There are two special events taking place this month at Blists Hill Victorian Town in Shropshire’s Ironbridge Gorge.
On Saturday 20th July there’s a chance to meet the many animals who live at the museum. You can chat to their keepers, watch the horses being harnessed, meet the pigs and see the chickens in their enclosure behind the New Inn.
A highlight will be a special talk about the horses and their care outside the printer’s workshop by their keeper; afterwards you can ask questions about these fascinating animals. Then there’s the chance to join with the residents and take a ride around the town in the horse-drawn open carriage.
This special Meet the Animals event is part of Blists Hill Victorian Town’s 40th anniversary celebrations and demonstrates the important role played by horses and other animals in daily life over a hundred years ago.
Then on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th July You can dress as a pirate or your favourite character from Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel, Treasure Island when Blists Hill runs a fun, literary themed event with actors recreating scenes from the popular maritime book of mutiny and buried treasure.
The last remaining Severn Trow, a cargo boat which operated along the River Severn in the 1800s, will be transformed into Treasure Island’s famous vessel, the Hispaniola, where Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins will judge the best fancy dress costume. The winner will have their picture taken by Roland Percy Smitheman at Blists Hill’s own photographic studio in Canal Street. Youngsters can also try and guess where the pirate’s treasure chest is hidden. There’s a prize for correctly placing a flag on the spot where it’s located on a two-metre map of Blists Hill in the Goods Shed. Long John Silver will reveal the secret hiding place during the afternoon.
For further information, contact the Ironbridge Tourist Information Centre on Tel: 01952 433 424 or visit www.ironbridge.org.uk. The Gorge is easily reached via the M6 and M54 motorways exiting at Telford (M54 junction 4 or 6).
