July 2026. Whitchurch. Shropshire.
A short post to end Whitchurch on a high. A 4pm opener, 12 minutes walk to the station, train to Crewe at 16:44. Perfect.
And the Crafty Dragon, which I am going to call the Magic Dragon, opened a minute early.
I like that in a pub. Opening half an hour early and not telling folk is just an affectation, opening late is, well…
I appreciate the Dragon’s interior isn’t going to be for everyone,
but it’s got proper tables, some excellent cask from Wrexham (Border Bitter, VERY GOOD),
a Hue & Cry soundtrack, AND it’s the local CAMRA Pub of the Year.
But more than that, the Guvnor (and his lad) was incredibly cheery and chatty, giving me the sort of analysis of Whitchurch that “Visit Shropshire” could only dream of.
And there’s lots of cheese nights. We like that.
Talking of cheese…
retiredmartin 
Looks like a jolly place. I’d give it, oh, er, seventeen-and-a-half out of twenty-one, Martin.
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Apologies Martin, that was me, and we’re supposed to use words now anyway.
So that would equate to “COMMENDED”
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21 shillings in a guinea.
Who on earth devised that system?
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The guinea was introduced by King Charles II and the Royal Mint in 1663, with its physical appearance designed by the artist John Roettier.
Winnie the Pooh has been translated into many languages, and Alexander Lenard’s Latin translation, Winnie ille Pu, which was first published in 1958 and in 1960 became the only Latin book ever to be featured on The New York Times Best Seller list. The original English manuscripts are held at the Wren Library in Trinity College, Cambridge (Milne’s alma mater), to which he had bequeathed the works. The first Pooh book was ranked number seven on the BBC’s The Big Read poll.
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The guinea was originally 20/- but due to a rise in the price of gold, this was upped to 21/- in 1717 and stayed there until the guinea was replaced by the sovereign in 1816. However, posh stuff continued to be priced in guineas and they’re still used for buying and selling racehorses.
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“And it’s Border Bitter,
Border Bitter for me,
It’s by far the finest beer,
The world will ever see”
(Old Wrexham folk song)
I wonder if it’s actually the original Border recipe. Magic Dragon grew out of the Plassey Brewery which was founded by an ex-Border brewer and used to make Border Mild to the original recipe.
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I was expecting a full report on the progress being made on reconstructing the canal embankment breached last Christmas, barely a mile from the town centre. Must have been a br…. too far!
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