VISIT TO THE WEST MIDLANDS & THE BLACK COUNTRY
Sunday 16th June – Thursday 20th June 2024
It was a fine day as we started our journey from Naas, stopping at Heuston to collect the remainder of our merry band on the way to the ferry at Dublin Port. Organised by the
Federation of Local History Societies the trip was open to members of both federations and we were delighted to welcome nine members of the Ulster Federation on board.
Our wonderful Driver Garvan  |
Twelve counties were represented including Dublin, Kildare, Cork, Waterford, Tipperary, Meath, Westmeath, Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone and Galway and representatives from
Twenty two societies were on board.
Our journey started eventfully as we arrived to learn that there would be a four-hour delay
| Dudley Castle |
in the ferry. While waiting for the sailing one of our group, Niall Mc Devitt, had a fall on board which necessitated him being transferred to hospital, the good news is that he was not seriously injured and released from hospital the next day, we all wish Niall a speedy recovery. Due to this delay we had to skip a planned stop at Llangollen and proceed directly to Dudley and the Copthorne Hotel. We all arrived safe and sound and after a lovely dinner retired for the night ready for the start of our adventure in the morning.
We set off after breakfast through Staffordshire and into the county of Shropshire, in search
of some very special but slightly off the beaten track historic towns. Our first port of call was
Bridgnorth, a town built on a cliff towering over the River Severn and divided into a “High
| Bridgenorth (Coach view) |
| Ian Jelf Our Brilliant Guide of many trips. |
Town” and a “Low Town”. Named after a bridge on the river the town’s first reference is in 895 and during the Civil War it was a Royalist stronghold in the midlands. After a guided tour by our guide, Ian, we were let loose, to explore the town on our own. Notable among its many buildings were the Town Hall, a 17 th Century half-timbered building and a surviving town gate, now housing a museum.
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Bridgenorth Castle Then and Now |
Bishop Percy’s house on the Cartway and built in 1580 was one of the few buildings to survive the town’s great fire in 1646. The town has a Funicular Railway which has
operated for over one hundred years. We all thoroughly enjoyed our ramble in the old town.
We then travelled across the picturesque Wenlock Edge to the beautiful medieval town of Ludlow. Despite being a small town, it boasts no fewer than four hundred and twenty listed buildings including a ruined castle, the famous Feather’s Hotel and the sprawling Lawrence’s Church. The town has a reputation as a “foodie” destination so we had no trouble finding a suitable place for some lunch. The ruined castle was impressive as was the historic centre of town which has largely escaped development and managed to retain its medieval Tudor and Georgian character. A walk down Mill Street and Bond Street and one could taste the
| Our merry group of Members |
abundance of their rich architectural heritage and see the many fine Georgian buildings there.
Our final stop of the day was to take the short drive to the unique and beautiful Stokesay
Castle. The Castle is more of a fortified house and one of the best examples of its kind in all
of England and has changed little over the years. Built during the 1280s and 1290s by
Laurence of Ludlow, the Castle comprised a walled moated enclosure, with an entrance
Through a 17 th Century timber and plaster gatehouse. Inside, the courtyard faces a stone hall and solar block, protected by two stone towers. The Hall features a 13th century wooden-beamed ceiling and 17th Century carved figures ornament the gate house and solar.
The day concluded with a drive across the scenic Clee Hills and back to the hotel for a welcome dinner.
TUESDAY 18Th June
We started the day with a cross-country journey past the “New Town” of Telford on our way to Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire. Shrewsbury is situated in a tight bend in the River Severn and its centre was a maze of narrow streets with many strange names like, Dogpole & Shoplatch and we found it brimming with many old buildings. Ian took us on a circuit of the town by coach pointing out the important places of interest before we were free to explore the town ourselves.
The town centre still retains its medieval street patterns and has many fine buildings including Shrewsbury Abbey, 1083, and Shrewsbury Castle, 1074. The town was commercially important in the 16 th and 17 th Centuries through its Welsh wool trade.
After lunch in Shrewsbury we headed for a visit to Iron Bridge passing by the National trust owned Attingham Park, and the site of one of the largest Roman Cities in Britain, now the tiny village of Wroxeter.
To say that Iron Bridge George altered the course of human history is no exaggeration, for it was here that the Darby family perfected a more economic way of smelting iron using coal and set in motion the Industrial Revolution. We were able to visit the town and see the 1779 world’s first iron bridge which was constructed over the River Severn. So this lovely little town developed and we were privileged to explore it and cross over its most famous bridge. The whole area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
| This is the actual back door of Moseley House to which Charles II came knocking and was admitted. |
We had all been intrigued with the story of Charles 11 and his famous escape from the roundheads after the battle of Worcester so you can imagine the excitement and anticipation in visiting Moseley Old Hall. It was a unique residence and an intriguing story of how he was hidden and sheltered by the owners, the Roman Catholic, Whitegate family prior to his ultimate journey south and escape to Europe. We had some anxious moments in reaching the house due to the very narrow access roads, which certainly brought out the very best in our driver, Garvan. However he rose to the occasion and all went well in the end. We were given a guided tour of the residence by some excellent guides and were able to explore every room in the house including the very special “Priests Hole” and the secret family chapel where the King took communion. On the beautiful afternoon the House and grounds were resplendent in the afternoon sunshine and the surrounding fields were awash with tall white and yellow coloured daisies. It was a most memorable visit.
Back at the hotel we had arranged an after-dinner talk by Ian to set the scene for our visit to Birmingham the following day. It also offered us the opportunity to make a presentation to
Ian for his huge contribution to the trip.
Federation acting Chairperson, Padraig Laffan, presented Ian with a beautifully illustrated book, “The Book of Kildare”, and read some of the Great Shropshire poet A.E. Houseman’s poem ‘The Shopshire Lad.’
“From Clee to heaven the beacon burns,
The shires have seen it plain,
From north and south the sign returns
And beacons burn again”.
Bridie Bradley Ulster Federation, presented a specially framed picture of St Bridget’s Cross, and Jimmy Conway, Ulster Federation, presented a Magee Tweed Cap for Ian to hopefully use on his walks. We had invited Ian’s lovely wife, Louise, to join us for dinner and Louise was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Federation Treasurer, Bernadette Doyle.
We were then treated to a most enlightening and informative talk by Ian to finish the evening
WEDNESDAY 19th June
This promised to be a special day and we were not disappointed. Ian was keen to show us
“his” local history and the day began with a drive to Birmingham with illuminating
commentary by Ian along the way. We learned a lot about Dudley and in particular about
Ian’s own beloved Smethwick, passing by as we did his place of birth, his primary school, his
secondary school and much more. On our coach tour of the suburbs Ian produced a well-
kept secret and a great surprise which he had kept up his sleeve. A very special grave
awaited us in the local cemetery at Oldbury, especially to those in our group with roots in
Tipperary. Contrary to popular belief the iconic song, “It’s a long way to Tipperary” was
written by a “Brummie” and not an Irishman. Jack Judge, a local man is credited with that
distinction and we were about to visit his grave. In beautiful sunshine we all gathered around his grave and gave a fine rendition of the now famous song.
Our coach tour also took us to and through the Cadbury Village, which was a revelation in the beauty of the houses and its surroundings. The coach tour of the City Centre showed how much the city had reinvented itself in recent years with pedestrianised streets, sport and activities, building programmes and the renovation of the huge canal network. After that we had some free time to explore the city centre on foot and catch a bite to eat before our final visit of the day. We spent the afternoon at the award-wining Black Country Museum. Here, on some twenty-six acres of former industrial wasteland a reconstruction of a typical “urban village” has been created where you can enter houses, workshops, factories a chapel, a school, and a pub and see trams, buses, trolleybuses and locally made vintage cars as well as much more.
We even had time for a pint from its local pub and managed to see an iconic “Laurel & Hardy “film in the old cinema.
THURSDAY 20th June
After bidding farewell to our beloved Ian and the Copthorne hotel we were on the road to Holyhead and the ferry home. We made a stop in the beautiful little village of Llangollen in Wales, situated on the river Dee in Denbighshire and enjoyed a little libation and absorbed the lovely scenery. The village is known for its Irish connection with the “Ladies of Llangollen”.
We headed to our homes, bidding each other goodbye, and the best of luck until we all meet again.
The trip will be remembered for all the interesting places, events and people we met along
the way and in particular the personal touch added by our super guide and
great friend, Ian Jelf.
Finally, special thanks to our driver, Garvan Boyce for his fabulous driving during our
adventure.