Ever Wondered What 100 Tonnes Looks Like?

Here you go!  It looks like this.

Quantum Leap Sculpture, Shrewsbury
To Mark the 200th Anniversary of Darwin's Birth

This massive sculpture stands 12 metres high and 17.5 metres long with a weight of more than 100 tonnes.  What is it?  Well, that is open to interpretation. (I will go with 'vertebrae'.)  It was designed by Colin Pearce & Ranbir Lal and represents Charles Darwin's scientific ideas and his impact on the scientific world.

Quantum Leap on River Severn, Shrewsbury

And, here we have Charles Darwin Statute outside the museum and library which at one time was Shrewsbury School.  That's right, he was a student there. What is interesting to me is that this statute was unveiled in 1897.  Seems such a long time ago.

Darwin (1809 - 1882)

Have a super weekend everyone.  Cheers!

Fancy A Train Ride?

By train, Shrewsbury is only an hour from Birmingham and Birmingham is only 30 minutes from Coventry.  My idea of a nice day out.  

River Severn and Shrewsbury Train Station.

Above is a view from Shrewsbury's Norman Castle, founded in c1070. Little of that castle survives. The River Severn flows right under the train station platforms.

No, that isn't a castle (photo below).  That is Shrewsbury's mainline train station and tower built in 1848. It has a surprise..........

Shrewsbury Train Station

When you go through the door and up the stairs your are not inside a magnificent building but outside again.  What a surprise.  The view here is looking back to the station tower (on the right) and there is a hint of Shrewsbury Castle on the left.





When we visited the station it was neat to see a very long line of Pullman Coaches soon to take visitors on a steam train adventure around Wales and England.

One more stop tomorrow and then it is back to Coventry.

Year 1702 - Let's Move House...The Whole House

That's right!  The building opposite is known as Castle Gates House in Shrewsbury.  It was moved to its present location in 1702 by the Earl of Bradford.  He wanted to make way to build another building, later to become the Guildhall.  Now that gets my vote for conservation.

Castle Gates House under watchful eye of Charles Darwin
Shrewsbury

I am standing in the entrance to Castle Gates Library, looking past a statute of Charles Darwin (born in Shrewsbury) towards Castle Gates House.

Well, I am going to have to come back tomorrow to show you a tad more.  But first, here is another view towards Castle Gates House.  (Can you guess that there is a Castle nearby.  It's behind me!)

Castle Gates House (with Church beyond)
Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is about 66 miles away from Coventry.

Shrewsbury, England

This is typical of the architecture to be found in Shrewsbury located about 66 miles from Coventry.  The buildings are simply known as 'black-and-white buildings'.

High Street, Shrewsbury

The building (above) on the left has a plaque which reads:  'Erected by Richard Owen the Elder Gentleman. AD 1569'. No blue skies on this day, but the flowers make up for that.

Across the street from the Owen mansion is the Old Market Hall which has this well-maintained Coat of Arms on it.  Those 3 creatures are known as loggerheads, the heraldic term for leopards' faces.  Interesting.

Coat of Arms of the former Shrewsbury Borough Council
Old Market Hall

I visited Shrewsbury on the way back from watching golf at the Women's British Open near Liverpool.  Tomorrow a little more from that drive home.