Cover: 1959
50 years ago
‘We called him the Mayor of Coalport and he liked this title,’ writes Cecil Jasper of a colourful local character who favoured a variety of dress – sometimes wearing a cowboy suit, others a sailor’s outfit.
‘The Mayor claimed to be the only man who ever had a swarm of bees in his beard and he was proud of that beard,’ writes Jasper.
‘“One evening in June,” he told us, “I was sitting in my garden when a Queen bee settled on my beard and before I could say owt all the blooming hive was hanging on. Did I panic? No fear, I just sat there for half an hour then crept to a spare hive. Now, quietly I lit my pipe, then gave ’em plenty of smoke. This dazed ’em and I quickly scooped them into ta’ hive.
“Remember, a hive of bees in June is worth a silver spoon,” he added.’
The Mayor lived in a remote cottage between the Woodbridge Inn and Linley and was often to be seen salvaging wood from the Severn in his coracle. One day he overloaded it, it sank in mid-stream and he had to be rescued by a fisherman.
Japser concludes a long article by writing: ‘Goodbye Mr Mayor. Although you were unofficial, you brought a little amusement and colour into our lives.’
Alas, we can’t tell you the Mayor’s real name, since it is not mentioned in the article. Perhaps some of our readers can solve that mystery. If so, why not get in touch with some of your Mayor memories?
Cover: 2009
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:
• Property and homestyle . . . Find your dream home and furnish it with finesse
• Tales from the ‘green’ room . . . Actor Pete Postlethwaite, set to take his acclaimed performance as King Lear to London, is revealed as something of an eco warrior in a chat with Andy Richardson about work and his love of Shropshire
Gaye Blake-Roberts at the Wedgwood Museum.
• Pots of gold preserved . . . Josiah Wedgwood created some of the finest ceramics in the world. A new museum showcases them, and it’s all overseen by a Shropshire lass
• Teen spirit . . . In her regular column, 15-year-old Hannah Coles turns her focus to the mysteries of growing up
• A picture of potential . . . A young Shropshire photographer has scooped a prestigious award as she embarks on what will no doubt be a shining professional career
• Saddled with success . . . A county teenager is showing her equestrian rivals a clean set of hooves as she rides her way to the top
• A gem to shine again . . . With some stout determination and a lot of hard work, a south Shropshire historical treasure is being put back on the map
• Out and about . . . Shirley Tart rounds up the social scene in the county, and our photographers record your events
• Food and drink . . . Andy Richardson’s news round-up, some bargains for the wine rack, and a top-notch toddy recipe!
• Puzzles page . . . Try your hand at our cryptic crossword and work out with some mental gymnastics
• Fashion focus . . . Sue Turner sees signs of a nautical revival, while Nathan Rous is blue for you
• A little slice of Heaven! . . . We have £125 worth of fantastic products donated by Shropshire’s beauty expert Deborah Mitchell
• Travel . . . Andy Richardson sits back in Cyprus and lets the relaxation kick in
• A bed of roses . . . Ken Tudor catalogues a life spent in roses, as he profiles David Austin, a king among rose-growers
• ‘Lots’ of goodies . . . A county antiques dealer who died last year left behind an Aladdin’s cave of pieces that will be sold in the coming months
• Motoring . . . The iconic Royal Enfield motorcycle is back with a Bullet, thanks to a Shrewsbury dealer
Pete Postlethwaite in King Lear at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool.
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