This week's pictures from the past

Here's a picture of one of Shropshire's disappeared country pubs which has come, believe it or not, all the way from the Philippines.

It was e-mailed to us by expatriate Salopian Mark Vickers, whose family kept The Swan at Frodesley for years, although this view dates from before the time that his grandfather ran it.

The board gives the name of the licensee as J. Edwards.

Mark says: "Though not being born in Shropshire I am probably more Salopian than anything else. I was raised in the small village of Frodesley.

"My father John Vickers was the publican at the Swan Inn from about 1947 to the mid 1970s. He took over from my grandfather Jack Lemon who ran the pub through the war years.

"I am not sure of the date of the picture, but it was certainly before my grandfather.

"The Swan is no longer a pub. It was operated as a restaurant for a while but it is now closed and used as a private residence, as far as I am aware.

"I followed a career as a motor engineer and worked abroad in Hong Kong for many years. When I retired in 2006 we came to live in the Philippines but we still miss the beautiful countryside that Shropshire has to offer."

This photo of the Oswestry Locomotive football team was taken in the 1916-17 season, at the height of World War One.

Unusually one of those on the picture is a young lady in pigtails, although what her role was we can only speculate on.

This photo was e-mailed to us by Catherine Mason, of Shawbury, who tells us: "On it is my uncle, William Edward Fernyhough. He and his family lived in Oswestry, and I have been trying to trace any of his living relatives in that area.

"I'm hoping that if the photograph were to be published someone may contact me. My uncle is the top left player. He was born in 1895 and would have been 21. He married Elsie Davies in October 1918 at Oswestry, and the family lived at 4 Martins Place, Oswestry.

"His occupation was a locomotive fireman. His war record is a bit vague. He did have two medals, one Victory and the other British. It is thought he was in Ireland in 1919."

Anyone who can help with information can contact her on (01939) 250232.

Click on the image for a larger view

Who are these people and what are they doing?

We'd like to tell you, but we're hoping you can tell us.

The indications are that this group are from either Newport or Market Drayton, as this photo, kindly loaned to us by Mrs Olive Painter, of Forton Road, Newport, bears a stamp (which we have digitally removed) saying "Newport & Market Drayton Advertiser. Rough proof only".

Mrs Painter came across it while going through some old photos. "I don't know anything about it," she says.

It may, and we're speculating, be a group at Newport or Market Drayton allotments.

Or, given the fashions, which are conceivably from the wartime, could these folk have been "digging for victory"? If you know, let us know.

We're in Newport today thanks to the second of two pictures loaned to us by Mrs Olive Painter of the Preston Trust in Forton Road, Newport."It's obviously Newport High Street. Note how the cars are parked!" she says.

In the background is Herbert Tucker ironmonger's which famously collapsed in August 1989, leaving a gap in the street scene for so many years that it was dubbed "The Shame of Newport".

It is now Newport library. As for the date of this photo, it may be early 1960s as just visible across the road on the extreme left is a Mini, and

Minis were not introduced until 1959.

This wonderful atmospheric shot of Shrewsbury railway station comes from the collection of Russell Mulford and came to us through Shrewsbury transport historian Roy Pilsbury.

Roy thinks it was taken in the late 1950s – in any event it was taken before the overall roof was removed, which happened in 1963.

As for the loco, Roy says that it's a Castle Class, and he thinks it is the Sarum Castle, which was shedded at Shrewsbury.

And may I say how delighted I am to be here in Shrewsbury . . . Secretary of State for War John Profumo doesn't exactly look a picture of bonhomie as he arrives at the site of the new Territorial Army centre in Sundorne Road to lay the foundation stone on October 19, 1962, but then who knows what he had on his mind.

This picture was loaned by Roy Pilsbury of Shrewsbury, but comes from the Frank Painter Collection.

He says: "It was given to Alan Painter by a Mrs Lee. Everybody used to know them as Taxi Lee's, as they had a taxi business in Belle Vue in Shrewsbury. The car Profumo came in is their car."

His first thought was that the car was an Austin Sheerline, but certain features point against that and he's puzzling over the exact model. The Mayor was, he says, a Councillor Osbourne.

Profumo was to lose his job a few months later in one of Britain's biggest sex-and-politics scandals, but ultimately redeemed his reputation by devoting the rest of his life to charitable work.

Click on the image for a larger view

We began the week with a picture of The Swan pub at Frodesley, and we end the week with a picture of the The Swan pub at Frodesley, this time taken from a postcard dated 1907.

It was sent in by Dave Evans, aka A.T.D. Evans of Clun, who says: "James Edwards was not landlord in 1900, he was landlord in 1905 and 1909 but had left by 1913.

"The grocer and post office next door with Edward Smith as sub-postmaster was not there in 1905 but was there in 1909. This leads me to believe that this period was 1906-1909. The postcard I have sent you was sent possibly to James Edwards' daughter, Miss E Edwards at Aberystwyth. It is dated October 21st 1907.

"Both The Swan and the post office had changed hands by 1913. John Lemon was landlord in 1941. Probably it is Mrs Edwards holding the baby, posing at the front of the Swan as there are nappies hanging on the line at the rear of the pub."