Ironbridge
When I was leaving Worcester, on my way to Wrexham to my next pet/house sitting gig, I had Saturday to overnight somewhere along the way. Even though the drive was only a couple of hours, those are two white-knuckled hours on these crazy English roads, so even cutting that by half the time sounded like a win. I asked Kevin, who I had the pleasure of having lunch with in Worcester the other day & he suggested either Ironbridge or Shrewsbury as my stopping point.
I researched the heck out of both towns & decided I would spend the better part of the mid-morning/early afternoon in Ironbridge & then head on to Shrewsbury & stay there for the night. Both of these little gem towns are in the heart of where the Industrial Revolution started & are brimming with historical sites that I was excited to explore.
I left Worcester in good time & took the scenic route, putting in BLIST HILL VICTORIA TOWN into my GPS. BLIST Hill is a working replica of an early 1800’s village, equipped with a blacksmith, carpentry, butchery, baker, Pub, bank, cycle repair shop, chemist, post office, cobbler, printer, candle factory, machine shop, etc., etc., etc….plus, a fairground with rides for the kids, old fashioned restaurants serving period food & of course the fish & chippery with beer pub attached. When I eventually ended up in the pub (surprise!), an old timey piano player & singer were belting out a lively song as patrons gathered around to sing along. You could cut the jovial atmosphere with a knife & it truly felt like a step back in time. I looked at my watch & couldn’t believe three hours past so quickly.
I would have been a fool to not drive into the real town & walk across the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ironbridge & into the quaint little town snuggled in the Shropshires. Stretching along the river Severn, the town meandered along the river, with the most adorable storefronts hawking their goods to the throngs of Saturday tourists. The day was sunny with a crispness in the air & I was glowing. In an almost panic, I located a choice seat at an outdoor cafe & watched the world go by with so much gratitude in my heart I had to conceal the tears of joy that welled in my eyes. Not wanting to look insane, I covered my mouth so people wouldn’t notice me gently whispering my thanks for this life of Laurie I was lucky enough to have chosen. Even faced with countless adversity, mostly brought on by my own making, I treasure where I am today….physically & mentally.
So, here I sit in the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution & I’ll get into the importance of that period of time in another post. First, I need to people watch while drinking my Thatchers Lemon Cider, family made since 1904.
