On a visit to Newtown (Powys), there were no elephants to be seen, even though a nondescript
branch of Burtons was in clear evidence.
On the other hand, there is a lot to be learned about
Robert Owen
- philanthropist, early developer of model villages (New Lanark) and arguable founder of the Co-operative Movement, presumably never having had the creative ideas later pursued by
Revd. Paul Flowers.
The Owen
museum was opened specially for me and told a good story, while his carefully tended grave flanked
the ruins of St Mary's church.
At left:
It is the one great and universal interest of the human race to be cordially united and to aid each other to the full extent of their capacities,
and at right
To the memory of Robert Owen founder of the Co-operative movement this monument was erected by the Co-operative Union acting on behalf of the Co-operators of the United Kingdom 1902.
He had a good next-door neighbour in the shape of
Thomas Powell, a prominent Chartist
- quite a hotbed of this kind of thing, Newtown.
With 30 minutes to spare, Newtown yielded up some other gems: the branch of W H Smith seemed to be locked in the 1950s
You can also get your Morris or Wolseley motor fixed, and see a very fine VR 2084/3:
So never mind about the absence of elephants, eh?
