Progress on the move in county town

This car from the dawn of motoring was making its way through Shrewsbury nearly 70 years ago, but the scene in the background was more or less recognisable until quite recently.

First, the veteran car. It's a 1901 Progress – that is, a product of the Progress Motor Company of Coventry. Progress was an early manufacturer of cars and motorcycles.

This particular motor was taking part in the Veteran Car Club's silver jubilee rally which passed through the county town on its way to Stratford-upon-Avon in July 1955. It was the oldest car taking part and was driven by one M E Davenport.

Being a 1901 car, that licence plate, LG 3458, will have been a later addition as licence plates were not introduced until the 1903 Motor Car Act which came into force on January 1, 1904. One of the other provisions of the act saw the speed limit raised from 14mph to 20mph.

Historically LG was the number plate identifier for Chester, which indicates this Progress was registered there. The system is now changed and today LG signifies that a vehicle was registered in London.

The pub in the background is the Six Bells which pinpoints the location to Ditherington. And on the right is a sign for Smith's Bakery. Sadly the pub became unviable and it was closed and boarded up by early 2010.

Planning permission was granted in May 2011 for two shops to be built on the site, despite objections from Shrewsbury Town Council which claimed the area was unsuitable for retail development. The pub was subsequently demolished.

One of the shops is a Tesco Express which opened in April 2012. Interestingly the design broadly mimics the old pub which it replaced, a case of progress taking its cues from the past.

Veteran cars are defined as those built up to the end of 1904, although the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain has relaxed its membership rules over the years and now accepts cars built before 1919.