Obituary: Adrian Coles died on March 23rd

FROM Clee to heaven the beacon burns,' runs the opening line of A.E. Housman's 'A Shropshire Lad'. The Clee hills, rising to 1,700 feet, are the highest points in the county. From there, across green slopes scoured and scattered with ruins of old quarry buildings, the view south opens over the valley of the Teme to the blue hills of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.To the slopes clings Clee Hill village which, until it closed, had Shropshire's highest pub (called 'The Kremlin' because, via the radar aerials on the hill, its juke box could pick up Radio Moscow). The sole hostelry is now the Golden Cross, where the regular beer is Hobsons Twisted Spire and visitors can play, on ancient battered equipment, quoits and pitch-penny. A bakery and post office stand along the main A 4117, which is not very main here. In fact, because it crosses common land, at two points it is spanned by a cattle grid.Several other cattle grids lie around Clee Hill, and it was one of those that led Adrian Coles to hedgehogs. At the time, indeed for 40 years, he was the local county councillor. The job mostly involved meetings about schools, social services, flytipping and...Continue reading
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