A Drizzly Meander to Ironbridge and the Welsh Offa Dyke

Today was our last full day being able to meander on our Northern England adventure. The weather did not cooperate however once again we did not let it discourage us. It was off to Telford, a UNESCO World heritage Site to see the birthplace of the industrial revolution.  The Telford bridge , pictured is the first use of cast iron in anything as sizable as a bridge. The year of its opening was 1781.

Abraham Darby created an iron forge in the early 1700's in the village of Telford. He perfected a method of making cast iron by introducing coke to the process. His son Abraham Darby III came up with the idea of building a bridge entirely out of iron. Using a design provided by Thomas Pritchard he built the bridge and used it as an attraction to attract tourists to the area and to show off the use of his stronger iron.  Being a Quaker he believed that all people were equal so everyone would pay the same toll, 1/2 a pence. This applied to commoners, royalty, and soldiers. Up until the 1950's when the bridge was given to the town the Royals, when attending events in Telford, came to the gate house and presented an old 1/2 a pence and walked across the bridge.  The town of Telford today has become a fascinating museum town of the beginnings of the industrial revolution in England. Kayakers and canoeists also use the site for regattas and floats down the river severn.

After  a delightful lunch in the town tea shop of wild mushroom soup and a bacon butty we decided to meander through the countryside to the border with Wales and visit Offa's Dyke. Prior to leaving the town an attractive Boot Scraper of cast iron caught my eye in the gift shop. The scraper was forged at the local foundry. After much debate about its weight we decided to lug it home putting it in our carry-on luggage. Next time you visit us be sure to look for it on our path to our front door at home, providing I haven't pitched it in frustration at the airport.

The short drive to Wales was beautiful in spite of the drizzling rain. We arrived in the town of Knighton situated on the site of the Offa Dyke. Offa's Dyke was an earth trench and mound that was constructed by Offa, the Saxon King of Mercia. In the 8th century this had to be a spectactular feat as the mound went from sea to sea outlining the Wales/English border. Similar to Hadrian's Wall built by the Roman's, the Dyke was at points 20 feet high and meant to be a defensive protection from the raiding Welsh. Legend says that if a Welshman was caught on the England side he would have his ears cut off; if and Englishmen was caught on the Welsh side, he would be hanged. Hey, I lived in New England for 15 years and I can attest to the fact that fences make good neighbors.

In the neighboring town of Clun we spotted an interesting village church. Notice the style of the tower. This picture, in the rain, doesn't do it justice. The door was open and we went in to explore. A church board member, who is a neighbor, stopped by to lock up the church and we had a long chat about its history. This church does appear unique because it is a Saxon style church. We've seen Gothic, several Norman and now this lovely Saxon village church that would represent the time of the early Christians in England. This tower is the original part of the Saxon church built in the 7th century. The church also served as a fortress in this border town against raids from the Welsh.  As we stopped at a local tea shop for tea and the worlds finest Bread and Butter pudding, I was taken back by the Welsh accents. Its hard to believe that these local accents can persevere in our mobile society. These villages of Shropshire and of Wales are only 5-10 miles apart from each other.

After our visit we headed back to the Corbett Arms for our last night and to prepare for our drive up to Manchester tomorrow.  Our two week trip has exceeded my expectations for interesting things to see and beautiful countryside. I return with over 1500 pictures in my camera so I'll have many days of editing and working on my computer.  Julie has tuned up her English accent and has relearned much vocabulary which will delight us all back in the states for months to come. Special thanks to Peter, John, Kate, Christine and Auntie Audrey for fitting us into their schedules. Thanks also to those family and friends who have made it to the end of this blog.  We'll try not to burden you with too many pictures and stories when we return.