Walking with the Ancestors - Hesba Stretton

Local Routes

Despite settling in London with Elizabeth, her sister and lifelong companion, Hesba Stretton continued to return to Wellington throughout her life. Her childhood memories of the town also found expression in the semi-autobiographical content of Jessica's First Prayer, while the surrounding area provided the sentimental backdrop for the reminiscences of 'Old Oliver' a character from another of her best selling novels Alone in London, who longed 'to be a-top The Wrekin seeing the sunset'. Aside from the premises of the former booksellers where she was born, there are still other reminders of her local associations surviving in the town today. Old Hall, the location of Martha Cranage's Day School for Girls where she was once a pupil, is situated on Holyhead Road, while the former Wesleyan Methodist Chapel she attended with her family, which was later converted into a toy factory, still stands at the top of New Street.