Bobbie and I spent the night at one of the Superior Inns which are in the Service areas of the Motorways.
We found each of the Inns we stayed at to be convenient, inexpensive, clean, and well staffed. I would recommend them to anyone traveling in the UK. And the fact that they are located in the Service Areas meant not only could we get a meal but fuel up and use the wireless internet and still get right back on the motorway with little or no hassle.
Bobbie is a great fan of the Brother Cadfael Mysteries written by Ellis Peters. The only place she asked me to plan for her was a stop at Shrewsbury Abbey.
Now, by this time Bobbie and I had seen plenty of Churches and Cathedrals.
I was starting to think "If you've seen one....yadda yadda."
But Shrewsbury Abbey was a very pleasant surprise.
First the Abbey is far older than some of the others we had seen.
In this first photo you can see that the tops of the arches are round on the right and pointed on the left.
The round arches are far older than those added almost three hundred years later. Also note that the columns are larger and round where the newer ones are fluted.
The original part of the Abbey date from around the 4th Crusade and the idea behind the Brother Cadfael books is that a middle aged Crusader is tired of war and takes vows to the Church. He brings with him a knowledge of healing plants and a knack for solving mysteries.
We were told by the Docent in the Abbey that these two effigies may have been what inspired Ellis Peters to write the books.
Both faces seem to be of the same person. But one has a sword and armour and one is dresses as a friar.
Since the publication of the books so much interest was generated about the Abbey that there is a Stained-Glass window dedicated to the Author.
Bobbie and I both fell in love with Shrewsbury. Not only was it a magnificent building but every tourist tends to forget that these churches are living congregations.
We were met at the door by a very friendly and knowledgeable Docent. She filled us with information and stories of people long dead and made us remember that sometimes children used to play among these pillers. And then she invited us to have tea with the ladies of the church.
Shrewsbury turned out to be a delightful stop and one we will not soon forget.
Lat/Long of Shrewsbury Abbey 52° 42' 27.31" N, 2° 44' 36.92" W
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