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

Working on a hunch, I found an unrecorded OS Benchmark cut into the south face of the north parapet of the Cinderloo Railway Bridge this morning The available OS maps & records dont show that there is a Benchmark on the bridge Now listed for others to bag > www.bench-marks.org.uk/bm234358

For #adoorablethursday the entrance to the Grade-II* Listed Watch Tower on Town Walls, Shrewsbury. Dating from C12th, the Tower is managed by Attingham Park National Trust & is the only remaining Watch Tower of thirteen that stood as part of Shrewsbury's defences.

Finishing off a series of Ordnance Survey related posts from in & around Shrewsbury with a short video showing a small number of the OS Benchmarks (all Cut Datum Lines) that can be found in the south-west of the Town

The Grade-II* Listed Church of St Julian, Shrewsbury Site of an original Saxon church, the Tower has a clear demarcation line between its lower C12th & upper C15th elements, is a former Ordnance Survey Trigonometrical Station & home to a Benchmark cut between Oct-1857 - Jan-1859

The Royal Commission has funded the National Library of Wales to scan all of it's 1st Edition 25" OS mapping. The plan in the new year is to begin georeferencing them & make them freely available. We have made a start with Anglesey which you can view here: rcahmw.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappv...

Tamworth - the Capital of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia it has had a Castle since the Norman invasion & conquest of England. First of wood (Motte & Bailey) it was upgraded to stone in C13th The Tower was also a former OS Trigonometrical Station from mid-C19th to the mid-C20th

The Grade-II Listed statue of the Severn's nymph Sabrina within The Dingle, Shrewsbury. Made for the Earl of Bradford in 1846 it was given to Shrewsbury in 1879. The inscription below Sabrina is a quote from Milton's 'Comas', first performed at Ludlow Castle in 1634 gutenberg.org/files/19819/19…

The Grade-II Listed Laura's Tower on the Mound of Shrewsbury Castle. Built by Thomas Telford in circa-1790 as a Summer House for William Pulteney's daughter Originally the position of a medieval Watch Tower which was how it was described by the OS when it was also used as a Trigononmetrical Station

I visited the Grade-II* Listed Watch Tower on Town Walls, Shrewsbury on Saturday. Dating from C12th it is managed by Attingham Park National Trust & is the only remaining Watch Tower of thirteen From mid-C19th to early/mid-C20th it was an Ordnance Survey Trigonometrical Station - #losttrigs

The Ordnance Survey Datum Line Benchmark with inverted Arrow cut into the Gateway of the Shoemakers' Arbour within The Dingle, Shrewsbury. The Benchmark isn't recorded within the OS Archives as it dates from when the Arbour was sited on Kingsland Common NGR: SJ 48679 12399

A new Lost Trig blog > Private George Lees of Snedshill, St Georges was 30-years old when he was killed while serving with the 6th Battalion, KSLI on 20th September 1917 during the Battle of Menin Road. His body has never been found. rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2024/11/10/t...

On the 8th Day - a 1984 documentary describing the effects of a Nuclear Winter - at 41-mins Ludlow is featured as a potential 'safe location' for evacuees escaping from areas hit by nuclear bombs, one of which would have been Telford & the site of COD Donnington www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

August 1944 - Limekiln Bank, St Georges, now part of Telford A short blog detailing a snapshot of World War-II in a Shropshire village rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2024/08/30/a...

26.08.1914 #otd for his actions at the Battle of Le Cateau Major Charles Yate of Madeley, Shrops is awarded the Victoria Cross; the first Shrops soldier to receive the award in WWI. It's awarded posthumously as he dies while a POW For his story > rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2024/05/18/m...

Nowadays it would be called Bikepacking, but the linked blog describes how in the early 1980s four teenagers spent several nights riding to & around the border of Wales while camping under canvas . rowleyanth.wordpress.com/2020/06/09/o...