Looking Around Lawley

Aside from one meltingly-warm Wellington wander at the height of last summer's heatwave, I've largely neglected the Telford & Wrekin Borough area over recent times. Keen to ensure that 2023 has a suitable trip in the bag, I nominate Lawley as a place which has undergone major changes during the last few years...

- Arrival at Telford Central -

It's Friday 10th February 2023 and Wolverhampton railway station sees me boarding one of the shiny new Class 196 trains that have been introduced on the line between Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury. These are certainly a significant upgrade on the previous Class 170 fleet both in terms of spaciousness and passenger comfort - I'm impressed! Alighting at Telford Central at about quarter to ten, I traverse the striking span of Silver Swallow Bridge (an award-winning structure that was officially opened by the Princess Royal in September 2020) and connect onto Ironmasters Way in the shadows of the Telford Plaza office complex. 

- Poignant Poppies -

Plotting a path past the Law Courts and across by the Telford Bridge Retail Park, I home in on Lawley courtesy of West Centre Way. When I last visited back in November 2013, many of the neighbourhood amenities were just bedding in or still under construction so it's interesting to see what else has happened during the intervening decade. Lawley Square is now very much established as the village's shopping focal point with Morrisons as its anchor store while a medical practice and the Anytime Fitness gym are also key features. One essential discovery has to be the Lawley & Overdale War Memorial, a jet black shard festooned with cascading poppies that stands within a landscaped patch behind the Grazing Cow pub. 

- Newdale Pool -

Getting my bearings along Gresham Drive, I confirm that the Lawley Village Day Nursery is fully operational (and extremely yellow) before arriving at Newdale Pool. This perhaps isn't quite the beauty spot I'd anticipated although getting my pictures on an overcast February morning doesn't necessarily do it justice either. The Hutchison Way long distance footpath passes through here as part of its 17-mile journey from Wellington to Newport, although I'll only cover a very short stretch past the on-trend houses of Barclay Fold and Birchfield Way. Lawley's considerable expansion shows no signs of stopping as Taylor Wimpey (Thornberry Hill) and Barratt Homes (Rose Meadow) both have ongoing homebuilding developments.

- Lawley Village Store -

With the march of modernity seemingly all around me it's easy to forget that Lawley actually has a lot of history; the area was predominantly a mining community with collieries and railway lines, then it grew again as part of the 1960s/70s Telford New Town whereby Glendale starts to reveal some of the older suburban housing stock. The village green has an ornamental duckpond guarded by a tall clock column while the primary school has courage and respect buzzwords emblazoned on its perimeter railings. Still on Glendale, a bungalow minimart is very different architecturally to the fancy units I saw earlier and acts as the backdrop to a turning circle utilised by the number 11 bus. 

- St John the Evangelist Church -

Further evidence of Lawley's longer-term existence can be found on Dawley Road where St John the Evangelist Church has been serving parishioners since the 1860s after being built on land donated by the Coalbrookdale Company. The tin shed church hall looks in reasonably good condition and serves as a base for local groups - Scouts, Beavers and the Women's Institute etc - then The Crescent introduces me to a small garage/second hand car dealership (A.C.H. Autos) and the Church of the Latter Day Saints. Lawley Drive completes my outbound circuit by offering glimpses of a community garden complete with a help yourself herb plot.

- A Curious Copper Cow? -

Returning to Lawley Square and Gresham Drive, I can't resist sampling the aforementioned Grazing Cow where a bovine sculpture in the beer garden ushers me inside. Purpose-built new pubs can be a rarity these days and this Marston's example is still in its relative infancy having first opened its doors almost exactly ten years ago. As you may expect, it focuses on family dining and fills up pretty quickly once lunchtime service gets going. I merely want a simple pint and the Pedigree is up to standard, paired with a packet of pork scratchings in time-honoured fashion. The interior is comfortable with traditionally-styled touches and an apparent liking for scatter cushions so I'm glad I dropped by.

- The Bulls Head -

Further refreshment options await me in nearby Lawley Bank (or is it Dawley Bank?), hence the gentle gradient of Station Road brings me out by a tribute to Lt Clifford Jenson, a hero American pilot who lost his life here in a 1944 plane crash. The Wrekin View and the Bulls Head vie for my attention so why not try them both; the former lives up to its name by giving vistas of the famous natural landmark whereas the latter is very much a community local with an emphasis on pub games and Sky Sports. A Carling in each ensures I won't go thirsty and with that I troop along Milners Lane into Telford town centre and catch my train home. Cheers!