450 years of Shrewsbury Library history

 

I have visited our county town of Shrewsbury for at least 25 years & often take visitors there because the town is regularly used for filming period dramas. It has over 200 listed buildings, its cobbled streets, churches & authentic black & white buildings photograph very well. 

We were booked to do a course in the Library, & while I knew where it was, I had never been in to it. The entrance is behind the statue of Charles Darwin who was born in our county, went to school there & set off on his famous travels from the hotel on Wyle Cop. 

The Library is a grade 1 listed building, with a long history of over 450 years. 

It was originally a school, founded on a Charter by King Edward VI in 1552 to provide education to the town. 

The earliest part is Riggs hall which dates back to mid 1400's and was incorporated in to the building later on. 

After our course, were advised to go up to the reading rooms upstairs after our course & duly took the broad stairs up to explore.  The windows are set in deep stone walls - solid & ancient. 

What a gem the reading rooms / library was. 

Large open ceilings with bright windows looking down on the town below & across to the Castle & the beautiful railway station. 

The Darwin reading room with its pale vaulted ceiling has windows with heraldic symbols. 

The room was hushed with several adult students working on laptops at the various tables. 

The creamy white ceilings & walls give this space a sense of lightness.

The Old School Room was similar but with dark ceiling beams & oak panelling that students in bygone times when it was a school, had carved their names in the oak. 

I saw one from 1780 & 1860. Preserved for posterity. 

This space was also well used & people were working away quietly at the various tables. 

The oak lined windowsills with views over the surrounding rooftops behind the library - glimpses of sky but not low enough to have distracted the students in times past. 

I love that the students left their names for posterity, probably blunting their compass points as they surreptitiously added their names without being caught by the school master. I wonder how many were in each class & if it was mixed education for both boys & girls? 

I worked in both public & academic libraries years ago & love these spaces with books & quiet spaces. It is something I have always enjoyed. 

I will definitely be back again, to browse the building & hopefully take another course or two. 

Thank you for stopping by, it is appreciated. 

Dee 📚📖📙📘🧑‍🏫📇

A glass painting morning ...

 

I love taking courses & regularly sign up for various ones I am interested in. I think it is being a life long teacher with an inquiring mind & a willingness to learn new things. 

My friend Ellie & I have done several courses together; hand sewing 'Gentlework' day, a wet felting day, goldwork embroidery & she spied this glass painting one locally in our county town of Shrewsbury. 

It is a new one for me as I do not have any experience in this but I am always up for a challenge. 

Floral Glass Painting Workshop

Join us for a relaxed, morning of glass painting. You’ll use gold outliner and jewel-like paints to create a floral design with a beautiful stained-glass effect. At the end, you’ll take home your own framed piece – a perfect handmade gift or something special to keep for yourself.

No experience needed, just come along and enjoy a creative couple of hours in good company. All materials are provided.

I love info that says 'all materials provided' because you really do not know what is needed. 

✨ Artist Bio – Emma Williams

Local artist Emma Williams is well renowned for her award-winning creative window displays and murals, which bring colour and imagination to Shrewsbury and beyond. Alongside her public artwork, Emma enjoys teaching in small group settings, where she shares some of the artistic techniques she uses in her own practice. Her workshops are designed to promote mindfulness, creativity, and positive mental wellbeing, offering a welcoming space for people of all abilities to explore their creativity.

I had never even visited the library in Shrewsbury even though I take visitors to the statue of Charles Darwin just by the door. 

It is a hidden gem opposite the castle. 

The tutor Emma was very welcoming & we were soon all deciding on our floral pattern choice that was dictated by the size of the glass frame - 6x4. 

I had checked out the details the night before & decided  to trace a protea design as I am rather partial to proteas. 

We had the choice of gold or black outlining & I went with gold & had to modify my design to fit in, Outlining done & dried off with a blow drier then it was time to decide on colours & if they were to be matt, natural or pearlised too. Emma mixed up paints in tiny holders as we needed colours. 

Being the first time I have done it,  I needed to go over some of my gold lines as they contain the coloured paint  & I then used 2-3 pinks for the proteas, mixing the lighter & darker as I worked with it. 

The green is a little patchy to my mind & the gold stands out against it but I am pleased to have completed something I am happy with. 

Ellie & I both decided that it is something we will try again as it was very calming & enjoyable, with lots of potential. 

Ellie opted to do a rose as a gift & hers was soon taking shape in shades of yellow. 

Each floral painting was very different, depending on the flower chosen & the paints used. 

I am always fascinated how we start off with the same choices then end up with individual items. 

The end products of the small group of 8 of us was all very different & beautiful. 

Life long learning means doing things out of your comfort zone & leaning in to the new.  

I have already eyed up a few other courses there so who knows ... 

I spied this photo on a local facebook group - we were captured at our course in the library. The images on the glass are done by the course tutor. 

I asked for permission to share it here & Eddie sent it on to me. What a coincidence to be captured at our morning. 

Thank you for stopping by, it is appreciated. 

Dee 🖌️🎨🫟🧑‍🎨

A touch of Easter at home ...

Our conservatory sideboard is well used and it has had the Royal Albert Old Country Roses on it with Mother's day / Mothering Sunday in the UK. 

However, Easter is early this year, at the start of April & having a free morning, I decided it is time to change for the Easter things we will use.  These are some previous ones ... 

Easter 2012 

Easter 2013 

Easter 2014 

Easter 2015 

Easter 2016 

Easter 2017 

Easter 2018

Easter 2019

Easter 2020 Covid times 

Easter 2021

Easter 2023 

Easter 2024 

Easter 2025

I admit to not having many Easter plates etc but supplement the few bunny ones with the cream ones by Spode that are used all the time at home. 

The bowl & jug were birthday presents more than a decade ago from Ms M, my sister in law & they are used & enjoyed. 

The pattern is called 'Running hares' by John Atkinson of Bell Pottery in Oxfordshire and is perfect. 

The rabbit side plates & jars are just from Dunelm a few years ago, a useful size from the high street shop that go well with the bowl & jug. 

The glass bunny bowl & two little dishes were bought in Graaff Reinet in the Karoo on a visit several years ago.  They do not stand well on the sideboard hence the blue tack to keep them in place. 

The glass bowl is by the talented Karoo glass artist Marguerite Beneke . 

I visited her studio in Aberdeen, Karoo, South Africa while out with family.  Each piece of glass is unique, often fired three times at high temperature to get the glass shape, the painting set & then the little glass bits to melt too. It is a fascinating process that produces unique glass items. 

I have several of her painted tiles too with iconic Karoo scenes. 

The little bowl will hold some tiny chocolate eggs to nibble on. 

I bought these two cute bunny art works in Riga, Latvia some years back when I visited. 

As soon as I saw them, I knew they would be perfect at home where we had two lionhead house rabbits. 

Their colours co-ordinate perfectly with the other Easter bits so they fit in well. 

The coloured fabric serviettes are often used for the tea trays - they were TK Maxx a few years ago & I love their cheerfulness. 

I will make a cake, probably a Victoria Sponge cake for the cake stand on Easter Sunday & decorate it will little chocolate eggs. 

It is my favourite cake because it is not too rich & is nicest when eaten on the day it is baked. 

I'm sure everyone is getting ready for Easter too because the schools will soon be on holiday & the little ones will be keen to turn their thoughts to chocolate eggs. 

Thank you for stopping by, it is always appreciated. 

Dee 🐣🗿

The charm of French toile fabric

 While visiting family in Dorset, I was delighted to see there was a makers market on the Saturday. 

I prefer to support independent makers where I can because it is supporting livelihoods of creative people. 

I have followed AuntJanesattic on instagram for some time & when down in Dorset, I have looked for her on the stalls & bought some of her lovely makes. 

Her tabletop stall in the church hall was a delight of interesting spring items & some sweet Easter decorations.

My gaze fell on some packs of vintage fabric & I spied gorgeous pink / red toile fabric. I love the quirkiness of toile & the details on the country scenes on them. 

I purchased some delightful bits & once back in my Shire, I gently undid the plastic bag & some delightful things tumbled out; fabrics that go well with the toile, some pretty buttons, charms, vintage lace & some blue ticking. 

It is a well thought out fabric selection & I am delighted with my find. I have some ideas I have been formulating in my mind so do stop back to see what I decide. 

Who else finds gorgeous fabric irresistible? Do you have a colour palette you are drawn to? Thank you for stopping by, it is always appreciated. 

Dee 📍🪡🧵

Roses for Mother's Day

 Mother's Day is celebrated in March in the UK, it falls half way through Lent & was a time when people made their way back to their 'Mother church'. 

 Spring flowers were often picked as a gift for their mum which is why they are still a feature of the day here. 

Some previous Mother's day posts I shared - Mother's day  Mother's day breakfast, , Mother's day breakfast 2013, For all the Mothers. 

Mothering Sunday is an important day in the UK - read last years post for the history of it. 

Having been gifted some gorgeous roses for Mother's day, I decided to change the sideboard to complement the flowers. 

My Old Country Roses (or named 'Celebration' when we bought it in South Africa) by Royal Albert are the perfect match. 

I love their delicate nature & they are handwash only because of their gold gilding but they come out several times a year to be used & enjoyed. 

I am a 'Motherless daughter' but remember both my Mother & my Mother in law Olive on this day.

Olive featured in most of my adult life - a very accomplished person who could turn her hand to most things - knitting, sewing, cooking, baking, making chutney, fabulous roast dinners, a great knowledge of the countryside & its plants, enthusiastic gardener etc 

I accompanied her to her Land Army lunch which recognised the contribution of women during the war when they kept things going. 

She was widowed for a decade & I spent a lot of time with her to help her through this transition & as she became frail, I was there for her to her last breath.

My Mother was a strong woman who faced the challenges of life with strength, determination & resilience.

To us she was fearless, fierce, fiery & formidable. 

If she was afraid in situations, it did not show because we felt sure she could face down any threat or danger that we faced.

In rural Africa, this strength of character is what was needed because of the many challenges that came our way. 

She was never a subservient person, always equal to my Dad, her lifelong partner & this influenced my own attitude throughout life - to have the confidence to face any challenge with fortitude & dignity.  We are not weak woman who are afraid to stand up for what is right. 

I am grateful for good genes from my maternal line - mitochondria I am proud to have. 

The prayers of my Mother, grandmother, & great grandmothers line still protecting me through life. 

My grandmother was there when I took my first breath, and I was with her when she took her last. 

We were very close thanks to my parents who encouraged this relationship.  She was my partner in adventures & I'm privileged to share her genes. 

On this Mothering Sunday, be thankful if you still have your Mother with you. We envy you ... 

Thank  you for stopping by, it is greatly appreciated. 

Dee 🌹💐