Cherry Tree Hotel

Last weekend I visited a hotel whose name I fail miserably at saying five times fast, the Cherry Tree. The Cherry Tree was originally and quite interestingly named The Witches Ball hotel, and was apparently the place to be in the 1940s right up to the late 1980s. During the war, it was apparently very popular with our American allies, what with being so close to Tilstock airfield. It did food, and accomodation, had a very popular swimming pool, and looks really, really adorable to hide the deadly interior. 

Interesting, a Witch Ball was something traditionally hung in windows during the 17th and 18th Century to warn off evil spirits, and ill fortune. They were hollow spheres made of coloured glass and had a few thin fibres inside. Whether the intriguing former name of this place has any connection, I don't know.

Before I slip inside, I want to point out that I don't vandalize, force entry, steal, or change anything about the places I visit. I leave them as I find them.

The interior was incredibly spacious, although there was no bar left, but plenty of vandalism and signs that people had been in there since it had closed down.

My phone usually does abysmally in poor light, and it did take a few tries to get it to focus adequately, but it's done surprisingly better than usual. 

I like the fact that whoever has used this as a hang out since its closure got the spelling of the place wrong.

These wooden poles on the floor were once framing the fireplace, which is now a crumbling mess. 

Now this was a lovely discovery.And in surprisingly good condition, contrasting with the rest of the place.

I think The Untouchables, aside from being a film with Sean Connory in it, might have been the gang name of the group of people who hung out here, wrote on the walls, left cans behind, and hosted the infamous Cheery Tree Party.

The door reads "Welcome to the haunted hotel." But all it seemed to be haunted by was bad graffiti.

I wonder if the Untouchables refers to ghosts...

Upstairs was delightful. It would have been a cosy place to stay back in the day.
Now, it was quite unsafe, with floorboards missing, and those that remained sinking precariously  under every tentative footstep.

Some lovely gashes in a door, that on closer inspection was to the bathroom. It's a shame this place wasn't called the Overlook Hotel. 

A smashed mirror, with most of its pieces on the floor.

The toilets are still in better shape than the ones in some active Shrewsbury pubs and clubs.

And that was the Cherry Tree. A once popular place to go now reduced to something a few storms away from becoming a pile of rubble. But not on the day I explored it, and thats the important thing! There wasn't much to see but it was still a fun excursion.

I wonder what ever became of the Untouchables.

Aaaanyway, thanks for reading. Feel free to follow me on Instagram (Shrewsburyfromwhereyouarenot), Twitter (urbexshropshire) and if you fancy having an extra buddy, find me on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/shrewsburyfromwhereyouarenot ). If anyone has any fun stories or information about the Cherry Tree or any other place I've explored on this blog, feel free to get in touch.