Floreat Salopia!

I'm back from the annual archaeology "residential" with Tristan, a weekend in which we fill every waking hour on all subjects historical.  It's always a great time, just two guys jumping in a car and heading north (for it is always north from here), covering all manner of subjects as we go - guy stuff; the state of the world; dad insights; sartorial thoughts; and, almost obsessively, English history.

On this latter point, Shropshire has it in spades, from prehistoric monuments to great church spires, Roman ruins to medieval monasteries.  There's too much to pack into one blog post, so let's hone in on three treasures t\upon which we stumbled this weekend, and three that should whizz to the top of your sightseeing list.

Old Oswestry Hillfort
Somewhat confusedly styled as the "Stonehenge of the Iron Age" (what the hell does that mean?!?), this one is really out on a limb, mere miles from the Welsh border, and the foreboding hills of Denbighshire.  It is, however, a rather splendid place - once a site of some status, the hillfort sits on the boundary of two Iron Age tribes, belonging either to the Ordovices, or to the Cornovii - or possibly changing hands over hundreds of years.  Significant earthwork defences surround the entire site, but are more complex towards the west (that is, the side facing the Ordovices), so I suspect this at least ended up as a Cornovii stronghold.  Within the ramparts, a large number of black sheep were peacefully grazing, a flock that is afforded one of the finest views that England has to offer, with the Welsh mountains punctuating the horizon to the west, the lowlands of Shropshire stretching out east.  In the Iron Age, the centre was home to a number of wattle-and-daub roundhouses, with pottery remains from as far away as Wiltshire suggesting that this was a place of extensive trade and power.  Prepare yourself for a drive and go for a visit - it's British prehistory at its finest.

Buildwas Abbey
Low-slung in the valley of the ever-present River Severn, this monastery was founded in 1135 as a Savignac house, before being absorbed into the Cistercian order by 1147 at the latest.  We have arrived here from nearby Wenlock Priory, a Cluniac house, and the contrast between the two could not be more stark.  Where Wenlock enjoyed fine carvings and demonstrations of artistic wealth, Buildwas is sparse, uncompromising in its simplicity, typically Cistercian in its deliberate austerity.  Yet the atmosphere that lingers here is palpable, a thick and misty presence that hangs in the airs, not unpleasant, not particularly spooky, but certainly noticeable.  The abbey was financially broke by 1342; completely broken by the Black Death in 1349; and wrecked by Welsh raiders in 1350, events from which it never really recovered. It was condemned in 1521 as "deficient in every respect", before finally being dissolved as a lesser monastery in 1536, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.  For us, the poverty and the ruination sees the church remain in its original condition, providing some of the best-preserved Cistercian church ruins from anywhere in England, and a real window into a piece of the past.

Church of St Mary the Virgin, Shrewsbury
Speaking of windows, here's a reason to come to Shrewsbury (as if another were needed, for it is a lovely town!) I will eschew all description of the Medieval church, which was hosting a beer festival (!), and head straight for the exceptional east window, which contains a depiction of the Jesse Tree, said to have been made in Shrewsbury and transported here-and-there, before ending up at its current church in 1792.  Much of the glass - and this is the really amazing thing - is Medieval, dating from between 1327 to 1353, the very highest point of the English Gothic.  It is an extraordinary piece of art, really a national treasure, and to gaze upon it is to glimpse English history at its most stunning.  One can identify the ancestors and descendants of Jesse, the father of David, whose line can traditionally be traced down to Christ.  Extra points if anybody spots Edward III, the only royal figure on the window, who of course happened to be reigning monarch at the time of this window's creation - so we also see that playing politics is nothing new!  Interesting aside - the church spire here is thought to be the third-tallest spire in England, though I can think of plenty others that may claim that crown - can you?

A great trip to a distinctly beautiful county, a fair old drive from South Devon, but worth every mile, for Shropshire has a rich heritage, and one that it has been a pleasure to explore.  May Salop flourish indeed!