Catch me who can.

Today we are in Shropshire having had another magical mystery tour courtesy of Sat Nav across the midlands conurbations. We’ve given in now as it always wants to send us on the M6 toll and we’ve tried avoiding it with mixed success so we just do as we’re told! (Who’d have thought I’ve navigated us across Europe!)
So we are staying in Bridgnorth a most attractive town in mid Shropshire. We’ve visited several places in he county before and have stayed in Iron Bridge. It‘s a good stopping off point when heading SW and a place we would never visit if we didn’t make the effort.
On the River Severn the town is in two parts. We headed first to the riverside and Low town, originally known as Bassa Villa then Lower town. Many of the old buildings here originate in medieval times. We had a cup of tea overlooking the river at Percy Bishop’s tea rooms, a black and white timbered building.
We could then have wound our way up the steep streets or climbed steps but instead we took the Castle Hill cliff railway.
You can then walk around the the outskirts of the castle and church (St Mary Magdelaine built by Thomas Telford) and then into the High town. Buildings here are mainly Georgian, as much of High town was destroyed by fire in the 17th C., including the house lived in by Telford whilst he built the church in 1792.
The centre of the town has a timbered covered market and town hall in the middle of the Main Street. Walking back down towards Low town we crossed a footbridge to the Severn Valley Railway. A train had just arrived and we popped in to take a look finding the Railwayman Inn looking most inviting. We had a drink and chat with some very nice locals passing a most pleasant hour!
The little train in the blip is part of an arts trail around the town. It is a model of the ‘Catch me who can’ locomotive designed by John Trevithick and became the first fare paying passenger locomotive. It was actually built here in Bridgnorth  at Hazeldine’s Foundry before being demonstrated in London in 1808. They have built a replica at the SV railway. (On the model you can see the river, high and low town and you may spot the Castle Hill Railway)
A great afternoon  and very interesting place - thanks for the recommendation rose54!
I’m sure we will continue to explore this great ‘hidden’ county.
More from Bridgnorth here