Room with a view: How a wrong turn changed Julie's life through Ironbridge business

You know, what’s it like. A confused sat-nav, or your own misguided sense of direction, means you end up having to take a diversion, delaying your journey, causing anything from mild annoyance to downright panic.

But for Julie Darby, taking a wrong turn in her car was a life-changing moment.

It started a love affair with Shropshire and an appreciation of the countryside which led to her becoming a successful businesswoman within the hospitality industry.

She runs Heritage View Guest House – which once housed Captain Webb – in the beautiful surroundings of Ironbridge.

The sights you see when looking out of the house’s windows on a crisp autumnal morning, she says, are a joy to behold.

And Julie has gone further, taking on a second historic home, Humbug Cottage, in Much Wenlock. Demand for both properties is high.

And, it all started from that wrong turn in 2011.

“I was a professional DJ for ten years,” Julie recalls.”I became a commercial DJ, doing longer sets. I would do seven-hour sets at places like Lloyds Bar.

“One night, I was heading to a gig in Oakengates and I took the wrong turn and it said ‘Coalport’. I thought ‘I wonder what’s down here then?’ So I started driving into Coalport, heading down some winding roads.

“I drove through and ended up in Ironbridge and I just had an immediate feeling of ‘wow, I’d love to live here’.

“It’s funny because I’d been looking for somewhere to live in the countryside.

“I’d lived in Birmingham for 21 years, but I started doing a lot of walking and wanted somewhere a little quieter.

“My DJ-ing had taken its toll a bit to be honest and I’d be going home with a humming in my head most nights. I wasn’t having good sleep.

“So when I eventually got to my gig, I asked people what Ironbridge was like and I was told it was a great place. I thought ‘I’ll get a place in Ironbridge and a nice job in a shop and have the quiet life’.”

That’s what happened.

Ironbridge made such a positive impression that she went to an estate agents on the Monday after that weekend.

“The next thing I was looking around this house and thinking it was amazing,” she recalls.

“The views of Ironbridge in every room – it was just beautiful and I ended up buying it!”

Once settled, she turned her home into a guest house – Heritage View to be precise.

“I started with one room and it was fully booked all the time,” Julie reflects. “I then opened more rooms up as a Bed and Breakfast and it just took off and went mad.

“It’s become one of the busiest around here and a proper business.”

Among the attractions are Heritage View’s history – “Captain Webb, the first man who swam the channel, lived here for a time in 1870,” she says. “That’s something that fascinates people.

“But another great thing is I try to give people a real flavour of Shropshire.

“We use local products because I really believe in helping fellow businesses in the county.

“So the jams and chutneys I use for the guests are all locally sourced, from Nancy Helen Relishes.

“Cakes I provide are locally made, by a lady called Dawn, and fresh flowers are from Nettie of the Gorge, Ironbridge.

“And I get Hog Roast sausages from Broseley Butchers.

“I have had guests who have come here, tried those sausages and the next time they have come, they have brought ice packs so they can visit the butcher to buy more!”

Julie is someone who loves to chat and so you can see why she enjoys welcoming guests into her home.

She’s personable and interested in them. She says making sure they have a good experience of Shropshire is important to her.

“I do try to be nice and happy and make people relaxed,” she says. “I get a lot of people returning which is a compliment.

“Some people might come here a bit stressed, but when they come in, go to their rooms and see the views, they change completely. The scenery is absolutely amazing and, when people walk down to the gardens, they always say ‘this is stunning’.

“It’s a place where people can lose themselves and I try to go above and beyond to help guests

“I want them to have a really nice time. I do love it.

“I get people from all over the world – the USA, Canada, China, Japan and then you get visitors from Wolverhampton!

“Everyone wants to come and see the famous Iron Bridge and how it is lit up every night.

“Ironbridge is a lovely base to explore the county, Ludlow, Church Stretton, Much Wenlock and all.”

Julie’s gamble with a guest house paid off to the fact that she has now become quite the entrepreneur.

She purchased Humbug Cottage in Much Wenlock earlier this year and has now made that into a home for people wanting a staycation.

“It was a sweet shop and a tea room in the past,” she says. “It has lots of history, its 450 years old.

“It has had such feedback already and it’s full for most of the year.

“It was actually used in a film recently called ‘Can You Hear Me?’.

“They used it for a dressing room and it was amazing seeing actors in my new holiday let!

“They also used it as the front for a pub where they had a scene outside!”

Two properties in and Julie is already looking towards her next project. An extension at Heritage View is on the horizon, with plans for a building she owns at the bottom of her gardens to be turned into a cottage.

And, moving forward, she has lots more plans.

“When I came to Ironbridge, I put all my money into the house so I didn’t have anything else left,” she says.

“I had to work hard but I love being my own boss and I am proud knowing how successful these projects have become.

“I’m always getting itchy feet and thinking about the next plan. My dream is to end up in the Lake District and I’d like to go there in the next five to 10 years and do the same thing."

“I love walking every day and want to get out there into the open air.”

After living in the city for years, Ironbridge and stunning Shropshire have given Julie a zest for outdoor life.

Since that initial wrong turn at the start of her journey, she’s been heading in the right direction to happiness and you wouldn’t bet against her fulfilling her next ambitions.