Shropshire 42 - Blists Hill/ a day in 1900/ the besties meet up and spend their pennies

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Sion did not sleep well last night . Before turning in he had got ready for his trip to Blists Hill Victorian Town. He had helped me set up the sav nav for the journey and was looking forward to seeing his best friend Woolly Mammoth.

I had been to Blists Hill a number of times . The first in the early 1980's when the site was in its infancy . I don't remember much about it apart from it being on a hillside site with many industrial brick buildings . Sion had been to Blists Hill a few years ago when Suzy the motorhome required some work to Kathrein the satellite dish . I am sure we were driven there by the guy who repaired the dish and he gave us two complimentary tickets "Have you checked your purse ?" Sion asked . Yes Sion full of everything we need. He was counting the hours down to the trip out . It is extremely hard to control a sheep when he is excited .

The problem was the weather . Sion had looked out of the window and seen the rain . I thought we might have a problem . A quick message on Facebook was sent out to Woolly Mammoth and his carer Jo to see what the weather was like their end of the country . By 8.45 I had returned from swimming . Sion was ready and waiting . Complaining about getting wet - something he hates and complaining that I still had not bought him that T Shirt , that jumper and that winter coat . With a flea in my ear I checked messages and there was confirmation that despite the inclement weather we were still on for the day. I hate to think what Sion would have said had I needed to break the news that the trip was cancelled due to the weather .

Sion was carried regally to the car and put to sit quietly whilst I commanded the sat nave to show me recent destinations . Having set it up last night it came up with the car park we needed for our visit . I suffered enjoyed the constant banter from Sion . The usual "Have we got there yet ?" "How long will it take to get there ? " One hour and four minutes Sion . Depending of course on traffic . That was the guess work bit of the day out ,

We were heading back though much further to the year 1900 . Victoria was still on the throne just about. We were on the cusp of the Edwardian Age. We were going to see what England looked like in rural Shropshire at the turn of the century .

Upon arriving Sion looked excitedly for his friend . He spotted Woolly before I spotted Jo. "There he is " The excited sheep shouted . The large car park was relatively empty . We would park up and pay on our way out . I found that rather odd to pay an entry fee for the museum and then to be charged for the car park . The rain had stopped and perhaps it was a blessing . It was a Wednesday , the children were in school, the adults at work and the rain was keeping everywhere open ready for photo opportunities . A blessing in disguise . It meant that the streets would be relatively empty and we could take photographs without having to wait for a time when no-one was about .

We entered the complex through what looked like a new hall. I don't remember it looking like this before but memory can be a poor thing at times . It did look a bit modern . The ladies on the ticket desk welcomed us asking had we been before . They issued us with maps and gave us instructions on where to eat and drink .My map was a double sheet made up to look like a newspaper . There were current articles explaining the story of Blists Hill and what it was trying to achieve . Up and coming events such as Christmas at Blists Hill was advertised and a conversion sheet from old pennies to new money was included . Inside was an assortment of newspaper articles ranging from the local tea dance held in 1900 or the towns football team results . Felons were banged to rights and the local news was well reported . On the back was a coloured map of the site . All numbered with each number given a title of the business held on the premises . It meant an easy walk around the site if we kept an eye on the map and followed the numbers shown .

Tickets purchased - the sheep and Woolly were admitted for free we headed for what we do first. Grab a coffee in the cafe. The cafe sold an assortment of cakes and offered light lunches . The cafe at the bottom of the site was closed and was being refurbished so this apart from the chip shop was the only place for food . We then headed off to wander freely around the Victorian town . It seemed that whilst we had been downing our coffees Sion and Woolly had talked about their adventures. Although it seemed that Woolly had done more travelling than Sion . A trip to Amsterdam and to Poland gave Sion ideas and he told Woolly about our holiday to Como that never happened and the awful traffic in the south of France . "Amsterdam " he muttered . Yes Sion . "Poland " Yes Sion I said as Jo and I caught up on summer glamping , life in general and future trips . I think I was getting the hint from the boys . So much had happened since our last meeting that I think the boys were getting fed up listening to us . They wanted to get on and see what was on offer . .

Blists Hill is based around a number of streets . Each of these has shops and houses . Each business different to its neighbour but each giving an insight into life in a small town or village at the turn of the century .

So it was time to head first to the bank where the cashiers made a fuss of the boys as they worked out what pennies they needed for sweets, cakes and lunch ??" We each changed £2.40 for 6d . A mixture of 3d, 1/4d (farthings ) and half pennies . The boys were made a fuss by the cashiers . ." Well who wouldn't make a fuss of us ?? When all of a sudden the door opened and in walked the tallest policeman I had ever seen . With a cheery morning all reminding us of Dixon of Dock Green he headed in the direction of Alfie. With a stern look on his face he asked Jo . "Have you got a dog licence ? " Jo admitted that she needed one and we were directed to the post office where we could buy one for 7/6d . Alfie would be legal .Dog licences are not needed in 2023 but in the Victorian period right up to the 1970's there was a requirement for dog owners to go to the local Post Office and buy a licence for the animal . Sheep and Mammoths though did not need a licence .

Armed with the money and a map we headed out down the Main Street . There were so many places to dip into that Sion decided he would be doing the blog rather than me . And to be fair I thought it a good idea . "Good of you " he muttered as he and Woolly led us into the Cycle showroom . "Lots of bicycles here - there were no cars so bicycles were the way to travel in the countryside . Bit like now - Drakeford the First Minister wants us to ride bicycles everywhere and ditch our cars " I smiled at that thought of 15 minute cities and using a transport system that was no longer fit for purpose . The bike shop as always smelled of rubber and oil ." Where is the bike repair man ?" I explained that there were volunteers in the shops and probably not enough of them to go round and man each shop .

"Come on you two - grocers shop next " " Look at all that food in one place . " " Fresh vegetables , tinned goods , everything you could buy in one shop " "All around the walls were shelves and each shelf was filled with a goodie from the past " Jo and I in between talking about what she saw in Amsterdam in the recent holiday reminisced on the smell of the grocery shop. Next door was the chemist with its red and green large bottles that used to sit in the windows . Lifebuoy soap - we talked about smell , Pit Head bath soaps . 4711 cologne . The shop was a treasure trove with its large brass till . The dentists equipment was in a back room . A plush red velvet chair , miles of rubber of hose for gas , Memories of this type of dentist - the butcher as we called them in the late 50's came flooding back . "Can you buy everything you need here in one shop ?" Yes Sion everything under one roof .

"Where to next ?" "So much to see come on you humans " We passed the goods shed and the iron merchants and walked towards the general drapers and haberdashers. By the time we got to the Post Office the local schoolchildren had arrived and filled the small shop . " Right dog licence next .Jo parted with her money and was now the proud owner of the dog licence , She was legal or at least Alfie was legal " We did not go up into the museum as that was where the children were heading . Next door was a photographer . The boys could have had their photos taken there but I guess they were in all our photos so not bothered today . The sweet shop however was a magnet . "Alfie had to stay outside . No dogs allowed in the sweet shop " "Next stop the fish dealers , the cobblers shop and the pub the New Inn " The boys were too young for the pub so we headed away from the streets to the Brick works . A massive complex of builders which once would have been a hive of activity . It was slightly muddy under foot due to the heavy rain we had been having . The canal was a lovely shade of green . It looked a touch slimy but it did make for a good photograph . An old boat which once plyed its trade was moored up under the shelter of a wooden roof .

Along the canal we found the iron foundry which once would have been a very noisy place . Hammers banging and clanging . "Stables for the shire horses , carts and the old workings of a mine ." " A tinsmiths shop and a plasterers shop where decorative plasterwork was still being made " The boys could not get enough of the fascinating shops . Neither could we as we were taken back to childhood memories . The next shop was a machine shop and the last workshops in this block of buildings were the locksmith and the masons yard . Looking at the clock we must have walked for an hour and there was still more to see . The boys were Ok as they were being carried .

All they had to do was talk to each other . Religion was being catered for as the mobile gospel cart was parked up . Inside it was set up for a Sunday school and could be moved from village to village and from town to town taking the gospel message out to the masses . We walked as far as the Incline Lift which both Sion and Woolly enjoyed . They loved the idea of pressing the button to open and close the doors and they sat in the window as the lift took us down from the canal bank to the village below .

After much enjoyment it was time to head off again in search of the Shelton Tollhouse . This had been one of the first buildings to be moved from its original site and rebuilt brick by brick at Blists Hill . The very welcoming guide was struggling to light the fire . She was making paper firelighters and told us as she worked that the family living in the toll house was large . It hardly looked big enough for a couple. It looked a comfortable place to live with fireplaces in each room . ,light flooding in , neat and tidy bedrooms and a kitchen . The original Telford sunburst gate had also moved to the site . We left her still struggling with the fire and walked to the Mission Church . A tin hut which served as a church . The community was well served when it came to religion .

" We are going inside now - up the stairs to see the Lower Severn Trug the Spry " "It looked a treat having had a good makeover and now looked good enough to set sale again on the Severn . " Another large shed held the Iron works where the cast iron was produced that was so famous in the Ironbridge area . Everything was made of cast or wrought iron .

The different aspects of life in 1900 kept coming thick and fast . The pleasure gardens with their fairground rides . Sadly this area felt a touch neglected . Perhaps in the height of summer there would be music and the rides would be in full swing . Today it was quiet . The schoolroom was open with its two classrooms . The teacher was lecturing the "Pupils" visitors to the school about their lessons . The ABC written on the blackboard and the desks all neatly set up for the children . It did remind me of my first Junior school in the mid 50's with its tiny rooms and uplifting texts written on the walls.

We began to climb up the hill to get our lunches . "Yep tummy rumbling now " "I want my dinner " After so much walking the boys were beginning to fancy lunch . Our first stop before lunch was the bakery . Again Alfie dog was banned and we had to take turns to hold him whilst the other went in to purchase something to take home. The baker who smiled a lot offered us big crusty loaves for 6d fruit buns or batches , baps call them what you choose . Opposite the bakers was the mine managers house . Now that was the best house on site . Far bigger than any other with more rooms . The owner sat in a chair warming himself by the fire . He told us that the mine owner had the best of everything . Whilst he was manager he lived what seemed like a life of luxury . Gas lighting , large kitchen , decent sized rooms . However the house came with the job and when he moved or got too old to work he had to give up this lovely house . Furnished in Victorian style it was full of nic nacs , ornaments everywhere , pictures on the walls . In the back room the set up was of an early doctors surgery . The surgery opened twice a day . A few hours in the mornings and a few in the afternoon . Even the outside toilet looked better than the workers toilets . And the garden was private and so much bigger . The mine manager certainly lived in style .

"Are we there yet ?" The cry for food was getting much louder as we had promised the boys chips from the old fashioned fish and chip shop . No we had further to go before we arrived back at the top end of the site . We had to pass the harnessworkers shop and the blacksmiths shop . There was some clanging and banging from inside but sadly no fires were burning in the blacksmiths and no-one was working the anvil .

Up the hill into the candlemakers . We did not stay long there . The smell was awful . The candles were made from beef fat and it smelt dreadful . The candlemaker was working away stopping from time to time to explain the process of candlemaking to a small crowd of four who were standing and listening to him . We did not know how the candlemaker stuck the smell . We only stayed a short time and it was overpowering . Sion held his paws to his nose until we came out into the fresh air . Well it certainly was authentic in there . It was not one of the shops I would volunteer to work in .

And so to lunch . There were a few people in front of us in the small fish and chip shop. Two ladies worked behind the counter cooking the fish and chips in beef dripping . There was a slight smell of the candlemakers in the shop. Whilst the girls in front were waiting for their fish to be cooked we decided our lunch would be chips for me and if they could serve vegan chips then Jo would join me . If not then we would head back to the cafe for something different . We were lucky - I got my chips and Jo got hers cooked in vegetable oil . The stark choice in food there was chips with everything but the everything was only fish . That reminded me of chip shops in the 50's and 60's where the only food on offer was fish and chips .No pies , no curry sauce, gravy or mushy peas. No chicken . Nothing but fish and chips . We ate them in the courtyard of the New Inn pub . Under cover.

Our last stop was the cafe where we ordered cold drinks and a cake to finish the day off .

We headed out . A good day was had by all . Jo and I had caught up on six months news . The boys were beaming . All that was left was to pay for the parking and drive home.

Would we meet again ? Hopefully before Christmas . Sion has already put it in the diary . In no way will I get away with forgetting it .

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