A – Z of Locations: M is for Market Drayton

During this year I shall be posting photographs from places around the UK, many of which have not been published before. Where I have previously blogged about a location I will provide a link to the post, though you won’t be able to comment on it as I restrict comments to six months.

M is for Market Drayton

Market Drayton is a market town in the north of Shropshire, England, close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It lies on the River Tern. Home to Müller Dairy which produces yoghurts here and a microbrewery. It is also known for its gingerbread, which was first recorded in 1793. Today, the only surviving brand still being made in the town is Billington’s Gingerbread. There is even an annual Ginger and Spice festival.

Buttercross Market

There are a number of listed buildings in the town including several timber-framed, 17th century shops and pubs around the town centre, plus Georgian and Victorian buildings. The streets converge on The Buttercross market shelter and on Wednesdays are filled with market stalls.

The town sits by the Shropshire Union canal about a mile from Tyrley Locks where a flight of five locks make this one of the most interesting sections of the canal.

(Bridge No 62) View of Betton Mill, now converted into apartments and Betton Bridge (No 63) straight ahead.
Shropshire Union Canal at Market Drayton.
Shropshire Union Canal at Market Drayton.

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Heyjude

I have lived in the UK for most of my life, but when young I definitely had wanderlust and even ended up living in South Africa for several years which was a wonderful experience. I now look forward to a long and leisurely retirement doing what I like most - gardening, photography, walking and travelling.

33 thoughts on “A – Z of Locations: M is for Market Drayton”

  1. Another wonderful place Jude. I love long boats and canal photos. One day I’ll walk along one hopefully 🙂

  2. I went there once, when holidaying at Much Wenlock in the 1990s. My ex-wife enjoyed looking around the shops, and we had lunch in a (long-forgotten) pub. But we didn’t eat any gingerbread.
    Best wishes, Pete. x

    1. I can’t say that we were that impressed by the town, compared to Ludlow it seemed run-down, but the walk along the canal side was nice.

      1. I wasn’t that impressed, but we were just touring the area randomly. Ludlow was a good choice, and a better place for you to live, Jude. x

        2. Do you ever regret moving to Cornwall, Jude? Like me, you are stuck outside a town with nothing nearby, and having to drive. I don’t regret moving here, mainly because Julie is 10 years younger, and can drive. But otherwise I would have moved to a small town near some shops, restaurants, pubs, and transport links. x

        3. Relying on the car is definitely a disadvantage to living here and the constant damp weather is not good for me. I don’t regret moving as it is a beautiful county, but we really do need to relocate to a town, whether here or elsewhere is the question. Property here is very expensive.

      2. Norfolk is still quite cheap if you avoid the popular North Coast, and the seaside is never that far away, wherever you live. There are some nice small towns here too, as I am sure you know. x

    1. The canal was nice, but I’d stick to Ludlow and Herefordshire’s Black and White Trail for timber-framed buildings.

    1. I have no idea Steve, but it is pretty famous for it. Spices arriving from India? The town is not so far from Liverpool and the canal connects Ellesmere Port with Birmingham so I guess there was a lot of trade carried out on the canals.

    1. Highly unlikely unless randomly driving through Shropshire. Good flight? Good celebratory dinner yesterday?

      1. Ha! 5 hours late, including 2 sitting on the tarmac. Bloody French! 😳 Celebration supper deferred till Monday but it was sunny today and all’s right with the world. James doing spag bol for supper 🤗🩷

        1. Oh dear that is a long delay… never mind you are here now and I am sure you are over the moon seeing the family. Spag bol is good.

    1. Thanks Janet. It was nice down by the canal, but the town seemed a bit run down, though it wasn’t a particularly bright day.

  9. Your Drayton is much prettier than ours! The oldest suburb in our city is Drayton, with a very historic inn. But we don’t have any lovely canals to walk beside.

  10. Love the shots of the canal Jude, particularly the one looking through the bridge. We ran across timber-framed houses when we visited Stratford Upon Avon. Not sure I would want to live in one but they are interesting to see.

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