- Telford Central Station -
It's Friday 19th January 2024 and the first Hub Marketing meeting of the new year requires members to gather at Wolverhampton railway station in readiness for the 12:15 train. The Chairman naturally cuts it very fine but his tram+sprint routine is well rehearsed these days and our connection is caught as planned, delivering us to Telford Central by quarter to one. We never seem to have much luck when it comes to the Arriva bus network and the curse comes back to bite us again with delays and dubious 'real time' alerts proving puzzling. Eventually a 4 towards Leegomery deigns to appear and we're underway at last.
- Ketley War Memorial -
Ketley had cropped up on a couple of those five previous Telford incursions but we're happy to take another bite out of the area, noting the Community Centre (housed in a Victorian primary school which was erected in 1897) along with a neighbouring arts centre (the former Infants, similar in architectural style and built in 1904). The Waterloo Road/Holyhead Road crossroads has the Crispy Cod takeaway facing off against the Blue Elephant Indian restaurant while the local playing fields have a rusted arch entrance. One intriguing item I don't remember spotting before is the war memorial tablet near Red Lees, installed in 2022 thanks to support from Ketley Parish Council and the Telford & Wrekin Pride Fund.
- Shropshire Star Squashed -
Waterloo Road offers echoes of our 2021 exploits but something feels different and it takes us a while to figure out what's changed - the Shropshire Star offices have disappeared!! I'd heard that newspaper operations had transferred to a new base at Grosvenor House but seeing the old site completely flattened is still quite a shock. Further down the lane, the Wrens Nest pub itself resembles a building site but is thankfully open (unlike three years ago), meaning we can claim a quick Carling apiece while sitting below a Peaky Blinders montage. Chairman D9 is in a nostalgic mood, recalling old-fashioned barber shops from the times when he had more hair. You don't get the likes of Mad Harry wielding the scissors anymore...
- A Proper Penny Pincher!! -
Another lengthy wait for a bus is put to good use playing our opening silly song selections for 2024, whereby Stephen Lewis (Inspector Blakey in On the Buses) encounters 'The Bed Sitter' and Rupert Davies (who played Maigret back in the 60s) is happily 'Smoking My Pipe'. The 4 then whisks us most of the way towards Wellington for the dual charms of the Railway and the Cock Hotel. The former serves up pristine Butty Bach with Jo Stafford's version of Jambalaya for accompaniment whereas the latter has been lovingly renovated by the Joules Brewery with genuinely impressive results. Our cask choice here is the ginger-infused Penny Pincher but any hopes Secretary WME has of the beer's name being matched by discount prices are way off the mark. Engraved mirrors, burnished woodwork and copper tabletops make for a stellar setting in which to prepare for the delayed 2023 Hub Awards.
- The Hub Awards are announced -
Speaking of which, Hub Marketing founder Charles Pemberton Rowbottom III is in the vicinity having contrived to avoid us in Stafford last time out. We therefore intercept an incoming 7 (the driver saw us running and kindly waited for us) via Haybridge Road and Hadley before landing at the Tap & Barrel where CPR3 awaits. This rather plain pub used to be known as the Duke and has a bit of Friday afternoon life to it - old boys, pool players, TV quizzes, you get the idea. We however concentrate on declaring the lucky winners from a range of categories: 2023 Pub of the Year was Hopinn, Newcastle-under-Lyme whereas the Dive of the Year could only be Bell Green's Rose & Crown. Bald Spot of the Year was the Daisy Bank Sarad Stores specimen and the Classic D9 drive was a Hearty Carty 20 reggaethon along the Bristol Road.
- Anyone for Carpet Whipping? -
Award formalities done and dusted, we see what else Trench has to offer although neither of us is remotely inclined to participate in any carpet whipping - it all sounds far too painful! A flat roof shopping parade contains betting shops and fast food outlets while we also catch glimpse of a bowling club with an expertly maintained green. Our next watering hole meanwhile will be the New Dun Cow, an ex-Banks's box boozer that's been given a wooden plank facelift to go with its transition into an Indian Bar and Grill example. It's smart and comfortable inside with swish seating booths plus the prospect of Stephen Fry on daytime television should you like that sort of thing. One wonders whether Mr Fry whips his carpets at all?
- 'Spotted' in Wrockwardine Wood -
A public footpath around the back of Holy Trinity Church is our twilight means of approaching Wrockwardine Wood, an old mining district which easily pre-dates the creation of Telford New Town. Hub Marketing history here isn't especially favourable and we can vividly recall a 2015 wild goose chase involving closed pubs and withdrawn bus routes - will our luck be any better this time around? The answer is a resounding yes because both the White Horse Tavern and the Bull's Head are trading steadily; naturally we visit each of them in turn, beginning with the White Horse and its tempting whiffs of home cooked food. Secretary WME is particularly taken by the Bull's Head's glazed tiling and etched vault windows, a classic heritage frontage for sure plus the Salopian Shropshire Gold within makes for a very decent drink.
- A Bostin' Bathams Nightcap -
The Lamb Inn on Moss Road can make it a Wrockwardine Wood pub hat trick for those of a thirsty persuasion (it's probably the scruffier of the three but worth a visit nevertheless), then we flag down an incoming number 5 bus for a brief trundle through St George's and down Station Hill into Oakengates. Swansong duties in this instance fall to the Station Hotel, alas minus any Elvis impersonators although the Bathams Best Bitter is absolutely impeccable. The place is packed to the rafters with a lovely welcoming atmosphere, exactly the kind of establishment you'd want to finish off at on a Friday night. There's just time to grab some chips as sustenance for the train ride home and that's another Telford triumph sorted!
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