Droitwich Double 4 - Droitwich

Droitwich Double

Droitwich

The reopening of the Droitwich Canals brings with it a major bonus in the shape of Droitwich itself. Its a fascinating little town steeped in history and brine. 

St Augustines Church, Droitwich

The town town is literally built on salt and as well as its prosperity, it has also been its downfall - literally. The last brine pump was operating in Curney Street till 1920, sucking out thousands of  tons of white gold and in so doing undermining the foundations of a whole section of the High Street. Now, 70 years after pumping finished, the town is still sinking and the resulting depression has created an extremely interesting shambles area.

The High Street, Droitwich

And the last Brine Pump

Its a forward thinking town, making the best of itself and deserves the relative prosperity it is enjoying.

and the sagging buildings

For the boater the park offers good moorings alongside Waitrose with the option of Morrisons in the new shopping centre, a location it shares with other brand names like Wilkinsons and Argos.

 St Augustines on the hill

And  the parish church down below

Standing high above the town is St Augustines church, a local landmark and well worth a visit. Just take any footpath into the woods and keep heading up.

There are several pubs, restaurants, cash machines, a whole host of second hand shops and also, on a Wednesday evening, a community cinema. All in all a welcome addition to the elite of canal side towns.

Official graffiti at the drop in youth club 

But don't take my word for it - the pictures speak volumes. Better still, go there and spend a bit of time getting to know the place.

At the time of out visit nb Spey arrived, an old wooden Thos Clayton tanker. Her skipper had a good idea about what he wanted to achieve but his crew seemed to have trouble caching on. Even his Bolinder cut up rough and refused to engage in reverse, finally restarting in a plume of blue smoke!

Wand'ring Bank in Droitwich Basin