‘Regular Features’ Archives
Up The Garden Path, December
I don’t often hob knob with Royalty. I had been introduced to the Queen Mother in my youth when working for a brief spell with the Girl Guide Association in London. This summer I had the opportunity to visit Prince Charles’s garden at Highgrove. I was very impressed by his collection of often huge pots, all strategically placed. He must be a [...]
The Tramroad Cometh
Imagine it is the year 1800, the Wye Valley is teeming with activity. There is no longer the hustle and bustle of the ironworks – these are now in sharp decline but there are the emerging metal industries of copper wire and tinplate manufacture, the felling of mature trees for shipbuilding, the quarrying of stone and limestone for the [...]
The Ironworks of the Wye Valley
In last month’s edition of Village News, I wrote about the importance of the Wye Valley in the early days of iron making. I now want to describe in more detail what this industry looked like and what has been left behind as a reminder. Industry was flourishing in the Valley at the end of the 18th century. Gilpin, writing in 1792, [...]
Up The Garden Path, November
By now in November, the gardener will have lost the tussle with nature to prolong a sense of summer. The inevitable turning point in the garden year has arrived. The first night that the temperature dips so low that FROST returns. Before then each day is a precious bonus. I rush around gathering in tender specimens that will fall prey to the [...]
The Wye Valley – the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution
Today when one looks at our stretch of the Wye Valley, it is difficult to believe that the tranquil and beautiful area beside the river was the home from the 1st century to the 18th century of some of the foremost ironworks in Britain. At school, we were taught that the Industrial Revolution started with Abraham Darby at Coalbrookdale producing [...]
Up the Garden Path, October
Who can resist temptation? Everyone has their weaknesses. Some are obviously best avoided. Others, like chocolate or the odd glass of wine are only marginally wicked. One weakness I own up to is buying bulbs. A sense of anticipation and faith in nature can be experienced by planting bulbs in the autumn. This anticipation combined with [...]
From before the Ice Age to now
I have been asked by the editor to write a series of local history articles over the coming months which I hope you will enjoy reading as much as I will enjoy writing. But where do I start? Do I look first at the obvious landmarks such as the castles and churches which we are extremely lucky to have survive or look at some obscure hump in the [...]