In 2018 we visited Ironbridge, site of the eponymous iron structure. Unfortunately at that time the bridge was being refurbished and swathed in plastic. Last year on our way further south from Gladstone’s Library at Hawarden we returned. Lo and behold the bridge was revealed in all its splendour. A delightful sight.

The iron bridge at Ironbridge (Ironbridge War Memorial to right; see first link above):-

Closer view:-

Reverse view of bridge:-

River Severn from the iron bridge (looking east):-

(Looking west):-

Ironbridge village from the iron bridge:-

River Severn to west:-

River Severn looking to bridge from west:-

Sadly earlier this year the River Severn rose – not for the first time – and overwhelmed the temporary flood barriers that had been erected in an effort to prevent damage.

New Meadow Stadium is the home of Shrewsbury Town FC of the third tier in English football.

On the Saturday we had seen that there was an antique fair taking place in the main stand on the Sunday so we headed there after visiting Powis Castle and Welshpool.

New Meadow replaced the club’s old ground (called Gay Meadow) which was closer to the town centre near the Abbey and the River Severn. For many years in that old location local coracle maker Fred Davies used to use one of his coracles to retrieve any balls which happened to end up in the river.

New Meadow Stadium, Main Stand From Car Park:-

Main and North Stands:-

Shrewsbury Town FC Heroes:-

Main Stand from south-west:-

South and Main Stands:-

West and South Stands:-

If you look at the above there’s a blue set of doors between the stands. I took this photo of the main and north stands from the gap in the door:-

Inside the main stand this poster for the previous day’s game was still in evidence:-

I took the opportunity to photograph the other three stands from inside the Main Stand.

West Stand:-

North Stand:-

South Stand:-

The club has a distinctive badge featuring three lions’ heads* and the legend Floreat Salopia (May Shrewsbury flourish.):-

When I visited the team was going well at the top of their division. Sadly their performance tailed off and they missed out on automatic promotion and also lost in the play-offs. Some of these players left the club for better things in the summer and this season they have struggled a bit, flirting with the relegation places for a while. But I see now they are in thirteenth place with four games to go (though only six points clear of the relegation zone.)

Given that Rochdale have also had a run of poor results since I attended their stadium in November maybe I’m a jinx. Rochdale have also revived a bit recently but are only one point above the danger area with a terrible goal difference – much the worst in the bottom half of that league.

*Edited to add (16/4/19): According to this website they are actually leopards’ heads (known in heraldry as loggerheads.)

I showed the Abbey’s exterior in my post about the Great War poet Wilfred Owen‘s memorial in its grounds.

The interior is more impressive.

Altar and vaulted ceiling:-

Stained glass window above Abbey entrance:-

Modern stained glass windows:-

The Abbey is right by the River Severn – which came to visit in the 1950s as this photograph in one of the Abbey’s aisles shows:-

The Bridge over the Severn at Worcester is nice but not particularly striking.

This piqued my interest. It’s a gate across an alley hard by the Railway Station. It may lead to a car park there or something. Very childrens’ story like.

Just opposite Worcester Cathedral at the edge of the town centre is this statue of the composer Edward Elgar (who wrote, among many other pieces, Pomp and Circumstance March No 1; sometimes known as Land of Hope and Glory, though the words were a later addition.)