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Market Drayton

Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" (c. 1868) and earlier simply as "Drayton" (c. 1695). Market Drayton is on the Shropshire Union Canal and on National Cycle Route 75. The A53 road by-passes the town. Although near the Western edge of England, very close to Wales, it can be said to be the most central town in England by means of a geometric exercise : if one draws a rectangle just touching the north, south, east and west extremities of the country (including the Isles of Scilly), the central point falls about two miles (3 km) south of the town, near the village of Woodseaves.^{[citation needed]}

Industry

The town is promoted as 'the home of gingerbread'^{[citation needed]} The oldest recorded mention of gingerbread in Market Drayton goes back to 1793^{[citation needed]} At its peak, the traditional biscuity gingerbread, which contained rum, was made by four bakers in the town^{[citation needed]} Today the leading gingerbread maker is Image on Food^,[1]who produce nearly one million novelty gingerbread figures for Britain's leading retailers.

It is also home to Palethorpe's, now part of the Pork Farms Group who are the town's largest employer ^[2] producing pork pies, hot eating pies, sausage rolls and other chilled pastry products and the Müller Dairies ^[3] making yoghurts.

The town is also the home of Tern Press, a highly respected and collectible small press publisher of poetry.

Recent developments in the local service industry include the retailers Argos, Wilkinsons, Subway and B&M Bargains which have all brought new employment to the town.

Sites of Interest

There are a number of 17th and 18th century half-timbered^{[citation needed]} buildings in the town centre, as well as a restored Norman church, St. Mary's, next to the Grammar School of 1558.

The town's marketplace is ancient, with a market charter granted from 1246,^{[citation needed]} and the market continues today. The great fire of Drayton destroyed almost 70% of the town in the 17th century. It was started at a bakery, and quickly spread through the timber buildings. The Buttercross in the centre of the town still has a bell at the top for people to ring if there was ever another fire.

Ancient local sites include: Audley's Cross, Blore Heath the site of a major Wars of the Roses battle;^{[citation needed]} and several Neolithic standing stones, "The Devil's Ring and Finger", just three miles (5 km) from the town.

Other notable landmarks in the area include: Pell Wall Hall [4], Buntingsdale Hall, Salisbury Hill, Tyrley Locks on the Shropshire Union Canal and the Thomas Telford designed aqueduct. Fordhall Farm^[5], consists of 140 acres (0.57 km²) of community-owned organic farmland located off of the A53 between the Müller and Tern Hill roundabouts. The farm trail is open to the public during farm shop opening hours, and included along the path is the site of an ancient motte and bailey structure which overlooks the River Tern valley.

Many of the streets in the town are named after famous castles, such as Balmoral Drive, Caernavon Close, Windsor Drive, Warwick Close, and many others.

Aqueduct

St Mary's Church

Tyrley Locks

Pell Wall Hall

Famous residents

Nearby at Styche Hall is the birthplace of Robert Clive, first Lord Clive, "Clive of India", 1725–1774. The Georgian house, designed by Sir William Chambers, the architect of Somerset House, replaced the half-timbered house where Clive was born. It was built for his father and paid for by Clive from the income from his Indian career.

Amongst the many schools he attended is the town's old grammar school, next to St Mary's church. A school desk with the initials RC can still be seen in the town.

The town was the birthplace of pioneering photographer Samuel Bourne (b. 1834). He is famous for having spent six years in India from 1862 to 1870 ^[1]; there he founded a major studio, Bourne & Shepherd, trekked into and photographed many of India's remotest places and, with his printer Charles Shepherd, became the most notable photographer of the Raj.

The British 1930's British fascist leader Oswald Mosley was born nearby in 1896, at Betton Hall, the home of his mother's parents. On the separation of his parents, his mother, Oswald and his brother went to live in Smithfield Road. Mosley attended a dame school in Shropshire Street until he went to public school at the age of eight. Apart from holidays he never lived in Drayton again.

Mosley was deeply ashamed of their reduced circumstances and he did everything to hide the years in Drayton. Their middle class status contrasted with the huge estate of his parental grandparents in Staffordshire. Years later, following the death of their mother, he obtained her diaries from his brother and burned them. In the 1930s at the height of his "fame", he returned to the town where he held a meeting in the square.

Market Drayton can also claim to be home to the most famous poacher of recent times. Never far from the headlines in the mid to late 1970s was Poddy Podmore [6],who kept the public distracted with a series of stunts, pranks, and run-ins with the law. There was even a fan club to him in Philadelphia called Pod's People, selling badges to Americans who loved his antics, which were not always in good taste, nor were they always legal. A man of the countryside, Poddy – his real first name was Derek – lived near Market Drayton, and was a self-confessed poacher. One of his most celebrated stunts was just before Christmas in 1977. He dressed as Santa Claus and climbed on to the roof of Shrewsbury jail with a sack of cigarettes and tobacco for the inmates. For over an hour he bellowed "Merry Christmas" from his lofty perch. He came back to earth after a Green Goddess [7]fire engine arrived with ladders,and prison officers and police joined him on the roof. Poddy was whisked off in a Black Maria. Other cunning stunts included having himself nailed by the ear to a tree, appearing in court covered in manure wearing a dead pig as a hat, and appearing in court dressed as a frogman. That happened after his infamous "warm-up" for a world frog swallowing record attempt in 1974 when he swallowed a live frog at a Market Drayton pub and washed it down with a pint of black and tan.

Market Drayton has always been a hotbed for musical 'talent' producing a number of bands who have progressed on to achieve regional acclaim. In the early 1980s the town boasted the 'best' School Rock Band in the country, TSB National School Band winners, Monovision. At the same time the local youth club were represented by the Platinum Needles [8] in the NAYC Opportunity Rocks competition final. In early 1981 The Platinum Needles were also featured on the Stoke Musicians Collective album released on Slip Records "Cry Havoc" [9]. In more recent times Sonic State [10] another local band have produced the theme music for a TV program while sharing their lead singer Jenny Z with the more famous Sigue Sigue Sputnik [11] (formed by former Generation X guitarist Tony James). During the late seventies and early eighties, Drayton also boasted one of the only recording studios in Shropshire, Redball Records.

Facilities

Market Drayton hosts a modern 25 metre indoor swimming pool with an outdoor pool available in the summertime. This facility has taken the place of a 50 metre lido (swimming pool). There is also a skate park near the swimming facilities.

The town was previously connected to the town of Wellington via a branch line railway which was opened in 1867. The Wellington and Market Drayton Railway operated for just under one hundred years before closure under the Beeching reforms in 1963.

Education

Longlands Primary School

Market Drayton Infants Schools

Market Drayton Junior School

Grove School (Market Drayton)(and college)

Twinning

Despite its rather small size and rural location, the town has forged successful links with its twin towns of Arlon in Belgium and Pézenas in the south of France. This latter link is due to the connection of Lord Clive with both towns.