The Ham Nomads

28 Apr 2014. <GB-ENG> Oswestry & Shrewsbury, Shrops —

Sheep on Hill Fort

Susie on Hill Fort

Woke up at the Hill Fort and, after getting ourselves moving, walked up to the top and all the way round. It's not small! Took about 40 minutes till we got down to the van again. A few people walking (running) their dogs — it's a real asset for the dog owners of the area. I wonder how much archaeology still remains untouched under the sod!

Next we got into the van and drove in to a Park & Ride just outside Shrewsbury. From there it was only £2.50 for us to get a double return ticket into town. Dropped us off right at the top of High Street. It's an incredible Tudor village, many of the buildings in the centre of town (and further out) are the classic Tudor style.

Tourists looking at...

...Old Tudor Building

Old St Chad's

We walked out to the south and found Old St Chad's, a remnant of the original Church on the town, most of which collapsed catastrophically in 1788. (There is now a new St Chad's a few blocks to the East.)

New St Chad's Interior

 

Main Heraldic Window

"Benedictine" Window

We walked down to the Catholic Cathedral - found a mass in progress, so went on to the Abbey. For those who like their Ellis Peters Brother Cadfael novels, this is where she did a lot of her research for background. The list of abbots on the wall even has some of the names in her books. There is also a "Benedictine" stained glass window — they're not allowed to call is a "Cadfael" window — a recent addition, which reflects the novels and even carries Ellis Peters' monogram. Apparently American tourists keep coming in asking after St Winifred's bones, which went missing centuries ago!

Then it was time for a bite to eat, so we adjourned to Starbucks in The Square in the heart of town — spent about an hour catching up in internet stuff (email, blog, etc.).

Then walked down to the Cathedral again. Met some lovely people inside who absolutely insisted on giving us the grand tour. The stained glass in here is magnificent — all but one window (the oldest) have recently been renovated. That oldest one has a bit of damage, and its repair would cost as much again as has been spent on the rest — over £40,000!

Wandered some more, just taking in the town's atmosphere. Found a sweet shop and indulged ourselves! Then, with the weather starting to become threatening, we returned to the van. We planned our next few English Heritage stops, all in Shropshire so we might be able to hit them all tomorrow. Set off for the first of them, the Wroxeter Roman City — nothing like Pompeii, but the largest Roman City ruin in Britain. We've parked for the night in a lay-by about a mile from the site.

Distance driven — today, 34 miles ( 55 km ); to date, 388 miles ( 625 km )