Chip Foundation Chronicles: Oakengates & Shifnal

Wednesday 12th March 2014 and the Chip Foundation are Shropshire bound for an excursion that might just be our last get together while all members are still in active library service...

- The Place, Oakengates -

Our desired destinations are the combined delights of Oakengates and Shifnal so we caught the 14:25 Shrewsbury stopper directly into Telford territory. Our initial stroll around Oakengates revealed that the regeneration of Market Street was nearing completion and we couldn't resist a nose around The Place, a facility that combines a cafe with a branch library and the theatre box office.

- A Princely Double -

Market Street is home to a trio of pubs invitingly arranged within a few doorsteps of each other so we set out to complete the triangle. The Crown got us started with some Joules' Old No. 6 winter ale and a game of darts - sadly for me both Stephen and Nick (christened HRH on the chalkboard especially for the occasion) proved more proficient at finding the doubles than I did.

- The Station Hotel -

I dragged my bruised pride out of the front door of the Crown and straight across the road into the Station Hotel where some Quaker House Oatmeal Stout was the order of the day (and very good it was too). Some horse racing from the Cheltenham Festival meant that Stephen was suffering from an overdose of Clare Balding but we did at least get some answers on a cryptic nursery rhymes quiz we'd brought along for added entertainment - "young woman in terror attack by arachnid" anyone?

- The Quintessential Chip Shot -

A Chip Foundation outing cannot be complete unless a local chip shop is sampled and we carted our respective takeaways up to Hartshill Park for a seat in the sunshine. The chips certainly met with Mr Beardsmore's approval whilst HRH Prince Nickolenko gamely battled with a rather large fish. He just about managed to devour it in time for a swift half in the Old Fighting Cocks, tap for the Ironbridge Brewery.

- Train at Shifnal -

The first half of our itinerary was complete but we still had Shifnal to savour, hence we caught the 18:06 train for the short ride back through Telford Central. The line arrives in Shifnal high above the town on a landmark bridge that offers excellent views, including glimpses of the local cricket club. We alight just as darkness begins to fall, the fading light making the whitewashed station underpasses seem quite eerie.

- Getting Quizzical with the Odfellows -

Three pubs in Oakengates would be matched by three in Shifnal, the first of those being the Odfellows Wine Bar just across from Barkers Newsagents. The nursery rhymes quiz makes another appearance with Nick conjuring up pat-a-cake pat-a-cake from the depths of his memory bank.

- Heavy Industry in the White Hart -

Proceedings are completed by calling into the Plough and the White Hart, both of which made a good impression. The Plough was perhaps more food-orientated but still homely as we admired the works of a local artist whose pictures were showcased on the walls. The White Hart has beams and uneven floors to give considerable character as we sampled Collaborator, a champion beer from North Wales apparently. It had been a relaxing outing in the best Chip Foundation traditions, and we hope that the saga will continue even if employment circumstances will soon be changing...