Wellington Summer Events 2015
It’s out! The Wellington Summer Events Guide for 2015. Thousands of copies are making their way around the town and surrounding areas as we speak, spreading the word about forty of the fantastic… Continue reading
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Coming Soon: Wellington Midsummer Fayre 2015
*NOTE THAT IN THE EVENT OF WET WEATHER, THE FAYRE WILL GO AHEAD! So do come along and see us. If the churchyard looks very empty, it’ll be because the stalls and entertainment… Continue reading
Mummer’s the word: Charter Day 2015
Charter Day 2015 is less than a week away, on Saturday 7th March. You can see the full programme on the Events pages, but here are the stories behind the performances you can… Continue reading
Wellington’s 2020 Vision – and why this can’t just be another ‘Regeneration Project’
In late 2013 I was asked by the town council to draft a ‘vision’ for Wellington Centre – what could it reasonably expect to be like in the years ahead? And what practical… Continue reading
Cider-making comes to town: a pressing matter in Market Street
I was in Wellington on Saturday and dropped in to see Dave the Brewer at The Pheasant. He’s only been brewing beer in town for six months, and he’s already expanding the operation,… Continue reading
The shape of things to come
Wellington and its near surroundings are set to grow with three big housing developments in the pipeline. Whatever we feel about this, we must strive to make them more than just faceless housing… Continue reading
A Tale of Two Wellingtons
What connects our Wellington with its New Zealand namesake? Certainly not the origins of the name itself – like the boots, the beef dish and most other things named Wellington, the New Zealand… Continue reading
Your carriage-builder awaits…
Imagine you’re the proud owner of a Victorian horse-drawn carriage, and it needs a bit of work doing. It’s a highly specialist job that only a handful of skilled craftspeople can do, so… Continue reading
Containers to contain us? More from Mythstories
My last post talked about the ambitions of Mythstories Museum to relocate to Wellington, and the opportunity that has recently been missed by Telford & Wrekin’s sale of the old Wellington Library buildings… Continue reading
Let’s bring Mythstories to Wellington – before it’s too late
Let me tell you a story. There once was a successful little museum called Mythstories – the world’s first museum of storytelling, no less. It lived happily in an old library building in… Continue reading
Why we shouldn’t fear Telford the City
This week, Mark Pritchard MP has come out against plans – should such plans exist (and he claims they secretly do) to turn Telford into a city. It’s something that he’s brought up… Continue reading
The Wellington Summer Programme has arrived…
It’s here – Wellington H2A’s annual labour of love to assemble a list of the best events planned for the town between May and September. Printed copies will start appearing around Wellington and… Continue reading
Join us for Charter Day 2014
2014 marks 770 years since Henry III granted the town’s earliest known market charter, laying the foundations for the market we’ve had in Wellington ever since. This will be the third year we’ve held the event, which you can read… Continue reading
2014: The year when Wellington goes west?
The south-western corner of Wellington is a bit special. Approaching the town from Shrewsbury, the first building you meet is the Old Orleton Hotel. Formerly The Falcon, this grand old Georgian coaching inn guards the junction of… Continue reading
The brewers are back
In Wellington we’re fortunate to have three butchers, a couple of locally-based market gardeners, and even a goldsmith. But as micro-breweries have taken off elsewhere in Shropshire over the past 20 years, brewer is… Continue reading
The counter-revolution continues
Quality independents are tentatively creeping back into Wellington. Here are three recent additions to look out for… Following retail in Wellington can feel like following one of those football teams which has wildly fluctuating… Continue reading
Look back in Arleston
A message from our friends in Arleston… On October 26th, Arleston Memories and History Group, in league with the Residents Group, will be inviting people down to share their memories of local businesses past. If it’s within a mile radius of the… Continue reading
Coming Soon: Future Farm 2020
A few months ago, Wellington Town Council commissioned me, through my day job at OPM, to help them come up with a vision for the centre of the town. I think it’s the first time… Continue reading
Eight empty shops – and eight reasons to be cheerful
Here are the particulars for eight commercial properties currently available in Wellington. Each is a great opportunity for someone. But why? Because, in spite of all the continuing negativity about the future of… Continue reading
2023: Mike’s lessons from the future
Another guest post *from the future* – this time from borough councillor, Mike Ion. As befitting a councillor who represents a ward called ‘College’, it focuses in particular on education in Wellington and what… Continue reading
2023: Rise of the home-town?
19th century Wellington centre was a place where hundreds of people lived, as well as shopped. Those town-dwellers moved out as retail grew in the early 20th century, but will they return in… Continue reading
2023: Step inside the Museum of The Wrekin
In his recent vision of Wellington yet to come, local writer George Evans decided to turn the simmering idea of a Museum of The Wrekin into a future reality. It’s an idea that’s been around the… Continue reading
Wellington 2023: 100 year-old George takes a tour
Life-loving, peace-loving, Wellington-loving George Evans turns 90 this week. Many people will know him as a local historian, but did you know he’s also a local futurist? In this first of an occasional series… Continue reading
Shaping Places: A chance for Telford the teenager to do some growing up
The infant town of Telford is growing up. As for all teenagers, it might take time to find its niche, and we’ll no doubt continue to see painful moments self-doubt (should my economy be growing faster than… Continue reading
Glass half full: an update from your friendly local Ale Taster
What has town Ale Taster Jerry Baily been up to lately? He penned this update a couple of months ago to tell us all (and accidentally didn’t send it on to me until last… Continue reading
The Midsummer Fayre in photos
Hot off the digital press… a gallery of photographs from this weekend’s Wellington Midsummer Fayre, plus some thank yous to those who made it happen. The sun shone, the churchyard was filled with… Continue reading
Ten days to go and ten things to do at the Midsummer Fayre
Just ten days to go until our annual Midsummer Fayre – I hope you’re coming. If you are – or if you still need some encouragement – here’s a check list of ten… Continue reading
Chartism Part II: the Summer of Discontent
Last week, I posted about the Chartist demonstration on The Wrekin which took place in May 1842, and which had the authorities on the edge of their seats. But Shropshire’s brush with Chartism –… Continue reading
May 1842: Radicals on The Wrekin
A few years ago, deep in the National Archives at Kew, I came across a box of letters. Submitted weekly to the Home Office, they had all been written over the course of just a few months… Continue reading
Dothill, Downing Street and the dead man who built a Cambridge college
In the run-up to the Midsummer Fayre in June, we’re taking a break from the future of Wellington and getting a bit historical for a change. A version of this article appears on… Continue reading