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Published: August 12th 2018
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Woolly says – Amazingly the sun continues to shine and having both of the girls on a day off I grabbed the opportunity with both paws and suggested an outing. As we drove along roads that we have travelled so many times in the past I was keeping an eagle on any changes in the landscape and buildings, except for trees having grown taller and bushes denser it was reassuringly the same. As Jo did her usual terrible attempt at parking I took in my view of Bewdley. The town is a small riverside parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire lying on the River Severn which is known to flood the streets on a regular basis and is famous for the Bewdley Bridge designed by Thomas Telford. With mallards, swans and geese swimming up and down and children launching huge hunks of bread at them I wondered if any of the wildlife every got knocked out as the crusts landed on their heads! We strolled towards the main street admiring the beautiful buildings that line the riverbank. The town is one that we have visited many many times over the years and I knew
that my small friend was expecting to visit his two favourite places, keeping my fingers crossed that they were both still in business and open for trade.
Woolly says – As we drew level with the bridge I glanced around for the small sweet shop that has been a constant feature for a hundred or so years. Established in 1826, Teddy Grey’s is a family owned and run business of five generations keeping the traditional method of sweet making alive. They started the business with their speciality product of the original herbal tablet, which is still made and served today, herbal tablet isn’t my choice of confectionary and having convinced Jo that I wouldn’t get into a mess I left the shop clutching my bag of rainbow sherbet. Passing some of the antique shops I found I had to sit down every time I needed to put my paw into the sticky bag and then suck the sweetness from my fur, with one paw now looking a rather acid blue I started using another one as we arrived at the small museum. Set in the former shambles the bright floral arrangements and bunting gave a lovely look to the place as we wandered in and out of the various small exhibits discovering the history of Bewdley and its pewter making background. Old coracles which had once been the fishing and townsfolks method of traversing the river were everywhere along with equipment for farming and ropemaking which had provided income for many in years gone by.
It's always lovely to go somewhere and see something new and this museum keeps adding more and more to its finds.
Woolly says – The old holding cells were now open to the public and having sampled the beds I felt sorry for those that had once been locked up having to sleep on a hard wooden bed, they reminded me of some we had encountered in India although those had at least had a thin mattress. A new courtyard had also been revealed and a wonderful aromatic herb garden filled the area with scent and colourful blooms. The café area was busy with huge sandwiches gracing people’s plates, no sandwiches for us though I had better plans. Forming the only roundabout in the town is St Anne's Parish Church an impressive Georgian building that has been a focus for worship since 1748, its carbon covered exterior gave little away but having taken our lives in our paws we raced over the road to check out the interior. Bright and much bigger than expected the stained glass was lovely and intricately made, while the prayer kneelers that were displayed on the pews were colourful and beautifully sewn. As my tummy let out a large grumble Jo and Zoe got the hint and we headed back out into the now cloudy looking afternoon, I led the way towards the river again on the hunt of my favourite fish and chip shop.
The midlands might not have any sea but as we sat on the riverbank tucking into our vinegary chips there is little to beat it, maybe not the biggest of places but the small town is lovely and had been well worth a visit, as the clouds blackened overhead we raced back to the car and I wondered how my small companion had managed to end up with one blue, one orange and one red paw!
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
England
So much to contemplate.