Country Crafts week at Blists Hill Ironbridge Gorge 30^th July – 2^nd August.

I stopped off on the way from London at this beautiful building in Albrighton Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV7 3LA Good food and local beer.

I stayed in a ‘pod’ perched on the hillside overlooking the Greenwood centre. A bit akin to a gypsy caravan I once travelled in across Ireland many years ago with the senior scouts. It was very nicely finished on the inside.

Greenwood centre / The Small Woods Association headquarters and the venue for the monthly bodger’s meetings.

The local (once coal powered) power station is now fired by wood chip from Canada, the trains run past the site a few times a day.

Tony Newby on his bowl lathe, he also had some very nice spoons for sale.

Great to see a father and son in the group.

Blists Hill is a partly a working museum with some great old shops.

The fish and chip shop fried in lard – I was reading in the Daily Telegraph last week that lard, butter and olive oil are the safest thing to cook with and that sunflower and corn oil were not!

 

Leather horse shoes for lawn work (avoiding hoof marks) and funerals (noise reduction).

Ken the Puddler (wrought iron production) was in the saddlery making friendship bracelets.

Never really got a posed shot of a group before but they were very enthusiastic -

The West Midlands group on their Sunday meet.

We went on a foraging expedition with the crew

Corrinne made it look so easy, must give it try.

I bumped into Richard Weaver on Sunday who may well be a potential addition to our committee.

This was my second visit to Blists Hill, what a great set-up with so much of our heritage saved in such an appropriate venue.  Many thanks to Bob and the group for their invitation – can’t wait to do that again. Thanks to the Small Woods association for the use of their facilities, that lovely hot water and kitchen as well as the BBQ on Saturday.