News

Any old photos?

The Hodnet web team would like to add to the website a section containing old photographs of the area. This photograph of a train passing though Wollerton is an example of the type of image we are looking for.

WollertonTrain01

Photos need not be in black and white: colour ones will be fine. Any photograph from the earliest days of the box camera through to the end of the 1990s will be welcome. Photos of any subject will be appreciated and we will sort them into galleries by date and theme.
If you would like to contribute to our collection of memories from this area, then please scan your pictures and send them to the address below. Please note, images should not be greater than 1200 by 900 pixels. If you want to retain the copyright on the images, please use graphic editing software to add a copyright notice to them (if you don’t have suitable software GIMP and Infraview are two freeware programmes that enable you to do this).
Once you have your images ready to send to us, please send them to this email address. Please attach no more than two photos to each email. You will receive an automatic acknowledgement for your first email in any seven day period. Please also tell us something about each photograph in the email it is attached to. We also need you to provide us with your name and address and for you to make clear that you give the website team permission to publish the photographs on hodnet.org.uk
We look forward to receiving your photographs.

Trugg and Barrow’s Garden Diary September 2012

The end to another summer is fast approaching, but there is still plenty to enjoy and lots more gardening to do.
EASY, FUSS FREE AND AFFORDABLE.
There are few plants to which the above adjectives can truly be applied but Hydrangeas are certainly one of them and NOW is the time when they are at their best. In addition, few other woody shrubs come from as versatile a family or display such variety.
Hydrangeas shout their presence in the summer garden when there are few flowering shrubs apart from Hypericums. There are a number of highly ornamental species and cultivars.
What makes hydrangeas so special is the longevity of the display. Roses will repeat flower all summer, presenting new flowers as old ones fade. Hydrangeas present the same flower from bud burst to first frosts. This is only possible because of the curious arrangement of hydrangea flowers. Each head is made up of small fertile flowers usually toward the centre, these are the flowers concerned with producing seed. The sterile flowers attract insects with showy bracts which, because they are infertile, cannot be pollinated so remain until the fertile flowers have been pollinated when they turn downward and change colour. Most species have lacecap type flowers except H. quercifolia and H. paniculata. Most variation between cultivars has to do with the ratio of fertile to infertile flowers.
H. arborescens was, incidentally, the first hydrangea to be introduced into cultivation and in the wild can grow to tree like proportions of 10ft or more, although it usually achieves only 3-5ft in the garden. ‘Annabelle’ is perhaps the best cultivar with huge heads of sterile flowers.
Also from America, H. quercifolia has large drooping panicles of flowers although these are only borne in warm summers. What is impressive is the foliage which looks like a much magnified oak leaf but displays wonderful crimson and purplish autumn colour. Unlike most hydrangeas which will still perform well in shade, this one demands a warm spot and acidic soil.
H. paniculata by contrast will tolerate the most extreme cold and is not fussy about pH so long as the drainage is good. Left unpruned, the bush can reach 20ft though pruned annually it makes an impressive plant of 5-7ft. This is also one of the most trouble free of a trouble free genus and as a bonus is also scented!
There are a host of available cultivars, all differing in the ratio of sterile to fertile flowers and some have a slight pinkish hue. The best in my opinion are all pure white such as H. paniculata ‘Kyushu’ or H. ‘Unique which has so many infertile flowers that they completely obscure the fertile ones. Late in the season the bracts droop and turn a lovely rust red.
My favourite species of hydrangea is H. aspera var villosa and H. aspera var sargentiana. The latter is a tall upright shrub displaying large pink hued lacecap flowerheads atop large hairy leaves. If that were not enough, the bark is a pleasing confection of brown papery peel revealing grey underneath which makes an excellent winter feature. To grow this hydrangea successfully, the soil needs to retain moisture so that the large leaves do not turn brown prematurely. With sufficient moisture this normally shade loving plant will tolerate full sun. Shelter is also advisable to help keep those big leaves in tip top condition but if you can grow this plant successfully it will make you the envy of your neighbours.
H. aspera var villosa bears purplish/mauve lacecap flowers and prefers full sun. It has slender hairy leaves and is very easy to grow. In the 2010/2011 winter, a fine specimen was cut to the ground by the severe cold and has since completely regenerated. Whereas H. sargentiana is a tall slender shrub, by comparison H. villosa is spreading, reaching 7-10ft tall by as much wide. The hairy leaves protect it from extremes of drought and cold and it is a deservedly popular plant.
By far the most common hydrangeas are descended from H. macrophylla which adorn front and back gardens everywhere and deservedly so. These are also the hydrangeas which change colour according to pH so need no introduction from me!
The climbing hydrangeas are as impressive as the shrubby ones and extend far beyond the realms of the commonly planted H. anomala subsp petiolaris, though many people seem unfamiliar with using it as a ground cover by preventing it from climbing.
Schizophragma hydrangeoides and S. ‘Roseum’ are amongst the best, both self clinging and bearing showy bracts. Content in both sun or shade they flower best in sun and on warm walls.
Pileostegia viburnoides is an evergreen relative and is worth the patience it needs to get going, after which it will reward with creamy white flowers in late summer. It does best in rich, well drained soil in sun, though it will tolerate some shade.
Easy, fuss free and affordable. Add to that adaptable, elegant and varied…what more could one want!
In the Kitchen Garden
The end of another growing season has swung around again. There is already a bit of chill in the air on some mornings, with the grass covered in heavy dew, and the occasional morning fog. As well as these early indications of a change in season, the first few signs of autumn colour are also appearing in yellows, reds, purples and oranges.
Production in the kitchen garden is winding down now and although some growing could continue, here we have a full programe of autumn and winter work in the main garden, so the race is on to get as much of the kitchen garden put to bed now. During August, as well as fruit and vegetable picking, cutting of the box hedging in the kitchen garden has occupied most of the working time. Time is getting on for this job and it needs finishing quickly in order to lower the risk from the disfiguring and potentially fatal box blight. This fungal disease attacks during the cool damp weather prevalent in Autumn (the cool damp weather we have had in summer this year has already caused an outbreak) . Large patches of the 750 m or so we have in the kitchen garden has suffered in the last 5 years from attacks from box blight. However, with good cultural practices we are now holding the disease at arm’s length.
This has been one of the least productive years in the KG for a good while. This is due to the cool cloudy weather conditions which have all kinds of knock on effects. Potatoes have produced low yields, sweetcorn has been stunted, lettuce, chard and onions have all bolted. Tomatoes don’t seem to be able to ripen; in fact a few people have told me that they gave up on these early in the season as they were doing so poorly. It has not been all doom and gloom though. Some crops such as cucumber have done very well this year, probably due to the more humid conditions that they favour.
The vegetable garden does not have to be unproductive through the winter. For example, hardy varieties of lettuce and cabbage can be grown.
Spring Cabbages need an open, sunny position together with some protection against harsh winter winds. Grow hardy varieties such as Primo, Savoy King or Savoy Siberia. A light, well-drained soil is preferable. Nothing will damage them more than water-logged conditions in the cold winter. Don’t add manure or nitrogen rich feeds to the soil as this will only encourage vulnerable soft green growth.
Generally, late July to early August is the best time to sow Spring cabbage. If you have some kind of crop protection you can still have a go this year. Spring cabbage matures earlier and more reliably under cloches.
Please note: images have been removed from this pages because some of them may have been used without permission.

Looking for a friend from the 1960s

We have received an email from Derick Hare asking if we could help find a friend whom he worked with in the 1960s.
Back then they both worked in a garage in Market Drayton. Derick’s lost friend was called Richard Williams and he was living in Marchamley at the time. Derick says, “I would love to hear from him and know what he’s been upto after all these years.”
Richard if you read this and would please email the webmaster and we will pass your contact details on to Derick. If anyone else has any news of Richard which might help Derick get back in touch with his lost friend, please let us know.

Squirrel Inn Planning Decision

On Tuesday (21 Aug) Shropshire Council’s Planning Committee met in Wem and amongst items on the agenda was the future of the Squirrel Inn at Wollerton. This weekend’s Market Drayton Advertiser contained a report on page 2 with the headline “Plan to convert disused pub into a home is thrown out”.
The report by Dani Wozencroft continues by stating that the Committee said that they believed the property could thrive as a pub if given the chance. Their confidence overturned a report by the Planning Officer, who recommended that the application be approved. We understand from someone who was at the meeting that the Committee voted unanimously to reject the application.
According to the MD Advertiser, Councillor Martin Bennett said, “Planning policy says proposals resulting in the loss of facilities will be resisted unless it can be proved that the facility is not viable in the long-term, not the past but the future – I don’t think that has been tested.” Karen Calder, Shropshire Councillor for Hodnet, said “Fifteen months is not a substantial time to be up for sale. The Fox and Hounds in Shawbury was empty for 10 years, it is now successful.”
The Advertiser does not report whether the owners, Claire Howell and Sarah Mazloom, intend to appeal against the decision.

Trugg and Barrows Garden Diary August 2012

Time to stand and stare.
July weather started very wet indeed, so wet that it was difficult to get out into the garden on many days. This allowed the weeds to grow unrestrained and as a result some areas became ‘rather weedy’. As well as this, large areas of grass were not mown for nearly 3 weeks. I know that many of you were in the same position. Now that we are having a bit of summer (at last), for the last two weeks it has been noses to the grindstone trying to put things right again.
August will be a month of ‘steady as she goes’ in the garden here. It is a time of little change; a time of anticipation, waiting for autumn to arrive. Try to enjoy your garden this month, keep on top of things, but spend as much time as you can just enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and ‘spirit’ of your garden.
Herbaceous Heaven in July.
Summer weather seems finally to have got around to arriving and there is no better time to get out and about and see other gardens. July and August are some of the best months to see herbaceous displays.
Perhaps the most historic herbaceous borders in the country are at Arley Hall in Cheshire; indeed they claim to be the first such borders to have been planted in England. There are double herbaceous borders backed by tall hedges to give a contrast. Refreshingly, most of the planting is permanent, hardy perennials, though there are of course annuals mingled in to fill gaps. I am all for annuals but it does often mean gardening more intensively and greater demands on time.
Yet the herbaceous border is not the only feature of this outstanding garden. From the car park, visitors approach the garden between the towering 8m high pleached lime avenue. Planted in the 1850s, the avenue has been kept juvenile by constant pruning.
There are a number of smaller garden ‘rooms’ within the garden including the discrete ‘Flag Garden’ planted with roses and clematis and the ‘Fish Garden’ which, as its name might suggest, contains a small pond and fountain planted with sun loving plants.
For me some one of the most striking features of the garden is the Ilex Avenue which is in fact made up of huge columns of evergreen oak, Quercus ilex. They are massive and imposing things and I certainly don’t envy the gardeners the job of cutting them!
My own favourite part is the walled garden. Originally a kitchen garden, it was the most recent area to be re-designed and now the ancient fruit trees along the wall form a backdrop to other stunning trees and shrubs including some Fagus ‘Dawyck’, a fastigiate beech first grown at Dawyck Botanic garden in Scotland.
Further along in the glasshouses I encountered one of my favourite climbers the giant Burmese honeysuckle, Lonicera hildebrandiana which has 2in long mango scented blooms. Although only suitable for a greenhouse or conservatory, it is worth growing if you have either.
Yet as I mentioned, now is the time for herbaceous plants to be at their best; here are some of my favourites.
July and August can be a peak time for Hemerocallis, the daylilies. I am not too keen on those with too many different colours in the flower preferring blooms to have a more solid hue and a good purity of colour. One of the best for me has to be ‘Gentle Shepherd’ which is almost pure white with a green tinged throat. Some people go mad for daylilies others not so much and I do agree that they are not always good front of border plants but they make excellent fillers adding plenty of body.
Bistorts, or Persicaria will be lifting their tall spires of flower now above large leaves. They certainly thrive where there is year round moisture in the soil but I have found that if well mulched or given some manure when planted they are surprisingly adaptable. P. amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’ is a red which positively glows in evening light. Yet if you want something more unusual try P. polymorpha which reaches up to 6ft and has creamy white flowers.
For a really hot combination try under planting Perovskia, the Russian sage, with its silvery foliage and spires of bright blue flowers with Echinacea purpurea in shades of purple or Monarda ‘Cambridge Scarlet’ which is as vibrant as the name suggests. My favourite Echinacea is E. pallid which is wonderful to grow through something like Perovskia because it has loose pink flowers which sway in the gentlest breeze giving the movement that the Perovskia lacks.
Ornamental grasses are in their stride by now, though perhaps somewhat battered by the rain. One of my personal favourites is Calamagrostis ‘Karl Forster’ which has an upright slender habit and attractive golden brown flower heads.
Whatever the weather, there is plenty of herbaceous inspiration to enjoy this summer, wet or otherwise!
In the kitchen garden
Keep on top of the weeds; when produce comes ready harvest it, make time to stand and stare.
Please note: images have been removed from this pages because some of them may have been used without permission.

Family Fun in the Sun

Shropshire Council’s website has announced a “Fun in the Sun” community event in Market Drayton this later month. Details of the event which takes place on Monday 30 July 2012 from 11am to 2pm, can be found here.
Based at Shropshire Council’s Sure Start children’s centre at Longlands Primary School, Linden Way, Fairfields. Bob, the Shropshire Play Bus, will make an appearance, and the event will offer the chance to try out Forest School activities, sand and water play, and enjoy music, movement and storytime. Healthy snacks will be available, and families are encouraged to bring along a picnic.
For further information about the Fun in the Sun and other events in the local area, contact Sure Start children’s centre services on 01743 452400or see the web page linked to above.
Shropshire Council’s Family Information Service (FIS) have recently launched their Summer Guide Fun Guide to events and fun activities organised for children, young people and families across the county. The guide can be downloaded as a PDF file from this page.

Lively Public Meeting – Housing Development

Around 60 people attended the public meeting organised by the Parish Council on Friday 13, July in the Lyon Hall. In addition there were seven members of the Parish Council present along with Maryjayne Rees (Clerk), Karen Calder (Shropshire County Councillor), Graham Tongue (Leverhulme Estates), Tony Barton (Donald Insall Associates Architects) and Jo Lovelady (Strutt & Parker Agents).
Before the meeting people were able to examine the plans and other documentation associated with the planning application.
The meeting was chaired by John Powell who introduced the issue under consideration, namely the proposal to build 50 dwellings on land to the east of Shrewsbury Street and how the Parish Council should respond to it. The Parish Council had been given an extension by the Planning Dept. and needed to provide their comments by Tuesday 17 July. (NB Members of the public now have until 25 July to respond.) Derek Hodge, Vice Chairman, then outlined the Parish Council’s draft response. This was, in brief, that whilst they supported the proposals in principle, they had reservations about several aspects of them. These included the small size of some of the dwellings, the lack of parking spaces, garages and storage and the absence of street lighting. They also intended to ask for clarification on the provision of a direct foot route to Shrewsbury St., who would be responsible for the maintenance of the amenity area and assurance that the affordable housing component would be allocated to local people in perpetuity.
It was then intended that the meeting should hear from all those who prior to 7.00pm had booked five minute slots  in order to express their views. Instead the first speaker, Mr Rechten (Hodnet Action Group), asked that those around the table should first take questions. Initially Tony Barton responded with comments on the architectural brief for the development. He also apologised for not being able to stay until the end of the meeting.
Following this, the meeting did not take the intended course. Most of the speakers from the floor were opposed to the development in its current form. Just one person spoke in favour of the proposals and did so passionately. They felt the development was needed for securing the future of village businesses, etc. Those who objected had two main areas of concern. The first was that both the historical and recent “consultation procedures” had been flawed. There was some confusion over the status of the current “Site Allocations and Management of Development” (SAMDev) consultation and its relevance to the current planning application. There was also concern that a response by the Medical Centre had been misrepresented in the application. Dr Mehta explained that whilst they had a statutory duty to accept all residents in the area as patients, the estimated number of additional patients from the fifty new dwellings would put severe pressure on the practice. The Chairman said that these concerns were outside the scope of the meeting, but this was not universally accepted by a large section of those present.
The other main concern was the density of the proposed housing and whether it was appropriate for a rural village setting. Derek Hodge said this was the issue underlying all the Parish Council’s comments about parking spaces, garages and storage space as well as the size of some of the dwellings. Nevertheless strong opinions were expressed by many people to the effect that there were too many properties being squeezed onto the three pieces of land covered by the proposals. People had concerns over a number of issues arising from the density of the housing, one of the main ones being the increase in traffic levels.
Towards the end of the meeting Karen Calder, who had earlier done her best to try to explain the present position of the planning process, offered to arrange a meeting between interested parties and Shropshire CC planning officials. Those who could be invited to attend would include representatives of the landowners, the Parish Council and the Hodnet Action Group. She gave the impression that this might aim to explore whether it were possible to negotiate a reduction in the density of the estate.
It was pointed out that there was still time for members of the public to respond both to the planning application and the SAMDev consultation. However, both of these should be done within the next few days. See here for details of how to do so.
After the Chairman closed the public meeting, the Parish Council held an extraordinary meeting to finalise the Council’s response. When they had done this, Derek Hodge read the draft text to everyone including the members of the public who had stayed behind to hear it. In summary he said:

Hodnet Parish Council supports in principle the planning application. However the Council considers that the scale and density of the proposal is not appropriate for Hodnet. In addition they had the following concerns:

  • That the 19, three bedroom houses are too small;
  • The lack of garaging, parking and storage – 1.5 parking spaces is inadequate, regulations require sufficient storage for modern family requirements;
  • It should be noted that the Medical Centre could not easily accommodate the extra patients;
  • That there should be the provision of cabling for street lighting in the area and that any lighting should be the latest low wattage type and be directional to eliminate light pollution;
  • There should be pavements on both sides of the access road;
  • It should be determined in the planning approval how the amenity area should be maintained;
  • The provision of affordable housing must be local priority and must be a condition of planning approval being granted.

 
 

Still time to respond to Hodnet Housing Development plans

At the public meeting on Friday 13 July, the Parish Council stated that the deadline for members of the public to comment on the planning application for the fifty homes to the east of Shrewsbury Street has been extended until the eve of the planning hearing.
The easiest way to respond to the Planning Application is through the Shropshire Council website. Click here to go direct to the Application Summary – it should open in a new tab/window. There are a series of tabs across the top of the main page area: Details; Comments; Documents; Related Cases; Map. There is important information available from each of these and on some tabs from the second row of options. Click on the “Comments” tabs. Here you can read other people’s comments as well as submit your own. You need to supply your contact details and you have 6,000 characters for your comments.
Remember, whether  you support the plans or object to them in some way, it is important that you exercise your right to comment on them. The deadline for comments is 25 July.
At the recent public meeting the Site Allocations and Management of Development (SAMDev) Preferred Options consultation was mentioned several times. This is separate from the above planning application, but refers to the three plots of land concerned (see plan below). Responding to this is more complicated than commenting on the Planning Application, but every resident has the right to comment. It also includes proposals for Marchamley, Wollerton and Peplow. The deadline for responding to the SAMDev Consultation is noon on Friday 20 July.
The SAMDev proposals can be accessed from this page on the Shropshire Council’s website. This is the SAMDev Preferred Options for the Market Drayton Area section. Scroll down to the “Online services and downloads” pane. Click on the “Market Drayton SAMDev questionnaire” link. (Before you do, note that the “site assessment technical report for Hodnet can be downloaded from a link below it. This is what it says on the tin, a technical document, and as such it may only be of interest to a few people.)
Following the above link will take you to the first page of the survey; there are several. Scroll down to the bottom of each page and click on the “Next” button until you come to the section for Hodnet (Questions 24 to 30). You need to tick the relevant button “Yes” or “No” to answer these questions and you have a space below to add your own comments. (This space will expand by dragging the lower right-hand corner.) The questions relate not just to the three plots covered by the present Planning Application, but also to the development of the old goods yard near the bottom of Station Road. When you have responded to these questions, you may want to move on (by clicking the “Next ” button at the bottom of each page) to Questions 37 to 41 which concern developments in  Marchamley, Wollerton and Peplow.  When you have answered all the questions you wish to respond to, move on to subsequent pages until you come to the one where you supply your contact details. Complete this page and you will find a “Done” button to submit your response. (You cannot  request that a copy of your submission be emailed to you.)
This may seem a tedious procedure, but it is worthwhile as all residents on the electoral roll has the right to comment on matters like these.

Related pages on this website:

 

Hawkstone Fun Ride

Sunday 9th September 2012 – Start at 10.00 a.m. final riders away at 2.30 p.m.
In region of 50 senior and 30 junior jumps, all of which are optional, with the rare opportunity to ride through 11 to 12 miles of the most beautifully unspoilt Shropshire countryside. Come and enjoy a fantastic day out full of adventure and excitement
Ticket costs:   Adults £15.00    Juniors £12.00
Refreshments available

Summer Reading Challenge for children up to 12

Shropshire Newsroom has announced that over the summer libraries across Shropshire will be bursting with activities to support the Summer Reading Challenge. This is a national reading scheme devised by The Reading Agency, and widely recognised as a great way to keep children reading over the long summer holidays. The theme is Storylab, and there will be over 80 library events to choose from including visits to libraries by author turned scientist Dr Julius Drake, craft sessions, story and rhyme times, treasure hunts, creative writing groups and much more.
Children age 0-4 can register for the Bookstart Bear Club, and the Storylab challenge is open to children and young people aged from four to 12 years.  Launch days and activities will take place in libraries from Saturday 14 July; people should ask at their local library for details of events near them. Eventually details will also be posted on the Shropshire Council library website.
Details of the Summer Reading Challenge scheme can be found on their website. Here is their introductory video: