Shropshire 16- Shrewsbury - a walk in the park on a windy cold day /the enchanted garden and Sabrina the river goddess /coffee in the vegan cafe/the round church

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Gabby the motorhome is parked up on the drive . She is not going anywhere today. We go inside her now and again and she feels deserted and unloved. Everything about her feels cold now that Autumn is about us . The bedding feels chilly and the a quick glance at the solar panel control shows the leisure battery is at 99% and the engine battery 12.7. Despite the heavy rain over the last few days she does remain topped up sufficiently to run the alarms and the locking systems . Her boots are firmly planted on the ground . Instead I am out in Ziggy . Ziggy who needs a service . I set the sat nag for Shrewsbury and bless the fact that is light at 7.30. A week ago it would have been dark . Since then the clocks have gone back and we have daylight an hour earlier in the morning . The down side is darkness an hour earlier and the long long nights . The road is empty and Sally Sat Nag tells me to turn round . I have just driven out and gone onto autopilot . She however has different ideas . I wonder why she wants me to go to Overton . That seems the long way round . I continue with my route which is a straight road where I can put my foot down as there are few cars out and about . A voice in the back starts to talk to me . "Are we meeting my friend Woolly today ? " I guessed that Sion had sneaked into my bag and as we were heading for Shrewsbury there was every chance we would meet up with Jo and Woolly . Sion knew that we had something in the pipeline . Sadly he was to find out that today was not going to be a meet up with Woolly day .

We had been to Shrewsbury many times in the preceding years. I bought my third new car from Wadham Kennings . What has Clay Cross and Wadham Kennings got in common ? What is the connection ? Kennings lived in Clay Cross . There is a street called Kenning Street and a park too. They ran another company called John Bull Tyres . Wadham must have bought them out . I passed the old Showroom and drove down Featherbed Lane . A Road rather than a Lane and one full of car showrooms . After parking up I booked Ziggy in and was told she did not need a full service just a brake fluid change . That should be done pretty quick I thought . "Will that give us much time in Shrewsbury ?" my little friend asked . Plenty of time Sion . Plenty . We picked up a free ticket for the park and ride and set off walking to the bus station . It was pretty cold and damp and a slight drizzle started to fall . Good thing my little friend was tucked up warmly in my bag and was being carried to the bus stop. The bus was partly full with many unmasked passengers . We drove into town and I found myself thinking of other visits and rides on this bus. A town I had worked in and visited on courses . A place we visited often in Gabby. What was different was the buildings along the way . So many new houses but there were still things I remembered . The Sentinel Factory, the Morris Oil company and the Maltings now being turned into housing . We passed under the railway bridge and passed the Victorian railway station and the Castle . Up the hill we passed the Darwin statue and the large school . Around the back the Records Office . Sadly closed today Monday .

I climbed off the bus in the Square . I had a plan . "Yep I have heard her plans before . Remember last time - you and Jo tried to organise something and look what happened to that plan. " Yes Sion was right on that one . We had made plans and they never materialised . Today was different as Shrewsbury is one of those places that there were things to do . I carried my friend in my bag past the new market Hall . Well it was new at some point . I was heading for the park where I could walk along the River Severn to the Frankwell Bridge . I could see the river in the distance and the massive gates newly painted blue which surrounded the parkland . The symbol of Shrewsbury depicting the three Loggerheads - the leopards were gilded and emblazoned the blue railings. The war memorial was the first thing I could see . " Now those gates were really good to look at - the sun shone on them and I loved the leopards heads , Then we saw it ". Yes there it was the war memorial . And what a war memorial it was .

War memorials tell you a lot about a town or a village . The style of memorial tells a story about a period of time and the money raised by public subscription . This memorial was freestanding within the parkland of the Dingle . Designed by George Hubbard and Son it was built between 1922 and 1923. A bronze statue of St Michael on a portland stone plinth . Around the memorial were the regimental badges of the Shropshire Regiments . I stood for a while with my back to the river and facing the round St Chads Church . My photos did the church no justice as the sun was low in the sky and cast dark shadows . I turned and headed for the area of ground where normally the Shrewsbury Flower show would be held . None for the past two years because of Covid . Perhaps next year I thought . The park orginally had been in the middle ages common land . 400 lime trees had been planted in 1719 and replaced in the 1950's by the famous gardener Percy Thrower . AT the end of the walkway was the Enchanted Garden . "Enchanted Garden I like the sound of that " That was the first peep I had heard from the sheep for some while . We walked down the steps and he started his commentary " Steps I like steps - well I would nt if I had to climb them but here in the bag I can enjoy them and look at the flowers. Some stragglers from the summer and loads of pansies , white yellow and mauve " "And water - best keep away from that. It does look nice with all those fountains though" That was true . We spotted the grotto to Sabrina the river goddess of the Severn . "Do you know the story about Sabrina ? No I didnt but I was about to find out. " Well Mother Plinlimon had three daughters Rheidol , Wye and Hafren " " Rheidol was a good girl and made her way to sea quickly , Wye loved the land and meandered back and to slowly making her way to the sea " "Hafren though was different she just cascaded and glided along , very serene and eventually made her way very slowly to the sea " She later became Sabrina but the welsh name for the Severn - Hafren still exists in Welsh. Well what a story Sion . We left Sabrina in her grotto and made our way past an eagle and a gateway known as the Shoemakers Arbor before leaving the gardens and heading for the church .

St Chads stands on St Chads Terrace . It is a grade I building built in 1792 replacing the medieval 13th century church that collapsed . The motto of the church is Open Door, Open Hearts and Open Minds . We found the doors open and entered a round hall with a wide staircase leading up to a gallery . Charles Dickens was christened here in 1809. A gravestone in the graveyard is engraved with the words Ebeneser Scrooge . Inside was rather plain with just a few memorials round the walls . It all looked rather austere and more like a non conformist chapel . Baroque without the glitz. It was light and airy inside but failed to impress me . It lacked character in a way . It needed a good brass band and a loud choir singing out the robust hymns and songs beloved by the Salvation Army . William Booth had once said why should the devil have the good tunes . What was missing here was a good tune . I left the building and headed for a coffee . Csones a pun on Seasons I think was a small vegan cafe . Warm and inviting I ventured in . It was nearly 10am and I wondered if my car would be ready . Brake fluid change wouldnt take long would it ? I ordered a double espresso and a slice of porridge bread . I wondered what that would turn out to be . The toast arrived . It wasnt made of porridge but just from the oats that make the porridge . The cafe was the perfect place to watch the world go by . A second cup of espresso ordered . Folks came in and folks left . I planned part two of my day in Shrewsbury . To come the town walls , the town museum and Old Chads church. " The day just continues to give " It does Sion Indeed it does .

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