July 31 A typical Pommie Summer Day??

Dolgellau (or possibly Dolgelly, if Plaid Cymru aren't watching!).  Nah that was going to be too long a drive so earlier in the week we had replaced it with going to Clun (a village that sounded interesting, and the Red Kite station at Rhyadaer.  Then the weather forecast was: 

1. appalling; and 
2. appeared accurate

so we switched plans and did a tour, originally planned for the final day, around some local towns and villages instead.

The day dawned cloudy and the weather forecast was suggesting rain as being imminent and long lasting.  That being the case we swapped today and tomorrow around, since the trip to Gingrin for the Red Kites requires reasonable weather.

We decided to go the short way to Church Stretton as a first step.  This also gave us an idea of the start of how to get to the airport.  In fact the road wasn't too hard to follow as it was well signed to Church Stretton: the last bit was a bit complicated and I am totally unsure I'd have wanted to come back that way after the wedding last Saturday.  It was also damn wet.

The town of Church Stretton was rather interesting in a Tudor sort of way.

We visited the Church which was being set up for a concert by three folk fiddlers (as part of the CS Festival of Art, yes, interesting but why was someone tuning a piano?) for which we didn't have time to stay.

Another fertility symbol was found (thanks to the church warden who explained that the door involved had been blocked off, but it was still visible on the outside).

The cemetery was also a good hunting ground for memorials which are included on the thematic post..

Then on to Shrewsbury through the increasingly soggy rain.  We got in to the centre of the town easily but then we had trouble finding a park and when we got one the damn machine wouldn't take our coins without a little wellie!  Then off in the rain to find a cathedral.  There seemed not to be an Anglican one and when we located the Catholic one – possibly a Pugin work – it was shut.  Even worse than the Pugin work in Brum, where at least they let you in albeit, no piccies.  So I photographed this sculpture instead.

We did find a couple of churches of interest.  The first was St Aklund: a very plain affair but founded in 912 CE by a daughter of King Alfred!  We then moved to the much more ornate St Mary's.  Some points of interest:

• It is no longer a working church, but they are allowed to hold 4 services a year;
• The ceiling had been completely rebuilt about being destroyed when the spire fell though it;
• Much of the very excellent stained glass had been collected from other churches most notably the Jessie window which was acquired when the front wall – and the glass fell off the church in which it was installed!

We also visited the Abbey – across the English Bridge over the Severn.  A pianist was giving a baby grand a good work out here which was most pleasing to our ears.  As well as this excellent altar,

they had the coffin of Roger of Montgomery, William the Conqueror's 2IC at the Battle of Hastings, and the founder of the Abbey!   A notable feature was that Memorial to WW1 dead included the name of the poet Wilfred Owen: (indicated by a poppy) as he had been awarded the Military Cross he was obviously a serious soldier as well as a poet.

In the town square we found some pleasant planters,

The next aim was to head for Ironbridge in the industrial part of Shropshire.  We found the road out very easily and it didn't take too long to get ourselves heading the right way on the road.  Before getting to our planned destination we spotted Attingham Park a NT place.  When we found the car park full we realised that others knew it better than us. (in fact I have since found out it is one the 10 most visited NT sites in the UK!)

Interestingly this place had not suffered from the owners lack of interest in heterosexuality.  Rather, the activities of the second Lord – marrying a 17 year old courtesan spendthrift when he was 43 – led to a huge fire sale to get out of bankruptcy!  His brother assumed the title soon thereafter and restored things somewhat.  The Trust is now doing a lot of restoration, most notably on the John Nash roof.  (Apparently many of Nash's edifices have fallen down: this may be explained by a note from his diary in which he explained that while apprenticed he had left his master as soon as possible!)  There were also a couple of other interesting bits of business:

• •                     It was costume day, so all the room volunteers were in period costume;

• There was a lot of material around to encourage kids to think about what they were seeing especially in the servants quarters in the basement.
• One room was set up for a banquet.  The volunteer explained that when sitting at the table it seemed much lighter as the light was reflected up from the tablecloth and down from the ceiling.  The level of illumination was the same as a single 100 watt globe.

• One of the owners had been a serious politician and they had a collection of election jugs.  These were filled with beer and provided to electors. One campaign cost over £100,000 and contributed to the 1827 bankruptcy (on top of the activities of the wife)!

On to Ironbridge where the main deal was the worlds first iron bridge.

Over the Severn!  This was such an achievement the area is now a world heritage area.  The industrial basis of the area generally is possibly more realistically represented by the power station a little further down the river,

Our final stop for the day – I was feeling really buggered by now – was Much Wenlock.  This was a very pleasant village, but other than the activities of William Penny Brookes in re-establishing the Olympic idea, and thus leading to the modern Olympic Games doesn't have a huge part of my memory.  That is a bit like “Other than that Mrs Lincoln how did you enjoy the play?”!  He is well memorialised around the village.

When reviewing my photographs another item has come to mind.  In this small, fairly remote village there was an ecclesiastic supplies shop full of all sorts of regalia for the religious profession!

Also, on the way home folk were flashing their lights at me.  I wondered what that meant and why two cars were parked in a reasonably narrow road.  Then I noticed that half the road behind them was full of tree.

  

Todays beer – at least the first one -is a Jack Black Oatmeal Stout from the Cardiff Brewery (not quite local but I did buy it in Wales).  

According to the label it celebrates the Dylan Thomas creation of Jack Black, the mysterious cobbler of Llareggub – read it backwards - under Milk Wood!  So what about the taste test?  Excellent chewy stout with much complexity.

Bird of the Day:  Pheasants in road to Tugford.  They were about the only birds we saw all day.  I did think to follow yesterday's model and nominate Galah, for the street designers of Shrewsbury,

Building of the day: The Iron Bridge.

Garden of the Day: Street vegie garden in Salisbury

Bad taste of the Day: Contenders came thick and fast at Ironbridge.  A Buddha up a hillside was strongly contending until two fat ladies turned up with Union Jack umbrellas.  They were then scooped themselves we a fat person wearing a leopardskin print jacket appeared, and won on the grounds of tradition.  Here are the podium finishers in one shot.

View of the Day: Looking down the Severn to the Iron Bridge

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