h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Shropshire, England - A6167630
Author: Cyzaki - U223973

Ready for your input!

I've done some work on it but I could do with some help...

Looks like a good start, but I have some suggestions:

A figure for how large Shropshire actually is, if you can find one

Links - Shropshire tourism (if there is such a thing), h2g2 entries or other info on the famous Shropshire people

Some history - any famous battles in Shropshire? Anything else historical there - mansions or something?

Perhaps a mention of the dispute over the pronounciation of Shrewsbury?

I'm a midlander, but I've never heard of it being called Salops, that was interesting!

Hope this helps!

Thanks, I'll do some more work on it in a bit

I would also suggest some more info on the Much Wenlock Olympics - they're pretty unique, after all, and a link to the EG entry on the Olympics. (I'm pretty sure there is one).

How new is Telford? Why is Shrewsbury the county town? Was it originally the largest?

I say "sh-rows-bry" which, incidentally, is what the nice announcements man at New Street Stations says, and the BBC...

Thanks for the info, I will work on it soon, honest!

I say it like that too, Kat.

I've done some more work on it, I haven't covered all your points yet but I'm getting there

Right, I've done a history section, comments on that bit welcome! I'm still working on the rest

OK, I think I've covered everything so far...

Looking good The history section is very fine.

I'm doing one of these county entries myself and, I don't know about you, but I found it very difficult to know how much to put in and what to leave out.

Which is why I was wondering about the Ironbridge section - is that not halfway towards being a whole separate entry on Ironbridge? It might just be that having all the museums in bold in a list is making it look much more ... er ... 'big' than it actually is.

You could mention AE Housman's 'A Shropshire Lad' (1896) - an enormously popular book of poetry in its day, defined how many people thought of Shropshire (Housman is to Shropshire as Hardy is to Wessex, that sort of stature). 'What are those blue remembered hills ...'

You didn't have to add me, you know!

I'm adding everyone who contributes - this is a collaborative entry after all! If you really don't want to be added, I'll remove you (or you can do it yourself), but it's up to you

I was thinking the same about the Ironbridge bit - I might turn that into an entry in its own right, or just take out the specific bits about the museums. What do you think?

I'm going to put a bit in about 'A Shropshire Lad' once I get round to it

I forgot it was the CWW, I thought it was PR! But no, I didn't mean that I want to be removed, not at all! I'm very happy to be associated with the entry.

My personal policy is that anyone who comments constructively in CWW gets a credit (which I will remove if they want me to) while in PR the comments need to be a lot more substantial to get credit. 'Tis the nature of the workshops, I think

Glad you're happy to be associated with it! Keep the comments coming!

I don't really have anything to add...

>>It was written in 1896<<

I think 'published' would be better - he was actually writing them from about 1887 (used to keep little notebooks and polish away in between translating things A deeply grumpy man, by all accounts).

>>I was thinking the same about the Ironbridge bit - I might turn that into an entry in its own right, or just take out the specific bits about the museums. What do you think?<<

I think just take out the details about the ten museums and *then* (at some point in the future) make that the basis for a separate entry on Ironbridge.

Though that's just me. That's what I meant about these county entries earlier - virtually everything you're putting into them you're doing on the back-of-the-mind assumption that eventually someone will write a much fuller entry on something you can only cover in brief ... but, at the same time, you don't want it just to be a list of links (and this one definitely isn't)

Blimey! I've only just this second written the Shropshire lad bit! You're keen!

I'll change 'written' to 'published'.

I'll take out all the bits about the museums and just give an overview - anyone else who feels like doing the Ironbridge entry is welcome!

You're right about it being very hard to decide what to put in and what to leave out!

>>anyone else who feels like doing the Ironbridge entry is welcome<<

Oo! No! Your name's on it now!

Thanks for adding my name too - I actually like the way the CWW works very much and I'll be interested to see what happens when it merges with the WW. It's a really good way for people who haven't yet got into writing for the guide to chip in and feel involved ...

*Looks up* Though I appreciate I'm in some very distinguished company here as far as major contributions go

But ... I also think the researcher who does all the actual work should be a bit more clearly 'top of the list' with such entries