Wednesday 22 September 2010

Over the river



One sunny evening this week it seemed the right thing to do - to go for a walk alongside the River Severn in Shrewsbury. We parked up just this side the Kingsland Bridge and strolled into Becks Fields - this walk takes you along past the Boat Houses and Shrewsbury Schools - and alongside the Quarry and Dingle on the opposite side of the river.

Discussion followed then about the correct pronunciation of Shrewsbury - some say it depends on which side of the river you are born - Shroosbury or Shrewsbury ? my gran always said Sozebree a very old pronunciation- and some have said Salop - but apparently this is quite rude in French ! - so this was discouraged - has anyone any other variations - if so please share




We continued our walk along the leafy pathways up to the top of Becks Fields - and caught in the evening sunlight through the trees a glimpse of the tower of St Chads - the Market Clock Tower as it is now and the spire of St Marys - we will visit all three at a later date


I found this old picture of the Old Market Hall on the web it is a watercolour - it shows how beautiful the original building was - it was actually built in 1869 - and
now lost for ever



We continued our walk - my partner in crime and my dog Blue - past the Shrewsbury Schools - another elegant clock tower - the schools are renown for their past scholars - Charles Darwin - Philip Sidney and in later years Michael Palin - Michael Heseltine - Willie Rushton and many more.



Walking downwards again - we all three stood and looked across towards the Quarry - Blue was watching a dog with a ball - with no other interest - and we cast our eyes towards the Hercules statue - at the bottom of Victoria Walk - a very fine figure - as he stood - hand on hip or somewhere!



Further up the Quarry close to the Dingle - stands the Band stand - this has been the central point of many a function - my father played here on his cornet in the thirties when he was a member of the Batchcott Brass Band



We continued on down the riverside walk- towards the Kingsland Bridge - past the two boat houses the Pengwern Boat House and the Shrewsbury Schools Boathouse - watching the swans with their cygnets silently gliding by - during the day trips are available on the river cruiser - but tonight all was peacefully quiet



We climbed up the steps onto the Kingsland Bridge just in time to catch a glimpse of a scull slipping silently by - the oars skimming the water - as the rowers kept in harmony



Through the trees a final glimpse of St Chads.

It is good to walk and talk and take time to gaze on familar sights - special moments to be treasured.

3 comments:

  1. The scull is just like a waterboatman beetle scurrying across the surface of the water...I loved all you photos - they captured peace and tranquility to perfection.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Welcome back. Love your blog post. The pictures are stunning. Got your new camera well sorted !!
    Call when you're out and about xxx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh that brought back so many memories for me Jane. My grandparents lived in Much Wenlock and I used to go to Shrewsbury with my Gran as a child. I haven't seen the bandstand since I was little, it brought back memories of so many happy days. We always said 'Shroesbury' for Shrewsbury.

    ReplyDelete

If you visit my blog - please leave a comment I would love to hear from you