Yipes! An Enid Blyton Moment in a Carpet Shop!

[pete9012S]

Yipes! An Enid Blyton Moment in a Carpet Shop!

You must have read it. If not in Blyton's Castle/Island/Mountain of Adventure series, in some other children’s book. The moment when Jack, Lucy and/or their parrot/dog go into the innocent-looking, friendly local shop run by an innocent-looking, friendly nice man, and catch that first glimpse of adventure in a ruined archway half-hidden from sight, or bolted door with secrets behind.

Well, here I am in Castle Carpets asking for a quote for fitted carpetting, and behind the stands of carpet samples, something very interesting catches my eye.....

http://mytonightfromshrewsbury.blogspot ... -shop.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Moonraker]

You've lost me here, Pete! Is this your own blog or just something you've come across?

[pete9012S]

Further info from another site here,adding a bit more to the original bloggers comments:

Castle Street, Shrewsbury, and underground tunnels.

Shrewsbury is full of legends of underground tunnels and to believe all of them would mean Shrewsburys underground is just as expansive as the Paris catacombs.

Back to Castle Street, I ended up poking around in the cellars beneath local shops, and to be delight I struck gold first time. The cellar of Castle Carpets was vast and cavernous, and quite obviously once part of something larger, with numerous archways with brickwork younger than the actual surrounding architecture. It was also filled with rolls of carpets, preventing further exploration.

http://shrewsburyfromwhereyouarenot.blo ... y-and.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Anita Bensoussane]

Interesting explorations. I've always dreamed of finding a flying carpet in a carpet shop - especially in Moroccan carpet/rug shops which look more inviting and storybookish than a big store like Carpetright!

[Courtenay]

Interesting explorations. I've always dreamed of finding a flying carpet in a carpet shop...

Even better, with a Phoenix egg in it?

[Anita Bensoussane]

That would be perfect!

[Courtenay]

I had a feeling you'd know what I meant, Anita!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I've been an E. Nesbit fan since the age of six, and The Phoenix and the Carpet was the first book of hers that I read!

[Courtenay]

Back to the link Pete posted... I can't see any of the photos anywhere in the blog, which is annoying. There are just exclamation marks in triangles all through it where the photos apparently should be (unlike the usual little icon that appears in the corner when a picture won't load). Are other people getting that as well?

[John Pickup]

I can see all the photos in the latest link Pete posted. I was in Shrewsbury last September and we walked around the grounds of the castle. Can't remember seeing Castle Carpets though.