Stepping out onto Shrewsbury soil for the first time, Kiev University lecturer Dmytro Drozdovskyi could not believe his eyes – he had entered into the magical world of fantasy writer JRR Tolkien. CHARLOTTE HESTER found out more about his visit.
Mr Drozdovskyi, who spent three days soaking up the sights and sounds of the town, was so bowled over with what he saw that he published his findings in Ukranian arts magazine Vsesvit.
In the article he spoke fondly of the town’s connections with Charles Dickens, Wilfred Owen and Charles Darwin – and even compared Shrewsbury’s residents to ‘little hobbits’ in Tolkien’s popular The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
He said: “In a small town in England you can find everything necessary for a comfortable and interesting life. In a small Ukranian town there is no time for anything but looking at the ruins of historical monuments, carousing, viewing scores of abandoned houses and a sense of isolation from the world.
“Shrewsbury, an ancient and historic town, has everything, including several cultural dimensions: Celtic, Roman, English.
“It sometimes feels that the town has had its own unique historical development, for it does not follow the current globalization of modern towns and cities with their sameness of architecture.”
And also receiving a special mention was Shrewsbury’s ‘excellent rail connections’ to all regions of the country and the Dickensian atmosphere of The Lion Hotel.
“The railway station in Shrewsbury is pure English Gothic in style and even a little mystical.
“In the heart of the town is The Lion Hotel, still perfectly preserved, in which, in the 19th century one could imagine Charles Dickens working on new novels. You felt as if he was dining at the next table.
Darwin’s hometown
“But the greatest pride of Shrewsbury is Charles Darwin. He is a true native of this small town and Shrewsbury is rightly very proud of their famous resident.
“In Shropshire I had the feeling I was living in another literary world. Shrewsbury seemed part of the magic world of JRR Tolkien, whose peaceful and gentle little hobbits are actually the residents of Shrewsbury. Am I right?”
The travelling lecturer, who speaks fluent English, stayed with his friend Rev John Waddington-Feather, from Lyth Hill, who has also had some of his short stories published in the magazine.
Mr Waddington-Feather, 76, said: “Dmytro was absolutely entranced with Shrewsbury because many of the buildings in the Ukrainian towns are still empty and in ruin. That’s why he found Shrewsbury so beautiful and for him it was like going into heaven.
“And when you see it through the eyes of someone like him, you can see what a beautiful place we live in. Several professors have read the article and have written in and they seemed to be very thrilled with it.
“Shrewsbury has retained its uniqueness but the Ukraine is struggling and has been under communism for 70 years. Dmytro has travelled widely and he was just entranced with Shrewsbury. It isn’t every tourist that comes here who writes an article about it.”
What do you think? Contact Charlotte Hester on 01743 283323 or email chester@shropshirestar.co.uk
