Acton, Shropshire

My Childhood

The nicest thing about growing up in Clun in the 1940s was that it was one big happy family. We all knew each other, and cared. I loved standing in the blacksmiths in Bridge Street, watching Mr Griffiths shoe horses, and on a cold winter's day the heat was great. The highlight of my Saturday mornings was waiting at St George's... [more]

Summer holidays

My early memories go back to the days spending our holidays at Grandma Davies in Broome. Grandma used to say it's only half a mile to Aston-on-Clun, we would walk there at least twice a week. The first time would be to Mr Naylor's shop. Also to exchange the accumulators to run the radio, you see there was no electricity, also... [more]

Mary Ann Shuker

My great grandmother, Mary Ann Shuker came to Manchester from Chirbury in service as a maid.  She married my great grandfather, Ernest Edward Chorlton and they must have returned to Chirbury to be married because the family bible states they married at Chirbury Church on 22nd December 1888.  I always thought she came from Wem - but this is quite a... [more]

Ethel May Tantrum

My husband's Grandmother, Ethel May Tantrum, was born in Craven Arms in 1885, but by 1891 was living in Elms Cottage, Little Stretton. In 1910, she married Harold Ezard and in 1924 she died at White Birches Cottage, Little Stretton. Their son, Harold, was born in Little Stretton, but we are not sure where (possibly White Birches Cottage?) and we... [more]

The Hotel garage

My grandfather Bert Hedger managed the garage attached to The Hotel during the late 1920s. It belonged to Phillip West who was a mill owner from Manchester and was managed by his sister-in-law Lillian Harker. It was a five star hotel and all the best people stayed there. A lot of famous racing drivers from the 1920s stayed there for the... [more]

Artists

Groups of artists would visit in summer and stay at The Feathers Hotel.  After breakfast they would choose their locations, some at the church, some at the castle, others would be in the middle of Broad Street.  They would set up their stools and easels and stay there all day (except for lunch of course!). There was very little traffic in... [more]

Dinham Weir

The Ludlow weirs were navigation Flash Lock weirs until the railways came to the Teme valley. Sailing Trows from the Severn worked up the river with wheat for the mills from Gloucester returning with flour for the villages and iron bar from Downton for blacksmiths downstream. An 1820's painting shows the old Dinham Bridge with four square rigged trows unloading at... [more]

Custodian of the Castle

Andrew CORDEN, a widowed and retired police constable, became the Custodian or Warden of Ludlow Castle before 1871. He was still taking care of it when he died in 1879 on Dinham at the age of 74.

Did he live in a house on Dinham that came with the job? Which house might this have been? Are there any records... [more]