| The town of Wem is some ten miles north of Shrewsbury, and there is little in the town today to hint at its turbulent past. Wem was mentioned as Weme in the Domesday Book but the origin of the name is not known. To the west of the church along the High Street the road turns, and a little further there is a late Georgian house with two bow-windows. It must have once been a rather impressive town house, but it now seems to be suffering from age as the kintels above the doors and windows are no longer horizontal, as the whole building slowly sags. Next to it, the older mid-17th century timber-framed house looks positively youthful in comparison.
To the east of the church along the High Street is the early 20th century town hall which is not unattractive in its small town setting. A little further on, New Street leads off to the north, and standing next to a garage is probably the towns most interesting house, a timber-framed building with a rather impressive porch and some fine carving above the door. Elsewhere in the town there are sufficient timber-framed cottages and houses to make a quiet walk through the town enjoyable. The church stands at a road junction in the little town centre and is rather an impressive one, both inside and out. Its oldest part is the tower which has 14th century origins.
Wem has always had its industries, as the river Roden to the south of the town provided both water and power. Both its mills and breweries go back to early times. But there is another industry, said by some to be even older, although not mentioned in many books - The treacle mines. Many people, mainly from out of the county, say they do not exist, not in Wem or anywhere else in the world, but I'm not so sure. Perhaps it referred to the alcoholic nectar brewed in the town for years, perhaps it was so secret that their location has been lost even to the residents of Wem, but they must have existed once, because my mother told me! | |
