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 Market
Drayton
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Market Drayton ,
which dates from Saxon times, takes its name from the market
that has been here for 759 years. The town was granted
its market charter by Henry III and the street market is held
every Wednesday.
In the past, the town was known
for its Damson Fairs. Textile makers came to o the town to
buy the fruit to make dye for their cloth. Damsons can
be be found in the jams, cheese and pies onsale at stalls
at the market.
Market Drayton is the traditional
home of gingerbread, which has been baked here for over 200
years. The closely guarded secret recipe (which is said to
involve rum) is held in a local bank. There is plenty
of delicious gingerbread on sale in the town. Locals
like to dip their gingerbread in port before eating it.
Market Drayton's most famous
resident was Robert Clive, 'Clive of India'. His efforts
to conquer India secured the spice routes for the British
Empire and made ginger an affordable commodity in Britain. This
fact could explain the town's affection for gingerbread.
One of the town trails
takes visitors around Clive's boyhood haunts.
The Shropshire Union Canal runs
a few hundred yards from the town and visitors can stroll
along this waterway and admire the spectacular 40 steps aqueduct.
Nearby attractions include Wollerton
Old Hall Garden, Bridgemeer Garden World, Dorothy Clive Gardens
and Hawkstone Park.
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Map of Market Drayton |
What
To See -
Market Drayton Tourist Attractions
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 Dorothy
Clive Gardens, Willoughbridge,
Market Drayton Shropshire TF9 4EU, these
gardens are a memorial to Dorothy Clive .Dorothy's husband,
Colonel Clive, began the garden so that she could enjoy walks
around their property. Features include a quarry with
a waterfall, flower borders and a scree and water garden.Open:2005
12th Mar- 31st Oct , daily 10:00- 17:30 Tel: 01630 647237
 
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Hawkstone
Park, Weston-under-Redcastle, SY4 5UY, 12 miles north-east
of Shrewsbury off A49, between Shrewsbury and Whitchurch, is
a fantasy world of follies and walks created in the 18th century,
hidden paths, secret tunnels and concealed grottos.Features
include the White tower, the Red Castle, a death-defying Swiss
Bridge, an Indian rock passage, the magnificent Serpentine Tunnel
and Gingerbread Hall. Lots of steps and precipious edges.Open:
Jan-20th Mar: 3rd January plus sat/sun 10:00-15:00; 21st Mar-10th
Apr: daily 10:00-16:00; 13th Apr-22nd May; Wed-Sun, plus open
Mon 2nd May, 10:00-16:00; 25th May-11th Sept: daily 10:00-16:00;
14th Sept-23rd Oct: Wed-Sun 10:00-15;30; 24th-30th Oct: daily
10:00-15:30; Nov-Dec Closed except Santa’s Grotto trips (pre-book
essential)
Tel:
01939 200611 |
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Hawkstone
Hall and Gardens, at
Marchamley, I mile north of Hodnet on A442 Hawkstone
Hall is a splendid Grade I listed mansion owned by the Redemptorists
who use the building as a pastoral centre. Terraces, lawns,
Courtyard Garden and a Winter Garden, as well as Victorian Rose
gardens in front of a lily-pool. Woodland walks. Open: 14th-31st
August from 13:00-17:00 Check by telephoning Tel: 01630 685242
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Hodnet
Hall Gardens,
Hodnet, near Market Drayton, on A53, garden well signposted
in centre of Hodnet, Hodnet
Hall was built in neo-Elizabethan style in 1870 high above a
marshy bog. In 1922 A.G.W.
Heber-Percy started the gardens, digging lakes and pools from
the marshes. Features lakes,
60 acre garden, park, woodland
walk. Open: Sat 1st
July Sun 16th July Mon 28th August Group bookings 25+ can be
made by prior appointment.Tel: 01630 685786
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| Wollerton
Old Hall Gardens,
Wollerton, Market Drayton, TF9 3NA,14 miles north-east of Shrewsbury
off A53 between Hodnet and Market Drayton, The garden at Wollerton
was by Lesley and John Jenkins. This three-acre plantsman's
garden was laid out around the hall (not open to the public). Planting
has been experimental and the gardens combine formal design
with intense cultivation of perennials, roses and clematis.
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Where
To Stay in Market Drayton
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Around
The Market Drayton Area
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Tourist Information on Nearby Towns To Visit - straight line distance:
Whitchurch (9.38 miles) Wem (10.53 miles) Nantwich (11.30 miles) Newcastle-under-Lyme (13.01 miles) Crewe (13.37 miles) Alsager (15.25 miles) Stoke on Trent (15.30 miles) Telford (15.73 miles) Kidsgrove (16.00 miles) Shifnal (17.08 miles) Sandbach (17.33 miles) |
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Tourist
Information Office
49 Cheshire Street
Market Drayton
TF9 1PH
Tel :01630 652139 |
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Our
Hotel Booking Line
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Call
0870 4786316
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