On Wenlock Edge

Wenlock Edge

 Shropshire’s escarpment inspired a poem by Housman and a song cycle by Vaughan Williams. I’m standing on the top of this stoney cliff and behind me is the wonderful unspoiled farmland – the most prominent sounds are sheep, dogs, cows and many birds in the trees below. Renee and I drove here to visit the charming village of Much Wenlock (as opposed to Little Wenlock) and to see its many attractions: the local butcher shop, where you can buy sausage and very tasty meat pies, and Cornish pasties. 

Wenlock butcher shop

Nearby the neighbourhood Tortie got a nice pat from me since she looks the spitting image of my Marmite. 

Well-read Tortie

We had a lovely traditional pub lunch and chatted with a local farmer and who had just retired and moved into town. We all agreed the St. George Pub was the best in town since it has no television.  The main reason for visiting Much Wenlock was to take in the English Heritage protected Abbey. 

Wenlock Abbey ruins

 This place was founded as a Benedictine abbey with a difference – men and women lived here as monks and nuns, and an Abbess was once in charge of the whole place. Eventually the place was thrown down under you-know-who, and a lot of the stone turns up as little cottages in the village. If all of this is not enough to attract you to visit Much Wenlock, there’s also a fabulous 12th-century parish church in the village which we were lucky enough to see dressed up for a wedding.