There are plenty of opportunities to discover the stories behind Market Drayton over the next few months, with a new exhibition and three very different guided walks from Market Drayton Museum & Heritage Centre.
And the first weekend in October now offers two reasons to get involved, following the rescheduling of the Museum’s Gingerbread Guided Walk.
Explore the pubs and brewing history of Market Drayton
The Museum’s new space beneath The Stag opens its doors on Saturday 3 October from 11am until 4pm for the Octoberfest Pubs and Brewing Exhibition.
Jane Moore is back with another selection of photographs showing pubs from Market Drayton and the surrounding area.
Some are still with us, while others have disappeared or found completely different uses – so expect plenty of opportunities for “I remember that!” conversations.
There will also be brewing artefacts to discover and Museum volunteers on hand to answer questions.
The exhibition is free, with no booking required, although donations towards the Museum are very welcome.
Discover the real history of Market Drayton gingerbread
The following day brings another story that’s particularly close to Market Drayton’s heart – gingerbread.
Originally planned for this weekend, The Real History of Gingerbread in Market Drayton has been rescheduled to Sunday 4 October because of the wet weather forecast.
The walk now starts at the Museum’s new space beneath The Stag, giving walkers the chance to see the pub exhibition before or after the tour.
Starting at 2pm, guide Kath Irving will lead a gentle stroll through the town, visiting the sites of some of Market Drayton’s oldest bakeries.
Along the way you’ll hear about the people behind the industry and the extraordinary success that saw this local biscuit become known far beyond the town where it was made.
It’s as much a journey through Market Drayton’s social and commercial history as it is a story about food.
And there is one particularly important piece of historical research to undertake…
Gingerbread dunked in port.
A tasting is included in the tour.
Tickets are £5, available from the Museum or through Eventbrite, with proceeds supporting the Museum.
Remembering Market Drayton in wartime
In November, the Museum will explore a much more poignant part of the town’s history with its Wartime and Remembrance Guided Walk.
Starting at Market Drayton Cemetery, the walk will uncover local stories and significant places connected with the people who lived, served and worked in the town during times of conflict.
It’s an opportunity to look beyond the names and dates and discover something of the lives behind them.
The walk starts at 2pm, with participants meeting at Market Drayton Cemetery, TF9 3BD – what3words ///hedgehog.believer.dizzy.
Kath Irving will lead the walk.
Tickets are £5, with all money raised going to the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.
We’ll share the confirmed November date as soon as it is available.
Then finish the year with Christmas Drinks in Drayton
There’s one more date for the diary before Christmas.
On Saturday 12 December from 3pm, the Museum’s popular Historic Pub Walk gets a festive makeover.
The Christmas Historic Pub Walk will follow Market Drayton’s historic main shopping streets, taking in the Christmas tree and lights and stopping at some of the pubs along the route.
But you’ll also be looking for pubs that aren’t there anymore.
The walk will stop at the sites of former Market Drayton pubs from the last 30 years or so, with an opportunity to share memories and stories about places many local people will remember.
There will be opportunities to call into some of today’s pubs for a festive drink along the way before finishing with mince pies in one of the town’s pubs.
And Christmas jumpers are very definitely encouraged.
The walk will be led by James and Helen McCabe from Make It Market Drayton and runs from 3pm until approximately 7pm, starting at The Stag.
Tickets are £5, with all proceeds supporting Market Drayton Museum & Heritage Centre and its work preserving and sharing the town’s history.
There are still plenty of Market Drayton stories to discover
What makes this programme particularly interesting is just how different the four events are.
One weekend you could be remembering pubs that have disappeared from the town. The next day you could be standing on the site of an old gingerbread bakery hearing how Market Drayton’s famous biscuit travelled around the world.
In November, the stories become more reflective as the Museum remembers local people during wartime, before December brings everyone back together for a much more sociable wander through Market Drayton’s pub history at Christmas.
You might have walked these streets hundreds of times.
The Museum might just persuade you to look at them rather differently.
