I am 53 years old Today and although I live in Wales I grew up mostley in Shrewsbury and the surrounding area.
Over the years as I am sure everyone else has I have recolections of some of the old charactors that made up the Town in the past especially Pub Landlords and regulars along with some of the colourful traders and ecentrics many now sadly no longer with us.
Does anyone remember "Jack" the land lord of the Plough in the square,every day blowing his bugle in the square to anounce opening time,or the little old lady from Abbey Forgate that had a tricycle with her dog in the back that regularily could be seen cycleing as far away as Barmouth and mid wales,I dedicate this thread to them alive or dead and would love to hear stories of these people and where those living are now.
Please keep it humourous and respectful so not to offend relatives of the deceased.

Do you remember the vagrant who fed the pigeons by St Mary's Church?
Someone wrote a nice piece about him in the paper when he died.

There is a lady now who often drives around the Quarry on an invalid bike with a poodle in the basket. If she asks you to put it back in you have to be really careful as it will nip you!

There was old Miss Bourlay who used to walk miles with her labrador dog and told eveyone the true story of her relative, grandfather I think, coming over from France in the Napoleonic days to start a dancing school.

There is 'Toothy Peg' selling the Star at the station who I remember in the 1970s and is still there now. There is a facebook page dedicated to her.

There are still plenty of characters around now, Shrewsbury is that sort of a place but some sadly are not so well treated.

The old Paper Lady has been there for years and her mother before her a REAL SHREWSBURY HERO I actually feel like nominating her for a reward for her public service if anyone deserves it she does.
One of my mates used to and still does get ribbed that she is his Girlfriend but in all honesty she is certainly a Shrewsbury face and lets hope she is for many years.
I believe also she has a daughter I remember a little girl used to stand by her back in the 1970s.
I also remember quite a sad individual Bernard Hooper a vagrent who lived rough,I believe his brother was hanged for murder in th 1950s.
He had quite a drink problem and was incontenant on times I remember us cruel young lads at the time used to watch as he dialled 999 for an Ambulance to take him to Hospital for a bed the crew would not go near him because of the mess and neither would the Police I add it was the emergency services we laughed at not the unfortunate man one of Shrewsburys unfortunate.
Also who is the chap I see walking in the monkmoor area in a top hat and tails he looks a charactor?

I was surprised to see in the Chronicle Memory Corner this week the very article about 'Pigeon Pete' which I mentioned previously. What a coincidence! :blink:

It was a shock to see it was 10 years ago too.

I think our charactors make any Town and Shrewsbury has had many of them one non Shrewsbury charactor was PODDY PODMORE Market Drayton I believe what happened to him did he sadly grow up?
He did all kinds of things including attending Shrewsbury magistrates court with a dead pig on his shoulder and climbing the walls of shrewsbury jail throwing cigerettes to the inmates dressed as Father Christmas.
Not to mention of course the Lads who nicked the hands off the church clocks,one I believe died very tragically.

Another one that comes to mind and I will not name the person was the local councillor in the early 1970s who was proberbley a Homosexual he was caught guarding two male friends whilst they had an intimate liason behind Greyfriars toilets by a Woman Police officer,the councillor in those less Liberal times was most annoyed and started a long running protestation about this incident with the late Ron Nicholas in the Shrewsbury Chronicle I remember many people us youngsters especially found it hilarious and as soon as the Chronicle came out we bourght a copy and used to roll around in fits of laughter,in those days everyone laughed at such incidents today it would be forgotton.