A Day Out at Blists Hill Victorian Town

Yesterday we took a break from the modern world, and immersed ourselves into the Victorian era of Blists Hill. This recreated Victorian town can be found in Telford, and as we were staying in nearby Shrewsbury for a few days, it seemed the perfect chance to visit. But is Blists Hill good for teens ?

Blists Hill has been on my ‘bucket list’ to visit for a few years now, but would it pass the all important ‘teen test’. Believe me, planning a day out with a 12 year old girl and 15 year old boy is no mean feat, and I was hoping that Blists Hill would be engaging for all ages.

We visited on Easter Sunday, and of course the attraction was busy. Though due to the size of Blists Hill it never felt overcrowded, and the only queue we found ourselves in was the popular Chip Shop queue.

We started our journey at the bank, where you can change your traditional money into shillings. The children exchanged £5 each, and the ‘old money’ was handed over to them in a traditional brown money envelope. The teen was soon spending his at the Grocer shop for a ‘Victorian’ bottle of cola.

The chemist was our next stop, where the lady behind the counter was explaining how different medicines were used in the Victorian times. You could also purchase traditional soap, bath oils and shaving products.

Meandering along the streets, you really do get a sense of what it was like to live in that era. The smell of the coal as you walked along, the boys brigade hut where the teen might have hung out, the pub where the husband would have gone for a traditional after work pint. The smell from the fish n chip shop which made your mouth water as you went past, and the traditional fair where you would have spent time together with your family.

And of course no day out is complete without a visit to the traditional sweet shop. I went for Rhubarb and Custard sweets that seem to taste even better when being served in a paper bag.

We enjoyed the walk down to the fair, though bear in mind there is a fairly steep hill when coming back up again. Husband and Katie enjoyed a go on the traditional swings, though the teen thought it looked like far too much work. I think he had been spoilt as he had been to Alton Towers a few days earlier.

To finish off our day we joined the queue for the very popular Chip Shop, where you can get a cone of chips or a portion of fish and chips, cooked in beef dripping. I would advise going to the Chip Shop earlier in the day, as we went around 2.30pm (it closed at 3.30pm) and we were the last people to be served fish as they had ran out. We ate our fish and chips whilst having a final wander, before heading off on our journey home.

So is Blists Hill good for teens ?  Well considering the teen said to me just 10 minutes after entering that ‘it’s alright here’, then yes. If you too have a nearly 16 year old, then saying the word ‘alright’ basically means in teen language that it’s 5 stars. So thank you Blists Hill for offering an attraction that is engaging to every age, even hard to please teenagers.

Tickets to Blists Hill can be purchased on the day, or through their website. If you are planning to visit the other attractions in the area such as The Gorge Museum or Enginuity, it might me better value to purchase an Annual Passport ticket. Full information can be found on their website.

Thank you to Blists Hill who provided a complimentary pass for the purpose of this review. All words and opinions are my own.