My husband and I were blessed to make a trip back to the British Isles in September of 2016. We first stayed with my husband's good friend John Whitham who was Bill's next door neighbor when Bill grew up in Sheffield. John lives in a delightful little village called Beckbury in Shropshire, England. This is John's home.
John's beautiful back yard
Bill, John, and John's dog, Holly
John had a lovely garden from which he cooked for us!
Taking time to relax (John, his daughter Lizzie, and Bill)
The church across the street from John. John is a bell ringer, and this is one of the churches where he rings the bells. It is also the place where he gathers with fellow bell ringers to practice.
A nearby farm
We enjoyed taking many walks around Beckbury
Lizzie
The cemetery across the street
John took us to a wonderful reproduction of a Victorian Village in Coalport.
Bill and John
Dentist
Lace Maker
Cobbler
Post Office
Making cast iron
Bill and John
The old brick works
An old church
Squatters House
School
Blacksmith
A village horse
Wood worker
Candle maker
Printer
Chemist
Leaving the Victorian Village
Our next stop was a museum that made bone china
We took a path across the river
Later we went to the town of Iron Bridge (where the first Iron Bridge in Europe was built)
Walking under the bridge
The town was celebrating the anniversary of the building of the bridge
John made wonderful meals for us!
Another day we toured a tile museum. I loved this place! We were practically the only ones there!
Bill and John
Gorgeous tiles of all kinds and styles...
Women painting the tiles when it was a working factory.
Inside the museum...
The old office in the museum..
More beautiful tiles...
A replica of the underground with its tiles
Replica of an old bathroom
Beautiful desk! These were some of my favorite tiles!
I LOVE fairies!
I love birds!
Leaving the tile museum
John took us to a beautiful cathedral in the nearby town of Brosley.
One of our morning walks (meeting neighbors)
A very good friend of John's went with us
Blackberries
Harvesting potatoes
Bill and I attended the ward in nearby Shifnal. The mission president and his wife were visiting so the ward had a dinner afterward. I helped the missionaries do the dishes and enjoyed talking to them.
This sister and her husband are visiting with the mission president's wife. They took us home afterward.
John is preparing another absolutely delicious meal!
We had appple crumble and birds custard afterward.
We continued to visit the museums of the Coalport area. This is a tar tunnel.
Iron worker families
Iron works
The old brick ovens
Another scrumptious breakfast (John makes homemade jams, which we enjoyed on toast).
Holly, patiently waiting for her walk!
The nearby village of Barger. This thatched home was so picturesque!
We continued on to the town of Bridge North.
Fisherman
The bridge
Beautiful river scene
Swans
Another morning walk. Bill and I were alone this day because John had a doctor's appointment.
A group of elderly bikers. They were chattier than a group of women!
Bill and Holly
John and his friend practicing ringing the bells (we even had a turn :).
Another morning walk. These were a highlight of our trip!
Returning home
We passed by this lovely home on our walks.
We visited John's beautiful wife who has early onset Alzheimers. John is a very dedicated and loving husband.
Bill's birthday
Our last meal with John before we headed to Ireland. We stopped at a pub and had this delicious meal.
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