Shropshire townscapes

The Architectural Heritage of Shrewsbury – Shuts and Passages

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date May 7, 2013
13 Comments on The Architectural Heritage of Shrewsbury – Shuts and Passages

Shrewsbury is well known for the variety of its architecture and fine examples can be found of many eras and styles within the loop of the River Severn in which the town lies. With locals and visitors alike there is a certain affection for the shuts and passages that sneak between them.

They give you sneak previews of streets you have not yet found, they let you take short cuts, smokers use them to escape the wind when they want to light a match, lovers use them for secret cuddles, and sadly the homeless have to use them for shelter from the cold wind that howls around the tall buildings of Shrewsbury. There shouldn’t be homeless anywhere in the world and in so-called civilised countries like ours there should be none. Sadly homelessness is on the increase. At least our county town has some shelter in the shuts and passages.

We took a wander around the centre of town and took photos of these little alleyways, the good and the bad, the attractive and the ugly. Visiting on the day that the recycling bins were due for collection spoilt many a photo opportunity, but I suppose this juxtaposition of the heritage and beauty from the town’s past should be presented alongside the reality of today’s world. We need everything recycled that can possibly be recycled after all.

This beautiful gate marked the entrance to one of the few private alleyways.

Enjoy a peak into a variety of our shuts and passages.

Tags passages, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, shuts, tow, townscape

architecture buildings photography Shropshire townscapes

The Architectural Heritage of Shrewsbury – Rowleys Mansion

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date April 10, 2013
5 Comments on The Architectural Heritage of Shrewsbury – Rowleys Mansion

In my latest post looking at the architecture of our home county town of Shrewsbury, I want to take a look at what Jude The Undergardener and I both consider as our favourite building here – Rowleys Mansion.

Mr William Rowley was a merchant in Shrewsbury during the reign of Elizabeth I. He made the fortune as a brewer and draper that allowed him to build this magnificent house.Sadly his home now sits surrounded by car parks and must be trembling in every oak beam as buses and trucks pass close by. How can this happen to such a special building? It is an insult to its beauty, its heritage and all the people who have lived in it, worked in it and visited it over centuries. It is currently temporarily housing the town’s Tourist Information Centre as The Music Hall, its full-time home, is being revamped.

Close up we can see the structure and clues to the construction methods used centuries ago. From this angle we see a huge half-timbered building but as we shall soon discover another entirely different buildings has been built onto it. The huge mighty strong oak beams support the whole structure and these were pegged together.

We consider graffiti as a modern-day phenomena that is spoiling our environment, but this is untrue. A close look at this ancient building reveals a history of graffiti. Some of these may be marks left by carpenters or construction workers as the old mansion was built.

This solid heavy-looking door is topped with an oak lintel and below this lintel lies a strip of narrow tile infill, an interesting textural contrast.

Some of the details such as the iron tie and this little coloured glass window deserve a close up look.

But what of the other building attached to the old timbered mansion? It is the earliest brick-built building in Shrewsbury and at the time it was built it would have been considered a pioneering material and was used to impress. William Rowley added the mansion to show off his increased wealth.

Look closely and the textures of the construction materials create interesting cameos.

At the opposite end of the buildings from the wooden door we looked at early on in this post is the main doorway giving access to the brick building. This old oak door stands within a stone frame with beautiful carved detailing. This is an impressive doorway which says “I have made it!”, the equivalent of today’s big cars!

Let us finish with another view of Rowleys Mansion – the half-timbered end.

Tags Rowleys Mansion, Shrewsbury

architecture buildings Shropshire townscapes

The Architectural Heritage of Shrewsbury Part 2

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date February 7, 2013
11 Comments on The Architectural Heritage of Shrewsbury Part 2

This is the second post about the architecture of our county town. the photos for the posts were taken in late autumn.

Continuing our journey through the streets, alleys and pathways of Shrewsbury we move away from the station towards the river.

Firstly we go down a narrow steep road where these blue features against the beautiful red stonework of the old town walls caught my eye.

Just to show that Shrewsbury’s architecture isn’t all about the past we next visit some 20th and 21st century buildings. The first picture shows the dreadful 70’s concrete monstrosity that is the town’s only multi-storey car park with a new building attached to its right. At its base is a row of bus-stops.

When we have a close look at this new building we see that it is a hotel which is still to open. I prefer it to the 70’s building next to it, but we shall have to see how well it weathers.

The reason that there are so few example of good modern architecture in our county town, is that so many residents are stuck in the past. Any proposals for modern architecture are strongly objected to by many. Below is a sad reflection of this where architects have tried to reflect the town’s medieval heritage. We just ended up with this mock half-timbered shopping centre.

And now off to the riverside! The old centre of Shrewsbury is totally enclosed within a loop of the River Severn.

Below is our wonderful new theatre and the new sculpture created to commemorate Charles Darwin.

My favourite structure in this part of the town is this pedestrian suspension bridge. It is such a simple but elegant design and certainly invites you to walk over its gentle arching span. It sways as you walk across and the sway gets stronger the more people are crossing over.

Tags architecture, River Severn, riverside, Shrewsbury

buildings photography Shropshire

The Architectural Heritage of Shrewsbury – Part 1 From Station to Castle.

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date January 15, 2013
7 Comments on The Architectural Heritage of Shrewsbury – Part 1 From Station to Castle.

Back to some Shropshire architecture for this posting as promised. At the back-end of 2012 I posted a couple of articles based around the market town of Ludlow after being challenged by some followers to feature architecture photos. So here is another batch of posts on the architecture of Shropshire.

Just ten minutes up the road we find the county town of Shropshire. It is not a large town but its ambition is to become a city. Shrewsbury is famous for its historical buildings, for being the birthplace of Charles Darwin and for being the friendliest, most well-mannered town in England.

We don’t go into our shire capital often for the usual reason ie shopping. We avoid shopping whenever we can and try even harder to avoid shopping in town centres. Too much noise, too many people, too much traffic!

But we love Shrewsbury for its buildings and the entertainment it provides for us. Theatre, cinema, jazz club and coffee houses.

This series of posts feature the buildings of our town. They will not follow a chronological order but we shall explore streets, alleys and lanes in bite-sized chunks of town, chunks just the right size to explore in a half day. It would be all too easy and obvious to present the architecture in historical order but I really want to give you the atmosphere of patches of the town. Sometimes the selected areas will seem random but that is how my mind works.

The starting point for today’s random collection of buildings is the coffee shop in Marks and Spencers. After a latte (Malc) and cappuccino (Jude), we are suitably refreshed and warmed up.

First stop is the school attended by Charles Darwin, where we find a big, bronze statue of the great man himself sat outside, while inside on one of the windowsills is the scratched signature of his brother. The building now houses the town’s public library and this famous graffiti is in between the book cases. Darwin is often described as the town’s most famous son, but he is more than that. The most intelligent person ever to have lived for example?

The building displays interesting detail in its stonework and a wonderful big sundial with two faces sits astride the one corner.

The cobbled lane leading to the library is overlooked by an interesting row of town houses and a beautiful gateway.

We walked on down Castle Street towards one of Shrewsbury’s most photographed buildings. It appears in many books about railways and about the Victorian era. The railway station. How can a railway station look so good?