New book celebrates 250 years of Shropshire's oldest newspaper
The 250-year history of Shropshire's oldest newspaper is celebrated in a new book chronicling its story from the reign of King George III to the present day.
The Shrewsbury Chronicle celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion historian Phil Gillam has put together a book looking back at the newspaper's colourful story.
The newspaper was launched in 1772 – four years before the United States of America even existed – making it one of the longest running newspapers in the world.
Phil, a former journalist for both the Chronicle and its sister title the Shropshire Star, said he first started writing letters to the newspaper from the age of about 13 or 14, and joined as a trainee reporter in 1977.
"The Chronicle was the first newspaper I worked for, and even then, I was very much aware of the title’s long history and was very proud to be working for it.
“Decades later, while working at the Shropshire Star, I found myself contributing a regular weekly column for the Chronicle, delighted to be once again waxing lyrical about goings-on in my beloved home town."
Phil said the book was largely a work of historical record, but there were also elements of personal memoirs included too.
"There are also a few funny stories, and also some superb essays from a number of former Chronicle journalists. As I was piecing it all together, I found it absolutely fascinating to see how this newspaper has evolved across 250 years," he added.
The book takes a look at the many colourful characters who helped shape the Chronicle across its two and a half centuries, including Sir Beville Stanier, the newspaper’s proprietor from 1908 to 1916, who said "I’d rather keep two packs of hounds than one damned newspaper!". Fyfe Robertson, who achieved fame as a ground-breaking journalist on the BBC's Tonight television programme, also worked as a reporter on the paper.
Shrewsbury Chronicle: The History of One of England's Longest Running Newspapers is on sale at Waterstones in High Street, Shrewsbury; Pengwern Books in Fish Street; and Raven Books on the town's market. For further information, email Phil at philoncloudbase@gmail.com.
