More pictures from the past

This photo comes direct from the pages of the Wellington Journal & Shrewsbury News of June 20, 1931, and so isn't brilliant quality, but will be of interest to Welshpool folk as it was captioned "Welshpool floods last Sunday".

In the background is a sign saying "Welshpool Seven Stars".

This was a station on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway, and took its name from a demolished pub.

There are some interesting variations to the roof line revealed by this postcard showing "Bean Bank, Wollerton".

On the far right a bit of corrugated iron has been put to good use and the cottage on the left has a strange mix of tiles and thatch. There are no obvious dating clues, but it may be from about 100 years ago.

Picture: Ray Farlow

You would give us a right ticking off if we failed to recognise this one, as it's just up the road from the Shropshire Star headquarters here at Ketley. Written on the back of this postcard is: "Ketley Council School, No 241, Holyhead Road, Ketley, Wellington... 1927. Looking west showing north front."

The school closed not long ago and is these days a community building.

Picture courtesy of Ray Farlow.

On a day like this, April 1, we should have some fun, so the question we shall pose is this: Why did the champagne bottle cross the road or rather bridge?

This remarkable photo of a giant champagne bottle on the Iron Bridge was taken back in 1989 by our regular contributor Paul France.

"You don't see things like this on the Iron Bridge too often," he says. Indeed not. Now you might just be sensing that something is not quite right.

So if you thought this was an April Fool joke... ha! ha!, April Fool! tricked ya! Because the joke actually is that this picture is genuine and not a fake at all.

The stunt was part of a promotion to launch a range of heritage stamps.

Welcome to Broad Street, Knighton, and based on the appearance of the cars, we have gone back in time to about the early 1930s.

This is a postcard loaned by Sally-Anne Richards. Printed on the back is "Photograph by P.B. Abery, West End Studios, Builth Wells." There are quite a few signs visible, and this allows us to go on a little tour.

The large sign on the left is for "Williams & Wooding Motor Depot". Just below and to the left of it is a sign for the "Norton Arms". Slightly beyond is a sign for "Jackson & McCartney's Auction Yard." In the distance to the left of the clock tower on the pull-out shop canopy it reads "H. Gwyther & Sons Boot Stores." Above it is a sign for the "George & Dragon Hotel".

Signs on the right of the street include for "Bradley's". Above the door which is on the corner on the right is written "Wills's Legation" and below it there's a sign for "National Health Insurance Opticians". On the back of the near van parked on the right is written "Get It At Allcock's".

There are some modern scanning lines on this old photograph, but if you're from Bishop's Castle you'll probably be too fascinated to notice.This is A & J Hemmings of Bishop's Castle.

Shrewsbury transport historian Roy Pilsbury, through whom the photo came to us, guesses the picture was taken in the early 1940s. He said: "Hemmings were Ford dealers. It is now owned by Tuffins.

"Tuffins have the bottom half of the building, where they have the supermarket. The top part is where they have the workshops and Mike and Gordon Hemmings rent it off Tuffins for their workshop."