Joining in with #gritsaltbinmonday & #mapsonmonday - sitting proud on the upper reaches of the Wrockwardine Wood Incline Plane of the (once) Shropshire (tub-boat) Canal

A new blog about the history of the Wrekin's Rifle Range from it's establishment because of the threat of French invasion in 1859; it's connection to the Olympic Games; the drive to close it from the 1970s; and fun & frivolities in the 2000s. rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2026/01/31/t...

A new (short) blog that highlights a 'forgotten' WWI memorial hidden in plain sight on Church Street, St Georges, Telford rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2026/01/15/s...

Another MACE video about Telford - this an ATV piece from 1979 on the (largely) positive work of TDC in Ironbridge to rejuvenate the town It includes interviews with Eustace Rogers; the director of Blists Hill; and the late, great Billy Wright www.macearchive.org/films/atv-to...

A new blog providing a transcript of the Illustrated London News Article that reported on a visit to the Wrekin (Shropshire) in Sept-1865 to study the Silurian Period geology and to sample the food & beer at the Wrekin Cottage rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2026/01/10/s...

Hosted by the Media Archive for Central England: 'Dawley: The New Town Before Development' Filmed in 1963, it is 22-mins of silent footage of the area around Dawley, Madeley & Ironbridge, towns that would subsequently form the southern extent of Telford New Town www.macearchive.org/films/dawley...

Oakengates Fellowship FC - an amateur football team that competed in the Wellington League before WWII The linked blog contains a selection of the team's match reports from '37 & '38 when subs weren't allowed & goalies could be shunted over the goal-line rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2025/12/29/o...

A new blog - this one is about a hidden Ordnance Survey Bench Mark in Oakengates, Telford and how it is a part of & a witness to the ever-changing development & rejuvenation of my home town rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2025/12/22/o...

A selection of the Christmas trees within @nationaltrust.org.uk Attingham House - photos from last weekend

On the lower slopes of the south side of the Wrekin (near to the Permissive Path) lies a toppled Boundary Stone that dates from at least the C19th The BS marked the boundaries between the Duke of Cleveland's estate (now managed as the Raby Estate) to the west and the Orleton Estate to the east

Not a 'ghost sign', more a 'ghost instruction' - noticed this on the wall in the courtyard at Attingham Park "DRY SWILL | TEA LEAVES | PEELINGS| WET SWILL" which presumably went down the drain to be collected as food for the animals or used as compost.

The Wrekin's Half-Way Stone - a blog about a piece of the Wrekin's history that is forgotten, if not unknown, that could one day return to its former standing... rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2025/11/30/t...

For #benchmarkmonday on the Wrekin's north-face, adjacent to the hill's Sentry Path is a Boundary Stone dating that dates from C19th that originally stood on the hill's lower ridgeline Cut into the Boundary Stone is a Datum Line Bench Mark and (potential) Pivot mark See Photo ALT for more details

25th October St Crispin's Day - along with his twin brother Crispinian - the Patron Saints of Shoemakers & Cobblers Should probably be known as Saviours Day in Shrewsbury

Best viewed in Landscape From 1732 the South Prospect of Bridgnorth by Samuel and Nathanial Buck Eleven features are picked out & numbered - the Index is in the bottom right-hand side of the picture's text Panpudding Hill is on the left-hand centre side of the picture

For #benchmarkmonday the cast-iron 'Cut Mark' at the Museum of Iron in Coalbrookdale - soon to be run by the National Trust. No evidence that its an official OS Bench Mark but I'd happily buy one if they were on sale at the Ironbridge Gorge Museums - Grid Reference SJ 66760 04705

A mosaic of the Wrekin, created by The Arts Society Wrekin in 2018 to mark the Gold Anniversary of The Arts Society that was established in 1968 by Patricia Fay as the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) The mosiac is mounted in Weston Park, Staffs

A new Telford based OS Benchmarks walk, this one based through & around Wellington. Many thanks to the Wellington Walkers are Welcome group who gave me the opportunity to lead people around the route on Monday as part of the September Walking Festival rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2025/09/12/w...

An interesting article on OS Benchmarks in Ireland and their link to ownership, authority and, from that, folklore. "benchmarks and particularly the broad arrow, can be seen not only as tools of measurement... but also authority and ownership" Link > amp.rte.ie/amp/1525673/

For #mondaymaps an extract from Plate-V of Robert Baugh's 1808 map of Shropshire showing the various Tub Boat Canals and the Incline Planes & Tunnels of what is now Telford. Not showing is the Newport Canal - this wasn't constructed until 1835. More details of the Canals are provided in ALT

Just finished reading the excellent 'Church Going - a Stonemason's Guide to the Churches of the British Isles' by @old-church-going.bsky.social I found this an absorbing read describing the features & their history that you may find on the outside or inside of a medieval church - recommended!

A new blog - this one about the latest round of Church Crawling and medieval Scratch Dials (simple sundials) on the Grade-I Listed St Peter's Church in Norbury, Staffs. rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2025/07/17/s... #churchcrawling #scratchdials

I was on the Wrekin this morning for the Solstice Sunrise - here the rising sun is seen looking over the summit's Trig Pillar's Spider

For #benchmarkmonday the Cut Mark within Exchange House in Oakengates, Telford. The Cut Mark dates from 1961 while the former Labour Exchange, aka Dole Office, was built & finished in March 1938 and officially opened in May of the same year #localhistory #oakengates #telford

A new blog - Grooves are on the Church - highlighting some local churches (Telford, Shropshire) which have evidence of the medieval practice of using holy & sacred dust in potions & medicines - click the link below rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2025/06/14/g...

For #benchmarkmonday the Govt of Gibraltar's Ministry of Heritage setting the err... benchmark by including & highlighting Benchmarks in their history (tap the link) > www.ministryforheritage.gi/heritage-and...

Two Benchmarks on Timlet Bridge on Neachley Lane in Shropshire. The first is the Pheon from the original C19th Pivot cut into one of the coping stones on the SW Parapet. The second Benchmark is the Cut Mark on the NE Parapet that was Levelled in 1961. More details in ALT

On #VEDay80 a story of seven men from across Britain and (then) Empire; six of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice, still lying together in an unmarked grave in Berlin One of those six was my nan's younger brother, Reuben Martin of Old Park, Telford, Shrops rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2024/01/27/i...

8th May 1945 - Celebrations broke out on a street in Croydon to mark the Victory in Europe. My wife's (late) father watched the scenes with his sister from one of balconies overlooking the street - third window from the right #VEDay80 #croydon

8th May '45 Newport, Shrops - Thanksgiving Services were held in all the town's churches, the bells of St Nicholas's rang riotously & E. Riley recorded in the lead of St Nicholas's roof's pyramidal centre how he fixed the lights that allowed the Church's Tower to be illuminated #VEDay80

For #benchmarkmonday the Cut Mark in a buttress of St Georges Church, Frankwell, Shrewsbury, Shrops. The benchmark was cut during the Primary Levelling of GB between Oct-1857 to Jan-1859. The Church is a former OS Trigonometrical Station - lost during the mid-C20th Retriangulation of GB #losttrigs

St Michael's Church, Lilleshall - worn into the wall of the Chancel are grooves from the medieval period formed by the scratching away of powder for use in local medicines & potions Not to be mistaken for Arrow Stones, which are a myth Info added to > rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2022/07/04/l...

The I-Spy series of booklets were published in the UK from 1948 with children encouraged to go out to find & tick-off objects within the booklet The attached images are from the booklet 'The Land' showing that even in 1958 Trig Pillar and Benchmark bagging (two things I do) were recognised things

Shifnal Road, Priorslee, Telford - now used as decoration, within the roadside walls are some fine examples of Cone-in-Cone sedimentary structures that were formed in the stone & coal-measure nodules by diagenesis during the Upper Carboniferous Period of 327-299-million years ago.

A new Benchmark Walk - this Cinderloo Bridge Extension to the Oakengates Benchmark Walk is just over 1-mile in distance & includes details of the Shropshire Canal, moved villages, award winning iron-works, maggot factories, bricks, and a murder & suicide rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2025/03/10/o...

I was in Dudley at the weekend & took the opportunity to go fossil hunting at the Wren's Nest. I was absolutely chuffed to find two examples of sea-shell fossils from 420-425 million years ago when a tropical sea covered the area during the Silurian Period

For #steeplesaturday the C12th crenelated Tower of the Grade-I Listed Holy Trinity Church, Much Wenlock, Shropshire. In early C18th (maybe earlier) a Spire was added to Tower. The Spire was dismantled in Aug-1930 after extensive damage to the Tower was discovered.

For #adoorablethursday the Cooke Clock in Much Wenlock, Shropshire. Donated by Mayor Thomas Cooke to commemorate The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in June 1897. It was restored in 1993 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth-II's accession to the throne.

Holy Trinity Church, Much Wenlock - worn into the south face of the Chancel are grooves from the medieval period formed by scratching away of powder for use in local medicines & potions Not to be mistaken for Arrow Stones which are a myth > triskeleheritage.triskelepublishing.com/mediaeval-my...

Murder at Oakengates Using an article from the Wellington Journal & Shrewsbury News of 6th August 1910, the linked blog provides the story of the murder of Alice Turley by her husband. He subsequently committed suicide leaving seven children as orphans. rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2025/03/14/m...

In Feb-1938, the Wellington Journal published an article on the C19th exploits of Penny Farthing cyclist Will Ryder of Wrockwardine Wood, Shropshire Over six races in St Georges in 1885 & 1886, Will had five first places & two second places becoming the Penny Farthing Champion of Shropshire

For #benchmarkmonday the forgotten Cut Mark within the roadside wall of the Holyhead Road in Wellington, Telford. Dating from the C19th, it was recorded on the OS maps from 1882 until 1957. It was replaced in the early-1960s & has remained there unnoticed for over 60-years

Central Park, Snedshill in Telford was once the site of the Lilleshall Co's Priorslee Steel Works - evidence of this can still be found including, with a volume of over 3m³, a Blast Furnace Core Plug made up of Slag materials. To help find it see this video > youtu.be/xUKMxEvQ8zc?...

For #steeplesaturday the Grade-II Listed St John's Church in Lawley, Telford. Designed & built by John Ladds in 1865, it has a pyramidal tiled roof with the Church constructed in a Romanesque style with polychromic brickwork The OS Benchmark in the base of the Tower was cut between 1865 - 1881

I visited the Grade-I Listed ruins of Lilleshall Abbey this weekend. I'm always fascinated by the graffiti within a sandstone stairwell - John Cowper's from 1747 is the earliest I've found - and the beauty of the C12th processional arch that leads from the Cloister into the Abbey's Church

For #benchmarkmonday The Cut Mark & separate Arrow in the north parapet of the High Street Bridge in Coalport Telford The parapet has been partially re-built with the Header containing the Datum Line repositioned, the Stretcher containing the Broad Arrow is three courses lower in the parapet

For #benchmarkmonday two Cut Marks within Telford. The first is next to the Horseshoes Inn in Ketley on the Holyhead Road. The second is cut into former Junior School (now Stretton Court) on Wrekin Road, Wellington. Both date from the 1960s. #telfordbenchmarks

Last week I was invited by Wellington History Group to give a talk on the Why, When & Where of OS Benchmarks. I used 19 (of the many) in the Town as references. The attached video shows those Benchmarks in a 4-mile loop through the historic market town youtu.be/XTHxkfzv2Po?...

A new memorial in St Georges, Telford to those who worked locally and lost their lives. Topped by a replica Davy Lamp, each face of the memorial has an image of those industries. The memorial is located on the site of the demolished Youth Club and WI building on Station Hill.

Used in the garden / roadside / pavement walls of Telford which sits on the Coalbrookdale Coalfield, are Cone-in-Cone sedimentary structures. Found within stone & coal measure nodules, these structures were formed by diagenesis during the Upper Carboniferous Period of 327-299-million years