The Stiperstones, Shropshire

Welcome to the Stiperstones, a strange but beautiful landscape not far from the border between England and Wales.

The Stiperstones is a five-mile-long ridge in Shropshire, England. The ridge is remarkable for the strange rocky outcrops that occur at intervals along its length and for the diversity of its wildlife. The views from the ridge are stunning, and a walk along any part of the ridge is a very rewarding experience, especially if the weather is good!

Geological background

The ridge is composed of quartzite, which is a metamorphic rock that was originally quartz sandstone but was later “baked” by volcanic activity and pressure. The rock of the Stiperstones was created during the Ordovician era, some 480 million years ago.

During the most recent Ice Age, which ended about 10,000 years ago, the ridge would have stood above the ice sheet that enveloped the lower land on either side, which meant that the exposed rock would have been subject to constant freezing and thawing, causing it to fracture and fall away as scree with the most resistant parts standing proud as they are today.

Myths and legends

Needless to say, the eerie landscape of the Stiperstones has led to many local myths and legends. One of these is that, when the ridge is swathed in fog, which is often the case, the Devil comes and sits on the rocks that have been named the “Devil’s Chair”. His aim is to push the rocks back underground and, should he ever succeed, England will be conquered by its enemies. Either he is not trying hard enough, there is not enough fog, or England is made of much sterner stuff – the latter, one hopes.

Another legend concerns “Wild Edric”, a Saxon earl whose ghost rides the hills whenever England is threatened by invasion.

Although one is unlikely to spot either Edric or the Devil as one walks the ridge, there is every chance of seeing red kites and ravens perching on the rocks or wheeling overhead. Other birds to be seen include red grouse, wheatears and whinchats.

Most of the Stiperstones area is a National Nature Reserve in which the heather vegetation is carefully preserved to ensure the survival of a number of endangered species, including the emperor moth, green hairstreak butterfly, common lizard and common frog.

© John Welford

Stokesay Castle, Shropshire

Stokesay Castle, near Craven Arms in Shropshire, is a remarkable survival from the 13^th century. It was built by Lawrence of Ludlow, a wealthy wool merchant, who bought the manor of Craven Arms in 1281 and wanted to combine safety with luxury in what was still a moderately dangerous part of the world, being near the Welsh border.

The result was a fortified manor house, built partly of stone and partly of timber. It contains spacious accommodation with high roofs and shuttered windows, in which Lawrence and his family could live in comfort, but there is also a self-contained stone tower with a stairway that could be blocked off if necessary should danger threaten and the rest of the property be burned to the ground by marauding Welshmen.

The castle was completed by 1291, with the same team of carpenters being used throughout. Subsequent owners have made very few changes, and it even survived the ravages of both the Civil War (the inhabitants simply surrendered rather than putting up a fight) and the Victorians, who were notorious for wanting to “improve” old buildings.

There is every possibility that there were other “Stokesays” in the region that were not so lucky, so Stokesay Castle could be an example of a typical mode of living at the time.

As it is, the visitor can admire the open-hearthed great hall, with its cruck-framed roof, the “solar” accommodation (which is the only “modern” part of the castle, having been remodelled in the 1640s), and the splendid timber-framed gatehouse with its carvings of Adam and Eve.

Stokesay Castle is now in the hands of English Heritage who make it open to the public from April to October.

© John Welford