Shropshire Magazine

50 years ago

An excerpt from Jennifer Anne’s Diary:

About 250 people attended the ball organised by members of the Shrewsbury Round Table and held in the delightful setting of Condover Hall, where much of the ground floor had been called into service and charmingly decorated for the occasion in a most original way.

One room was decked with gay travel posters. The great stone fireplace in the ballroom was alive with multi-coloured fairy lamps. Around midnight, lights were put out and dancing continued, illumined only by an ultra-violet spotlight which picked out the white shirt-fronts and collars of the men and any white or very pale dresses or stoles worn by the women.

Girls in white frocks glowed with a luminous lavender light, like phosphorescence in a dark sea. The effect was magical. I believe Mr Anthony Hollins was responsible for the idea and Mr George Cooper for the technicalities of this flight into fairyland.

Some charming gowns were worn by the many young wives who were with their husbands - this is essentially an occasion for young married couples, although there was a fair leavening of young single folk as well.

Mrs Anthony Hollins had chosen such a becoming shade of coral for her full-skirted strapless frock. Mrs Bradbury, the chairman of Shrewsbury Ladies Circle, wore a lovely gown of copper brocade. Mrs Mabbott’s pretty frock of pale green and silver brocade caught the light delightfully as she danced. . . .

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:

Cover: 2010

Remembering Josh . . . Josh Coates died at the age of 11. Shirley Tart hears all about a brave and rather special boy from his equally remarkable mother, Mandy Painter - and how a wonderful organisation lifted their spirits in the final few months

Food for thought . . . TV presenter Richard Johnson is on a crusade to improve the standard of grub sold on our streets. Andy Richardson finds out moreNo lack of compassion . . . Jenny Lack has been working tirelessly for the past 20 years to ease the plight of working horses, mules and donkeys overseas. Shirley Tart finds out more about the Brooke charity

Oohh La La! Ben Bentley goes in search of lurve . . .

Reading the signs of love . . . Will a visit to Love Lane set you on the road to romance? In a light-hearted celebration of Valentine’s Day, Ben Bentley visits four Shropshire towns with such a lane

A thoroughly FAB interview . . . Sylvia Anderson provided the seductively demure voice of Lady Penelope in Thunderbirds. Andy Richardson turns ‘Nosy Parker’ to get the story behind the Siren of Supermarionation

A new station in life . . . Shirley Tart chats to Lady Harriet Hamilton who oversaw a major project to breathe new life into a historic Shropshire rail station

Out and about . . . Shirley Tart’s regular county round-up precedes 17 pages of pictures of your events.

Food and drink . . . The regular Shropshire Magazine/Tanners wine club looks at Valentine’s tipples; Andy Richardson’s regular food review includes a feature on award-winning Mr Underhill’s; Neil Thomas dines out in style Drapers’ Hall.

Puzzles . . . Test yourself against Aphid in this month’s cryptic crossword and exercise the grey cells further with our regular general knowledge quiz.

Fashion . . . Jocelyne Fildes reports on the business success of two sisters for whom clothes of the 20th century never really went out of style.

Motoring . . . Tony Adams visits a major Midlands auto show - and with the help of a super simulator, makes believe he’s Jenson Button.Travel . . . Taking the high road to Glasgow and seeking sunnier climes in Crete.