Workshop Barn thing

This little workshop is only a short walk from where I live, and quite a few people have suggested that I check it out. All I really know about it is that it was part of an estate originally set apart from Shrewsbury, and then Shrewsbury expanded around it, consuming the hall and its surrounding land. The nearby houses now share the same name as the estate, meaning census records make it hard to determine who lived here. 

But it doesn't really matter to me. It's not the most exciting of locations. But at the time I had just obtained a wide angle lens from Alice of the Rabbit Blogs.

If you've been following this blog for a while you'll know that I have long lamented my lack of a wide angle lens. Most notably in bunkers or other small nooks that I can't photograph properly. This lens is a game changer, and this rather inconsequential blog is really just a test run for it. 

There's a freakin' JCB in the yard, completely encased in nature. This is pretty bonkers. I don't think I've ever found an abandoned JCB. Combine harvesters, tanks, bombers, cruise ships, and alien spacecraft, sure. Never a JCB. 

There's a cherry picker over here, similarly encased in brambles. 

Slipping inside via the garage, I came across this skip hire van, and I must say, I'm pretty damn impressed with this lens. I'm only standing in the corner of the garage and I can actually fit the entire van into shot. This is an unprecedented level of success. 

The workshop itself is pretty dull. It's just a dumping ground of forgotten objects. But check out masonry! It's a pretty old building, albeit with later alterations. 

There's a whole collection of records here. 

Most of these seem to be dated from the 1970s, but "Prison Work Songs" came out in 1997. I was a little bit surprised by how recent that was until I remembered that 1997 was actually quite some time ago. There are adults in the world now who never experienced the 1990s. God I feel old. 

There's a bit of graffiti, indicating that the local inbreds kids have found this place. Or at least, just Darren, who signed his name twice for some reason, proving that he knows how to move a foot to the left. Good for you, Darren. 

Much to my delight, there were stairs over in the corner. 

And they're still mostly intact. Looking forward to seeing if I'm still alive in a couple of hours. 

Up we go. 

I think I trust the McCanns to babysit more than I trust these floorboards. This is really one of those adventures that makes me question all of my life choices. 

In this room there's a solitary table and it is by far the most curious piece of furniture in the place. It's covered in Disney stickers. 

Most recognisable are the farm animals from 101 Dalmatians, and a closer look reveals characters from The Jungle Book. Most of the stickers are decayed beyond recognition. 

In a weird way it makes me nostalgic for those early childhood days, when I'd get stickers with my magazines, and I'd just slather them over every piece of furniture in my room. My sister and I went nuts with Tom & Jerry stickers when we were little, and I definitely got overzealous with the stickers that came with the Transformers Generation 2 comic. In fact, when we moved house when I was seven, I distinctly remember being miffed that I couldn't take the huge Decepticon logo with me, having stuck it to the wall. I wonder what the future occupants thought of that. 

There's a tiny little workshop up here, and once again I'm marvelling at this lens and its ability to get the whole room in shot. I kinda want to marry this lens. 

There's a few bits and bobs left over. It's weird to think that someone once made use of this space and was probably really fond of it.

I quite like the workshop. Being upstairs, with the steps slowly collapsing, it's at risk of being someday cut off from the world. But it has character. I can totally picture someone using this area. It's definitely the best part of the entire building.

But that's about it. 

I'd say the lens was a worthwhile acquisition. It's going to bring about a whole new era on the blog! This is awesome!

Apologies that this blog isn't that exciting. I'll be diving deep into local folklore next, and on the travel blog I'll soon be covering a very iconic film set, so there's some cool stuff coming up.

In the meantime, if you like my blogs and want to see more, give me a follow on my social media platforms. Bluesky, Vero and Cara are pretty good Twitter and Instagram substitutes that actually show you who you choose to follow. But if you want to chance it with the hub of human misery, you can follow me on Facebook. I'm on Instagram too for some reason.

Thanks for reading!