Just published to Geoff’s Rail Diaries – an account of Saturday’s visit to three of Shrewsbury’s wonderful mechanical signalboxes – and 30 pictures. Visit “Salop’s boxes” now!
Author: geoffspages
A privileged position
…looking down on the trains running in and out of Shrewsbury station, from three of its now-famous signal boxes. Shrewsbury is an island of mechanical signalling, a survivor because of its complexity, among other things. It came within a hair’s breadth of resignalling perhaps 30 years ago (what would we have been left with? Fewer platforms and less track, I suspect – and insufficient capacity for today’s intensive services). Its fame? Primarily because, for the last few years, Severn Bridge Junction, with its 180-lever frame, has been the biggest mechanical signalbox in the world. Wow! More photos will follow in a day or two, on Geoff’s Rail Diaries; in the meantime, a taster…
The Munslows – an afternoon on the Edge
One we’ve done many times – park at Aston Munslow, then follow field tracks and, in places, sunken and/or hidden ways, along the second of the Wenlock Edges. It’s higher here than the generally more obvious first edge, to the north-west, topping out at 324m – about 1063ft. There are autumn leaves, toadstools, blackberries (still), crazy pheasants, and fine views to the Clee hills and Mortimer Forest. The last downhill stretch into Munslow is particularly deep and well hidden; the surface is, in places, the rock of the Wenlock Edge.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=351160&Y=287706&A=Y&Z=120
The Honeypot and Willey
Walking from Broseley to the Willey estates, via the quaintly-named “Honeypot” (a short row of houses). Another fine afternoon (we’ve been spoilt recently! – though it is getting cooler) with autumn colours and atmosphere.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=367785&Y=300131&A=Y&Z=120
On the Edge in October
That’s the Wenlock Edge, of course. It’s a dry, bright and still afternoon, with just a “very small chance of a shower”. There are one or two possible candidates, but nothing near enough to worry us. Once again, there are all kinds of autumnal things in the hedgerows, and it’s always fun to find fungi…
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=361535&Y=300526&A=Y&Z=120
Stained glass to ABS
We’re in Shrewsbury: a quick lunch at the café in St Mary’s church before visiting “Brick City” – Warren Elsmore’s Lego exhibition in the Museum and Art Gallery. St Mary’s may have one of the tallest spires in England, but it’s redundant, under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The plastic (ABS) Lego-brick buildings in the museum are in complete contrast to the stone, stained glass and tiles of the church – or are they? The centrepiece is St Pancras station – it’s huge! Like a well-designed model railway, the detail rewards closer examination. We liked the chap with the camera, leaning back to get everything in (not, in this case, St Pancras) – but there are some very strange characters milling around the railway station. The exhibition closes on Friday 11 October
St Mary’s church, Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery
Warren Elsmore
Autumn on the Stiperstones
It didn’t feel too autumnal – warm sunshine from a mostly-clear blue sky. The air was fairly cool, but with little wind, it was a great afternoon for these hills. I would say “lonely hills”, but they weren’t lonely today. There were two coaches in the Bog car park. There were quite a few people about on the main Stiperstones ridge, past the Devil’s Chair, but far fewer on the lower lane, and the southern ridge by Nipstone and The Rock. In the woods there are toadstools galore! – including a huge colony (at least 50 specimens) of “Flying Eric” (the psychoactive mushroom more commonly, but perhaps not more appropriately, known as fly agaric – which they were until my then-young nephew misheard or misremembered…).
Sadly, the Bog Centre was packed – the coaches were still there – no tea and cake after this walk.
(We’ve done this walk before – last time we did it anticlockwise, as shown on the map. Today we walked clockwise, for the views to the south-west from the ridge)
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=336435&Y=298026&A=Y&Z=120
Back to Homer, and Wigwig, and Harley
We walked this route earlier in the year – anticlockwise. Today we’ll walk it clockwise – the views will be different… The path through the deciduous woodland of Bannister’s Coppice is a most pleasant, descending to the former mill, whose race can still be traced beside the path. Alongside the lane from Homer to Harley there are distracting blackberries (and the odd damson). Returning past Belswardyne Hall the views are extensive on this fine last afternoon of September.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=361005&Y=302661&A=Y&Z=120
Foxfield: the movie
Just published to Geoff’s Rail Diaries – photos and video of yesterday’s great day beside the fearsome incline out of Foxfield colliery. Visit “Foxfield 2015 – the Autumn Gala“
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