Mary Webb plaque unveiled at author's birthplace as society celebrates 50th anniversary
Author and poet Mary Webb was remembered as a plaque was unveiled at her birthplace in Shropshire.
Members of the Mary Webb Society, which is celebrating 50 years in existence, gathered at Leighton Lodge, Leighton, where she was born on March 25, 1881. They meet every year to celebrate her birthday.
The lodge dates back to 1776, and current owners James and Kate Elwell and their two sons welcomed members of the society on Saturday - one of whom had made the trip from New Zealand.
They toured the estate, which includes a chapel where the young Mary Webb worshipped, enjoyed lunch at the village hall, and were given a talk on the history of the house by Dr Gladys Mary Coles, the president of the society and biographer of Mary Webb, before the blue plaque was unveiled.
Mary's first novel, the Golden Arrow, was set in Church Stretton and was published 1n 1916. Her second novel was called Gone To Earth, from which a film was later made and was written in response to her sadness at the cruelty of war.
Although Mary and her husband, Henry Bertram Law Webb from Ironbridge, lived away from Shropshire a number of times, she was never happier than when living in the county and they eventually moved to a small bungalow at Lyth Hill.
Her final novel Armour Wherin He Trusted remained unfinished as she fell into ill health and she died at St Leonards on Sea on 8th October 1927 at the age of 46. The society maintains her grave at Shrewsbury Cemetery and have a rota for placing fresh flowers each month.
Chairman of the society Gordon Dickins, originally from Coalbrookdale, joined in the 1970s after training as a librarian and doing his bibliography on Mary Webb as his great aunt in Birmingham had sent him a copy of one of her novels.
He said: "I have been involved for a long time but I have always been interested in an author who comes from around where I live. We are all getting older but it is nice to see some younger blood coming into the society and it was great to see them represented here.
"There are a lot of Shropshire members who want to read about the countryside in the county that they know and love but we also have members in the USA, Sweden and Norway and I believe there are more from outside the country than in it.
"Another nice thing is the way the group gets involved in preserving wildlife and the landscape by linking up with groups like the friends of Pontesford Hill and Stepping Stones.
"We meet three or four times a year, always for the birthday lunch but this year it is a bit special."
The house now features eight bedrooms and a bell in the reception room which is made from the same company who made Big Ben.
The Elwells bought the property just before lockdown and have spent two years renovating it and now run it as an Airbnb with a building at the back hosting art and craft classes which Kate teaches.
She said: "We were aware of the history of the place when we brought it but have come to know a lot more since then and about the life of Mary Webb through contact with the group.
"It was wonderful to be able to host the society today and to be able to unveil a lasting memorial to her which I hope will be visited by generations to come."
