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Church Stretton
Church Stretton photos
Displaying the first of 24 old photos of Church Stretton. View all Church Stretton photos
Church Stretton maps
Historic maps of Church Stretton and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Church Stretton maps
Church Stretton area books
Displaying 1 of 4 books about Church Stretton and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Church Stretton
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Church Stretton.
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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 Shelsby Walsh hill trials, including Wolf Banato of Bentley's and also Freddie Field of Bugatti's - he would stock up with 2 gallon tins of aviation spirit and tins of pure benzene. The autumn meet would fill the place with racing cars. The drivers or their mechanics would arrive at 8.00 in the morning to warm their engines up and would rev them for 5-10 minutes at a time. Petrol was sold at 1/- per gallon and punctures were repaired for 2/6d. Warming up the engines resulted in a lot of complaints from the local townsfolk.
Grandpa remembers one old gentleman of 70 years of age, Fred Platt,... Read more
Shropshire memories
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 would love to hear from anyone who could help us find out more about the Tantrums and the Ezards of Little Stretton.
We recently visited Little Stretton, by chance, with some friends and found it a fascinating place and plan to return in the future.
Newington Terrace
When I was young in the 1950s I would spend some weeks of my summer vacation at my grandparents' house at 11 Newington Terrace, Elizabeth and Albert Torr. I remember swimming in the river, we would go to the weir and remove some of the planks and let the water spray over us and cool us down. I would travel each year from Belfast in Northern Ireland by boat to Liverpool and then by train to Craven Arms. My grandfather would meet us at the station. One year when I was 11, I went to the river as soon as I got to my grandparents' house, I ran as fast as I could to the river. I went to the first stil about 20 yards from the bridge and cast in a small pocket line wrapped on a cork, I had carried it all the way from Northern Ireland, at the first cast I pulled in a 3/4 lb Trout. I was so excited I shoved it up my good... Read more
Mum And Dad
My mum dad and two sisters and brother lived here, Mum used to walk a mile a day to fetch a pale of water. When I was born we had to move to Stiperstones because the house wasn't big enough, the house at the bog only had two bedrooms, so my brother slept on the landing, till we moved I slept in an open drawer. I would love to hear from anyone who knew my family then. My mum was Phyllis Hotchkiss, my dad was Lincoln Hotchkiss. Thank you, Mike Hotchkiss
Stiperstones Poem
THE STIPERSTONES
T’was long ago the Ludlow people vexed the Devil very sore
He vowed to stone their homes and steeples until they were no more
On Cranberries Hill he then collected his apron full of rocks and stones
With these missiles he expected he could break the peoples bones
Swiftly crossing roads and rivers past the peasant peoples homes
Through the land of peaceful livers till he reached the Stiperstones
O’er the mountain dark and dreare hurried satan on his way
Vowing war and strife and riot on the people miles away
Suddenly the strings were broken in a heap the stones all fell
And he left them as a token of his presence there to tell
Then cursed he Ludlow and it’s tower from the top of Stiperstones
In the fury of the hour built a chair of rocks and stones
And tis said at midnight hour when the moon is rising high
Satan sits in state and power while the ghosts of... Read 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 no running water. The second time would be every Sunday evening going to the Baptist chapel, we would add another seven at least to the congregation. The organ was played by Mrs Howl, it was a treadle organ, and at times we would find it hard keeping up with her. My home town is Congleton, Cheshire, and my memories of Aston-on-Clun are still with me today as if I was only there yesterday. We have lived in Australia since 1968, and have returned to Congleton on occasions, but we never for-get to go to Aston-on-Clun.
Lea Cross School
My auntie, Dorothy Jones, was a teacher at Lea Cross school and I remember going with her to the school for a day when I was about 3 or 4. I wonder if anyone remembers her. The head teacher was a Mrs Pierce.
