Moreton-in-Marsh Continued

Moreton-in-Marsh is a busy town with lots of traffic up and down the main drag. This vintage car caught my attention partly because it was unusual and clearly very well maintained. Once I had the image, however, the really curious thing is the part that hangs down well below the floorboards toward the front. It appears that the car could only operate on very flat, level roads. I don't know what this is all about.

Also on High Street is Curfew Tower, once a prison for for local drunks.

The Curfew Tower at Moreton is one of the oldest structures in the town, and would have played an integral part in the life of the settlement from the 16th century onwards. It fronts directly on to the medieval and post-medieval market place and is known to have acted as a lock up for local drunks and minor criminals for much of its history as there was no other provision for their confinement within the town.' 'The tower abuts buildings on its north and east sides. The interior of the tower measures about 2m square, and there is no east wall indicating that it must have been built abutting an earlier or contemporary structure which was replaced during the 18th century. There is evidence that the walls have been plastered in the past, and there are wooden floorboards over an earth floor. Against the north wall is a low bench made from a wooden plank, presumably added when the tower served as the town's lock up. There is a second floor about 4m above ground level, also made from wooden planks, but there is no modern access to this level. In the southeastern corner is a wooden casing running from the wooden platform to the ground and measuring about 0.6m by 0.25m, the function of which is unclear. Both door frames have studded wooden doors which are securely padlocked.

While the description is interesting, the exterior, while is all we can get to, is pretty plain. I suppose that little energy was spent on making a prison look stylish.

There street was filled with shops and restaurants, but the The Bell seemed most interesting, so I went inside.

Most prominent is the sign tell you that there is no food.

It does seem like a nice place to stop for a drink but I think it would be no fun with at least a bag of crisps or plate for chips to go with the beer.