To Uxacona

Today was mostly walking through a still rural part of Watling Street, less touched by the industrial revolution and modern development. This gave me a chance to look out for what might, in earlier times, have been inns serving travellers.

First off, very soon from my start, was the Four Crosses, an allegedly haunted old inn, dating back at least to 1636: the date is on it. The cleric and author Jonathan Swift was among its clientele. The age of this building would mean it served travellers even before the turnpikes. Attached to it, though, is a later tollhouse: not with the more typical octagonal design, but the wide windowsill for transacting cash gives it away. This is no longer an inn: a pity.

Gailey Wharf has interesting canalside buildings, dedicated more to the canal than the road traveller. The interesting Round House dates to 1805, so would have been here before Telford improved the road. Under the present road bridge, the brick arches of the original canal bridge reveal the earlier dimensions of the road.

At the site of Pennocrucium, there should be another Roman road running south, and one more running almost north-west towards Mediolanum/Whitchurch. As the fields concerned were planted with wheat, I didn't find these.

I did enjoy the elegant Stretton Bridge which carries the A5 over river Penk. Dated to c. 1830, it doesn't seem to have required any widening to carry present-day traffic.

Going back to inns, a house at the end of the Avenue in Stretton must once have been the Crown. Almost opposite, the Bell is still kitted-out as a pub, but not now open.

Thankfully, the Bradford Arms at Ivetsy Bank is still going strong. With a history going back to the 18th century, this pub once stood right at the roadside before motor-age improvememts put a wider road in a cutting below. Landlord Paul Rushton was able tell me something of its history: there is a story of one customer who could not pay his bill, and offered to do a spot of interior decorating instead: a little of his work survives.

Another old inn, the Hare and Hounds, is still in business as Shifnal Cottage, an Indian restaurant.

I passed the site of Uxacona. The name of Pennocrucium survives in Penkridge, albeit in a slightly different place. Does Uxacona give us Oakengates? The books point to the more obvious meaning of 'Oakengates' but I still fancy it's not far off descending from the Roman.