Heritage group's delight at rare documents gift

David Morris and Michael Llewellyn of the Shrewsbury Railway Heritage Trust were digging out some rubble adjoining the trust's building in Abbey Foregate when the visitor to the UK approached them and asked if the trust would like some old legal documents.

He explained that he had found them while sorting out some old items in his family home.

They enthusiastically accepted, and the man, Simon Anders, later dropped off a bundle of papers.

The documents turned out to be a very rare find and relate to the sale of land to Richard Samuel France by Thomas Maynard How for the construction off "The Shrewsbury and Potteries Junction railway."

The documents are accompanied by some very fragile maps and show the section of line which ran from the old sheds area, opposite Scott Street, following a northern course alongside the Lord Hill Hotel, running parallel to Bell Lane and coming alongside the main London line at the top of Sparrow Lane, near Crowmere Road.

Of a total of eight documents, the best and clearest is a contract dated September 30, 1865, between R S France and T M How.

Among others is "notice to take lands and to send in claims" served on Thomas Maynard How on August 17, 1865. This also has a fragile plan attached to it and shows the area of land not far from the present Lord Hill Hotel.

A trust spokesman said: "We are most grateful to Mr Anders for dedicating these documents to the trust’s collection. We are assuming that all these documents once belonged to the How family and have recently been found in a safe place in the building which once belonged to Mr Thomas Maynard How, before their large home ‘Nearwell’ was built.

"The How family produced at least two Mayors of Shrewsbury, and went on to build 'Nearwell,' the large house which was demolished to build the Shirehall."

The trust is a group of enthusiasts dedicated to preserving and promoting the county town's railway past.