England Day #1
Day 1
I arrived in Much Wenlock Saturday around 10:30 a.m. after leaving home Friday at 6:00 a.m. At the moment I am trying to determine if I gained sleep or lost it having been awake the whole trip so far. There seems to be a time warp episode taking place in my mind. I’m not sure how to describe it.
Driving on the opposite side of the road from the opposite side of the car using a standard shift that is on the left instead of the right with a mental time warp is serious stuff. My drive to Much Wenlock was frought with Much horror and in the Much rain. One thing I have learned is that the Brits are just as adept to anger at poor drivers as readily as us Yanks are. Luckily I arrived intact just in time for breakfast.
I’m staying at the Raven Hotel on Barrow St. (pictured below), a building erected in the 15th century and turned into a stage stop in the 1600s. My room is on the second floor (considered the third floor in the USA). Most likely Henry Adams ended his transport here when coming from London, as the Abbey is only two blocks away. The Raven is more of an Inn than a hotel although it has 20 rooms.
Kirk Heywood is the owner/proprietor. My room, very quaint and on the top floor, is accessed by a narrow three-landing staircase. The view is excellent, the bed is exquisite and the bathroom is spacious with a sunken bathtub. It’s all very comfortable. The Raven has elegant, well decorated “white tablecloth “ restaurant with Haute Cuisines–or if you like not Haute, there’s also a lounge café, solarium and patio. I’m impressed with the Raven and highly recommend it. Especially if you like peaceful surroundings, a mature environment and places drenched with English history.
After settling in I headed out to Wenlock Priory–the place Henry Adams said was the most peaceful on earth. Here are a couple snapshots of the abbey:
(I’m standing in the same spot where Adams stood c1870)
The Abbey pictured below on the right was built circa 12th century and is now privately owned; it was here that Adams stayed with his Friend Charles Milnes Gaskell, British MP from Thorns who also owned the abbey, and his wife Catherine. Gaskell inhertied the property in the 1860s. The Ruins are on the left of the Abbey.
Inside the chapter house
It started raining again, so I headed into town to have some lunch at the George & Dragon Inn, which was recommeded to me by a member of tripadvisor.com. Tripadvisor is a helpful tool for separating the wheat from the chaff regarding “places.” This was how I selected the Raven Hotel. It works!
The George and Dragon is c1500s, has very good food and local ale, as well as a blend of tourists and locals that mixes up the environment.
Pictured below are some local gents I had the luck to meet. They were very friendly and full of life. From left: Joe Welling, Chris Broadltest (Sorry, Chris, if the spelling is wrong) and John Thomas. John is a retired Coalminer who has been in Much Wenlock for 77 years; he shared a lot of great history of this town.
These two very happy parts of a couple are Curt (Kirk,Kurt?), aka Carol, and his wife Carolyn from BridgeNorth. They visit the George and Dragon every Sunday. What a Hoot these two were! So much fun!
Pictured below is Emma, an attractive young lady who keeps everyone in line with a million-dollar smile and a personality that can’t be matched. Emma rides her horse on Wenlock Edge just as Henry Adams did when he visited in the 1800s. Check out Wenlock Edge on Google, and you’ll see why Emma is a very lucky lady.
Leaving the George and Dragon, I headed back to the Raven for a nap and then dinner. Then after one of the longest days of my life since being in the Navy, I retired.
