Shropshire Magazine

Cover: 1958.

50 years ago

• THE first of Britain’s new motorways was due to be opened, prompting ‘RPM’ to offer some warnings.

“Motorists will be able to join them only at special points, perhaps 15 miles apart,” he wrote. “There will be few, if any, traffic lights.

“This brings me to my point . . . We must adopt a new code of driving and discipline ourselves against anything of a risky nature.

“There is no doubt that the motoring manners of some drivers in this country, caused in many cases through a sheer lack of driving ability, are appalling. And,” he added, no doubt softened by the spirit of Christmas, “they are not all women drivers.”

• MEANWHILE, Elizabeth Pearson bemoaned the fact that youngsters didn’t think anything of Christmas: “It starts too soon and then they get tired of it.” No change there, then.

A colleague reminisced about carol singing in his youth. “Usually there’d be an old man with a beard sitting on one side of the fireplace and an old lady in a black and red shawl on the other side. He’d be sat in a high armchair, and she’d be swaying to and fro’ on a rocking chair.

“When we’d done singing, the old lady at the thatched cottage used to say, ‘You sang that most beautiful; reach the teapot down, John.’ And the man would get up all stiff like and get the teapot off the mantel piece and give it to her, and she’d get out a handful of new pennies and give us one each round . . . You was nobody if you hadna got a few new pennies to show after Christmas.”

Cover: 2008.

Aside from the articles you can browse on this website, the print magazine contains a wealth of fascinating feature pieces and regular items to keep you entertained and informed. This month, you can also read about:

• The Santa who wouldn’t stop . . . Ray Hulse is a familiar sight in Bridgnorth at Christmas time – just look out for the bright red tunic and the flowing white beard . . .

• Going for gold . . . This year’s Santa Run in aid of Hope House will see Oswestry’s streets filled with a flurry of Father Christmases – and this year, there’s a royal connection. Neil Thomas explains

• The choc of the new . . . Louis Barnett is just 17, but he’s already carved out a big name for himself as an entrepreneurial chocolatier. Shirley Tart tells his story

• Getting the needle . . . Since Victorian times, Christmas trees have graced our homes. But before they adorn your living room, somebody has to put in some hard work. Ben Bentley talks to two county growers

• Drifts on demand . . . Phil Duggan missed the white Christmases of his youth, so he set about creating his own, as he explains to Neil Thomas

• Turning the page . . . The Shropshire Magazine recommends a few good reads with a county connection

• Out and about . . . Shropshire’s social diary

• Food and drink . . . Andy Richardson makes some recommendations for your festive table. Meanwhile, Neil Thomas enjoys an old-fashioned tea-room that’s opened in Shrewsbury

• Cryptic crackers! . . . Relax this Christmas while exercising your grey matter – and be in with a chance to win a bottle of bubbly with our trio of perplexing puzzles

• Mum’s the word . . . Baby Bean has at last found his way into the outside world – but in true journalistic fashion, he missed the deadline for December’s magazine!

• Fashion focus . . . Sue Turner offers some advice for men brave enough to linger in the lingerie department. Nathan Rous urges men to take control of their winter wardrobe.

• Travel . . . Carl Jones marvels at the floating phenomenon that is the Independence of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship. Closer to home, and on dry land, Neil Thomas enjoys a relaxing break at Fishmore Hall in the south of the county.

• Antiques . . . Nick Fletcher sheds some light on antique lamps, and we round up some of the local saleroom news.

• The Last Word . . . Neil Thomas and Ben Bentley share some, shall we say, opposing views of Christmas.

Super-Santa Ray Hulse.