“Caught by the River” in Ironbridge

“Would you give in just to spite them all?”.

Coalport Bridge, Sunday 11th February 2024 (Author’s Collection)

Star Date: Sunday 11th February 2024
Venue: Ironbridge, Shropshire
Reason: For a chat with the “Grand Old Lady”
Plan: To walk from Coalbrookdale through Ironbridge and on to Coalport
Fly in the Ointment: River on flood alert!
In Memoriam: Maureen, a beautiful and much missed grand old lady

Lyrics: “Caught by the River” by Doves

Today is a poignant anniversary and three years on from when my heart was broken into pieces, but rather than dragging you all into my melancholy with me, here’s an apocryphal story that is either true (as I’m certain I read it somewhere in a dim and distant past) or I’ve simply made it up over the years and I’m curating my own story once more!

The lyrics above and which accompany the following images too are taken from “Caught by the River” by the wonderful Manchester band “Doves”. I’ve been an avid fan of theirs for over two decades now and after forming as “Sub Sub” in the early 1990’s they changed to their current, and still current name. The apocryphal story has it (unless I’ve made it up!) that on a tour of the USA early in their new guise as “Doves” they were due to play to a huge sell out crowd and excitedly entering the stage for their big event they were introduced as “The Daves”. Always tickles me! I could search The Matrix for confirmation either way, but where’s the fun in that?

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, all the way from Manchester, England, “The Daves”.

Anyway, here’s some images from this morning’s ramble along the River Severn in central England and although I had to forego the starting point of Coalbrookdale (and where the world’s oldest iron bridge was forged in the year 1779) I instead started in my spiritual home of Ironbridge before strolling through nearby Jackfield and ending a little further along the river in Coalport.

I hope you enjoy.

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“Son
What have you done?
You’re caught by the river
You’re coming undone

Life
You know it can’t be so easy
But you can’t just leave it
Cause you’re not in control no more

And you give it all away
Would you give it all away now?
Don’t let it come apart
Don’t want to see you come apart”

The planned route.

The River Severn and easily 10 feet and more above its usual Summer height.

A favourite view before crossing the oldest iron bridge in the world and into toytown and my spiritual home of Ironbridge.

View from near the centre of the bridge towards Coalbrookdale.

View from near the centre of the bridge towards Jackfield and Coalport.

Welcome to Toytown!

A Bridge with a View - Part 1.

A Bridge with a View - Part 2.

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“Son
What are you doing?
You learned a hard lesson
When you stood by the water

You and I
Were so full of love and hope
Would you give it all up now?
Would you give in just to spite them all?

Cause you give it all away
And you give it all away now
Don’t let it come apart
Don’t want to see you come apart

Cause you give it all away
And you give it all away now
Don’t let it come apart
Don’t want to see you come apart”

The Ironbridge Gorge - A World Heritage Site

The “Grand Old Lady” of Ironbridge — Part 1.

The “Grand Old Lady” of Ironbridge — Part 2.

The “Grand Old Lady” of Ironbridge — Part 3.

The “Grand Old Lady” of Ironbridge — Part 4.

The best seat in the house.

The “Grand Old Lady” of Ironbridge — Part 5.

Commemorative statue to the men and women of Ironbridge who died in the two World Wars.

The “Grand Old Lady” of Ironbridge — Part 6.

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“Lay
I lay in the long grass
So many people
So many people pass

Stay
Stay here and lie on back
Get down in the cornfields
Stay till we’re caught at last

Give it all away
Give it all away now
Don’t let it come apart
Don’t want to see you come apart”

A beautiful view from the disused section of the Coalport/Shropshire Union Canal.

A reminder of a famous past in Coalport famed for its production of china.

The disused section of the Shropshire Union Canal at Coalport — Part 1.

The disused section of the Shropshire Union Canal at Coalport — Part 2.

All you could wish to know about the Coalport section of the Shropshire Union Canal.

Coalport Bridge as seen from “The Woodbridge Inn” Public House - Part 1.

Coalport Bridge as seen from “The Woodbridge Inn” Public House - Part 2.

Coalport Bridge, “The Woodbridge Inn” Public House and the River Severn heading south/south west.

Coalport Bridge and the River Severn heading back towards Ironbridge in a north/north west direction.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this pictorial stroll along the River Severn in central England!

“And you give it all away
Would you give it all away now?
Don’t let it come apart
Don’t want to see you come apart

Would you give it all away?
Would you give it all away?
Would you give it all away?
Give it all away
Give it all away
Give it all away
Give it all away”

Now treat yourself to 4 minutes of perfection!

"Caught by the River" - Doves

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Thanks for reading. For many more similar articles to this please see my archives here or alternatively, here are three recently published examples from this genre:

"Down to the River with The Boss"

"Beautiful Ironbridge on Christmas Day"

"High Flying Birds over the canal - Part 1"

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