Stafford is a market town and, as the name suggests, the county town of Staffordshire. Its most famous industry was shoe-making, starting out as a cottage industry and expanding in the late 1700s, primarily by William Horton. By the 1830s there were some 53 manufacturers in the town. Lotus were the last company here, but closed their operation in 1998 and moved to Northamptonshire. The Waterstones is situated in Greengate Street, one of the main shopping streets in the town.
In the same road as Waterstones, the Ancient High House is the largest Elizabethan timber-framed building in England. It was built in 1595 as a private town house for the Dorrington family. The building is currently a museum, but sadly it was closed on the day of our visit.
Before leaving Stafford we had a quick drink in the Post House Bar and Grill. This attractive building was originally built by MP Viscount Chetwynd (and was called Chetwynd House). It was sold to William Horton (mentioned above) and the playwright and MP Richard Sheridan stayed there frequently. As the current name suggests, its last role was a post office from 1914 until it closed in 2007.
Janet's Adventures in Waterstones 