Market Drayton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Market Drayton
Coordinates: 52.9037° N 2.4868° W
Population	10,407
OS grid reference	SJ673341
District	North Shropshire
Shire county	Shropshire
Region	West Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MARKET DRAYTON
Postcode district	TF9
Dial code	01630
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Shropshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	North Shropshire
European Parliament	West Midlands
List of places: UK • England • Shropshire

Market Drayton is a market town in north Shropshire, England, on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent. Formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" (c. 1868) and earlier simply as "Drayton" (c. 1695). The town is on the Shropshire Union Canal, and the National Cycle Route 75. The A53 road by-passes the town. There have been recent developments in the town including an Argos and Wilkinsons which have both created jobs in the town.

Contents 1 Industry 2 Sites 3 People 4 Facilities 5 Schools 6 External links

[edit] Industry

The town is promoted as 'the home of gingerbread'. The oldest recorded mention goes back to 1793. At its peak, the traditional biscuity gingerbread, which contained rum, was made by four bakers in the town. Today the leading maker is Image on Food^,[1]who produce nearly one million novelty gingerbread figures for Britain's leading retailers.

It is also home to Palethorpes, ^[2] producing pork pies, hot eating pies, sausage rolls and other chilled pastry products and the Müller Dairies ^[3] making yoghurts.

The town is the home of Tern Press, a highly respected and collectible small press publisher of poetry.

Despite its rather small size and rural location, the town has forged successful links with its twin towns of Arlon in Belgium and Pézenas in the south of France. This latter link is due to the connection of Lord Clive (see below) with both towns.

[edit] Sites

Of architectural interest are the many town-centre half-timbered buildings that survive from the 17th and 18th centuries. There is a sympathetically restored Norman church, St. Mary's, next to the Grammar School of 1558. The town's marketplace is ancient, with a market charter from 1246, and the market continues today.

Notable ancient local sites include: Audley's Cross, Blore Heath, site of a major War of the Roses battle; and several Neolithic standing stones, "The Devil's Ring and Finger", three miles from the town.

Around five miles (8 km) from the town is Hawkstone Park – 100 acres (400,000 m²) of beautiful and enormous follies and grounds built by Sir Rowland Hill and Sir Richard Hill – which was used to represent Narnia in the BBC's TV adaptation of C. S. Lewis's books.

Market Drayton is nearly the most central town in England - if one draws a rectangle just touching the north, south, east and west extremities of the country (including the Isles of Scilly), the central point falls about two miles south of the town, near Woodseaves.

Other interesting sites worth investigating further in the Market Drayton area include Pell Wall Hall, Buntingsdale Hall, Salisbury Hill, Tyrley Locks and The Thomas Telford designed Aquaduct.

Aquaduct

St Marys Church

Tyrley Locks

Pell Wall Hall

[edit] People

Nearby at Styche Hall is the birthplace of Robert Clive first Lord Clive, "Clive of India", 1725–1774. The Georgian house, designed by Sir William Chambers, the architect of Somerset House, replaced the half-timbered house where Clive was born. It was built for his father and paid for by Clive from the first "profits" of his Indian career.

Amongst the many schools he attended is the town's old grammar school, next to St Mary's church. A school desk with the initials RC can still be seen in the town.

The town was the birthplace of pioneering photographer Samuel Bourne (b. 1834). He is famous for having spent six years in India from 1862 to 1869; there he founded a major studio, trekked into and photographed many of India's remotest places and, with his printer Charles Shepherd, became the most notable photographer of the Raj.

The British fascist Oswald Mosley was born nearby in 1896, at Betton Hall, the home of his mother's parents. On the separation of his parents his mother, Oswald and his brother went to live in Smithfield Road. Mosley attended a dame school in Shropshire Street until he went to public school at the age of eight. Apart from holidays he never lived in Drayton again.

Mosley was deeply ashamed of their reduced circumstances and he did everything to hide the years in Drayton. Their middle class status contrasted with the huge estate of his parental grandparents in Staffordshire. Years later, following the death of their mother, he obtained her diaries from his brother and burned them.

In the 1930s at the height of his "fame", he returned to the town where he held a meeting in the square.

Market Drayton can also claim to be home to the most famous poacher of recent times. Never far from the headlines in the mid to late 1970s was Poddy Podmore [4],who kept the public distracted with a series of stunts, pranks, and run-ins with the law. There was even a fan club to him in Philadelphia called Pod’s People, selling badges to Americans who loved his antics, which were not always in good taste, nor were they always legal.

A man of the countryside, Poddy – his real first name was Derek – lived near Market Drayton, and was a self-confessed poacher.One of his most celebrated stunts was just before Christmas in 1977. He dressed as Santa Claus and climbed on to the roof of Shrewsbury jail with a sack of cigarettes and tobacco for the inmates. For over an hour he bellowed “Merry Christmas” from his lofty perch. He came back to earth after a Green Goddess [5]fire engine arrived with ladders,and prison officers and police joined him on the roof. Poddy was whisked off in a Black Maria.

Other cunning stunts included having himself nailed by the ear to a tree, appearing in court covered in manure wearing a dead pig as a hat, and appearing in court dressed as a frogman.That happened after his infamous “warm-up” for a world frog swallowing record attempt in 1974 when he swallowed a live frog at a Market Drayton pub and washed it down with a black and tan.

Market Drayton has always been a hot bed for musical talent producing a number of Bands who have progressed on to achieve national aclaim. In the early 1980s the town boasted the best School Rock Band in the country TSB National School Band winners Monovision. At the same time the local youth club were represented by the Platinum Needles [6] in the NAYC Opportunity Rocks competition final. In early 1981 The Platinum Needles were also featured on the Stoke Musicians Collective album released on Slip Records "Cry Havoc" [7]. In more recent times Sonic State [8] another local band have produced the theme music for a TV program while sharing their lead singer Jenny Z with the world famous Sique Sique Sputnik [9] (formed by former Generation X guitarist Tony James). During the late seventies, early eighties Drayton also boasted one of the only Recording Studios in Shropshire, Redball Records.

[edit] Facilities

Market Drayton hosts modern 25 metre indoor swimming pool with an outdoor pool available in the summertime. This facility has taken the place of a 50 metre lido. There is also a skate park near the swimming facilities.

[edit] Schools

Market Drayton has 4 schools:

Longlands Primary School

Market Drayton Infants Schools

Market Drayton Junior School

Grove School (and college)

[edit] External links

• Shropshire Tourism The official tourism website for Shropshire
• Market Drayton Council
• Hawkstone Park Follies
• The Grove School
• Market Drayton Tigers Junior Football Club
• The Phoenix Badminton CLub
• The Platinum Needles - a local Punk Rock Group who enjoyed moderate national aclaim in the early 1980s
• Early 80's Drayton Youth Market Drayton Youth Club Activities in The Early 1980s