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It
is difficult to believe nowadays that this large and almost entirely rural
County was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, but if you visit the Ironbridge
Gorge museum of industrial archaelogy you will understand how this all came
about. The key idea was the discovery
of a process by which iron could be smelted with coal rather than charcoal. It produced a better quality iron and at a
lower price, and almost immediately the small-scale iron smelters in Counties
such as Surrey found themselves out of business. A whole world of industry developed around the banks of the
Severn, where ready access to coal and ironstone changed lives forever.
The large New Town of Telford now overlies much of this area, but the rest of
the County remains as beautiful as ever, with the mountains of the Welsh
border in the West and pleasant farming country to north and south. You can walk in Shrewsbury Market on a Saturday
and hear Welsh being spoken more than English, while a shopkeeper in
Oakengates or Shifnal may address you in an accent that it pure Black
Country. Once again, variety. Once again, England.
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Girls’ Chess in Shropshire
ECGCF would be very glad to hear from anyone who feels
capable of organising a girls’ chess team for this County. You will need a team of six U14 girls,
(this can include girls from much younger age groups) who need NOT be
strong players. The prospect of
selection for their County often acts as a stimulant and incentive to
concentrate on improving their strength.If you are a person who could fulfil this very valuable
task, please get into touch with ECGCF by telephoning 0202 8660 8564 or 0202
8405 9308 or by email to sgclecgcf@aol.com.
We will be able to provide you with a list of schools within your
County where chess is already an established activity. From there on - it’s up to you!
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