Tuesday 21st May 2019



After breakfast we had a very quick look around Droitwich, it looks and feels a lovely place. Aaron ran back to Hanbury to fetch his car and then returned with me back to Hanbury to empty the toilet cassette. Another £3 for the privilege. Aaron then left us at 2pm.

We then went for a slower look around the town. The centre is not big but is a really nice place with friendly people.

Having said this, Brenda did have trouble in the Post Office attempting to get our mail. It had been sent but the guy on the desk reckoned it had not been received. A phone call to Brody at ExPost who maintained it had been sent. Back to the Post Office who told us we would have to visit the delivery office 2 miles away and not open until the following day. Brody then rang us back, he had been in touch with the Post Office who had the mail all the time.




Droitwich Heritage Centre

formerly a Victorian Spa Baths



 

The Old Cock Inn



     

                   
                                                                          Window from St. Nicholas Church          
                                           
                                                                                         Stone carving of Judge Jefferies



We were looking at a strange sculpture outside the Heritage Centre that looked like a giant beer pump handle when we were approached by a gentleman who informed us it was a gift from Droitwich’s twin town in Germany. This chap turned out to be a past local councillor and mayor and was very interesting. He took us into the Heritage Centre and showed us around the council chambers. We felt quite privileged. The chamber contained, amongst other items, old charters and a 1600 painting of one Edward Winslow, a resident of Droitwich who became one of the Founding Fathers of America. The centre was a fascinating place telling the story of Droitwich through the ages with many artefacts.

On the way back to the boat we called into the Old Cock Inn. This was definitely our kind of place, combining our interests of churches and pubs. First licenced in 1712, but with the building very much older, it has an ecclesiastical window in the front wall from St. Nicholas Church that was destroyed by Parliamentarian bombardment during the Civil War. Also mounted on the front wall was a carved stone head of Judge Jefferies with a frog emerging from his mouth. Judge Jefferies was a Droitwich MP and magistrate in the late 1600’s/early 1700’s. He was said to hang most people that appeared before him. Inside the pub was like stepping back in time and we had a very interesting talk with the landlord who told us the entrance to the pub used to be an alleyway to a brine well and salt working behind the[A1]  pub.

On the way back to the boat we called into Waitrose for an Indian meal for two.



Weather: hot and sunny.











 [A1]

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