(For description and plan of Hereford, see pp. 176-179.)

The road to Leominster passes due north out of Hereford by, or rather through, the racecourse, and directly afterwards Holmer Church is seen upon the left side of the road. It belongs to Early English times, and has a detached tower.

Moreton-on-Lug has a church which has recently been restored, but it contains some altar-tombs of the Dauncer family. From this point onwards Robin Hood's Butts and the Sugar Loaf Hills become prominent objects in the landscape on the left, their rugged summits of sandstone resisting the action of the weather better than the soft marls through which they protrude.

Sutton Walls lie to the right upon a wooded hill, and are of great historical interest. Offa, king of Mercia, had a palace there, and to it Ethelbert, king of the East Angles, was invited, the ostensible object being his marriage to the daughter of the Mercian king. The young prince was foully murdered by the connivance of Quendrida, Offa's queen, and East Anglia annexed to Mercia in A.D. 782. In expiation of this deed Offa founded the great monastery at St. Albans. There is a large encampment upon the hill, with four entrances, apparently of Roman origin, and containing an area of about thirty acres.

Entering a low-lying district, upon which stands Wellington Marsh, Marden Church is seen upon the right, the place of Ethelbert's first interment, the original building having been erected by Offa. Wellington Church, lying to the left of the road, is chiefly of modern construction. Two miles farther on a bifurcation occurs, and the road to the right may be taken if one wishes to avoid the rather steep way leading over Dinmore Hill. Bodenham is the next village on the route. It possesses a large church of the Early English and Decorated Periods, containing an alabaster tomb of Sir Walter Devereux, 1401. In the village will be seen the remains of a large cross and a well. A sharp turn to the left at England's Gate leads back in a few miles to the junction with the main road near Hope-under-Dinmore, crossing the River Lug just before the junction. Hope Church, standing on the hill-side, contains many tablets to the Coningsby family. About two miles to the right of Ford lies Risbury Camp, of an oval form, with deep ditches surrounding it, and containing an area of about eight acres. Hampton Court was built by Sir Roland Lenthall in the time of Henry IV., and much enlarged by ransoms subsequently obtained from prisoners at the Battle of Agincourt. It was once the home of the Earl of Coningsby. Mr. J. H. Arkwright, a descendant of Richard Arkwright, is now the owner. The Court has been partially rebuilt.

LEOMINSTER

This town presents an exceedingly picturesque aspect, a number of medieval or Renaissance buildings having survived. It was a place of importance in the days of the Heptarchy, and a monastery was instituted by Merewald, king of the West Mercians, in the seventh century, which, however, disappeared subsequently in the Danish invasions. A residence of the Saxon kings, together with a stronghold, was also raised here, only to be destroyed in a Welsh raid in 1088. In 1125 Henry I. established a Benedictine cell under the rule of Reading Priory, and the buildings now form part of the workhouse!

The Church includes examples of almost every style of architecture. The nave is Norman, and originally formed part of the Priory Church standing upon this site. The monuments are very numerous, and some of the finest window tracery in any ecclesiastical building in the British Isles exists here. A fire in the eastern parts of the church in 1699 led to a restoration in a very debased style. The Butter Cross is an object of interest, and in the Bargates are Georgian almshouses dating back to 1736. They have an effigy with an inscription containing an admonition against the exercise of charity without discrimination. The road to Ludlow lies upon the eastern side of the railway, and a sharp turn to the right occurs in the town. Ivington Camp is a British earthwork, but was considerably strengthened by Owen Glendower when he retreated from Leominster and was vigorously pursued by Prince Henry. One mile to the right lies Eaton Hall, now a farmhouse. It was erected in the time of Henry V., and was once occupied by the old family of Hakluyt.[1]

Eye lies to the left of the road, and has a church with some fine alabaster monuments in it—one figure with the collar of SS. Berrington Hall and Park, the seat of Lord Rodney, are close by. The country passed through for some miles past is a cider district, and numerous orchards can be seen on every side. Near Woofferton is a fine open stretch of country, in which the highlands upon the left, wooded to their summits, form a welcome break. Richard's Castle, of the motte and bailey type, lies under the hills. It was erected in the reign of Edward the Confessor, and stands upon a mound 60 feet in height, with some peculiar earthworks adjoining. It is a matter for remark that this stronghold was erected and occupied by a Norman, Richard, the son of Scrop, before the Conquest, and thus is one of a little group of castles of peculiar interest. An old church at the town of Richard's Castle has a detached belfry.

[1] A Welsh family, of whom Richard Hakluyt (1552?-1616), the famous geographer, is the best known.

LUDLOW

This is an ancient British town lying in an amphitheatre of high ground, but no reliable history relating to the place is extant until after the Conquest, when Roger de Montgomery founded the Castle, which for a considerable time was the residence of Royalty, more particularly of Edward IV. and his children. Ludlow was also the seat of the Grand Council entrusted with the jurisdiction of the Marches. The keep of the castle was erected between 1086 and 1096. In the Civil War the castle surrendered to the Parliamentary forces in 1646, at the same time as Bridgnorth. The appearance of the dismantled fortress on an eminence above the River Teme is imposing and impressive, as the Norman towers and bastions, together with a considerable portion of the curtain walls, are still standing.

The Church stands upon elevated ground near the castle, and is of Decorated Gothic, dating from the time of Edward III., although originally built in the twelfth century. It is dedicated to St. Lawrence, and is a cruciform building with a lofty tower, and one of the finest churches in England. There is also a guildhall, a town-hall, and the museum, chiefly confined to natural history, has a grand collection of Silurian fossils. A very fine timbered house, the Lane Asylum, dates from 1672.

From the district round Bromfield a fine view is obtained of Clee Hill lying to the right, with Titterstone Camp, 1,749 feet above the sea, on it. Farther to the north is Brown Clee Hill, 1,792 feet high, with Corne Dale to the left. Near Onibury the route is well wooded, and the valley becomes contracted as the road leads through a break in Wenlock Edge. Upon the right Norton Camp, a horseshoe-shaped entrenchment, occupies the summit of a knoll.

STOKESAY CASTLE

is reached just before coming to Craven Arms Station. It is, without exaggeration, one of the most picturesque and also one of the earliest fortified houses in the kingdom. From almost any point of view it thrills the artist, the architect, the archÆologist, and the ordinary visitor who has any capacity to read sermons in stones. The very name 'Stokesay' tells the story of Norman owner superseding Saxon, the Says or Sayes being descendants of Picot de Sai, who came over with the Conqueror, a similar instance being found in Stoke d'Abernon in Surrey, where the Saxon 'Stoke' is again tacked on to the name of the new Norman owner. The gatehouse of the castle, although a highly picturesque timber-framed building of Elizabethan times, with a carving of Adam and Eve and the Serpent over the door, is not the most interesting feature, for the rest of the building belongs to the thirteenth century, and is quite one of the best examples of a fortified house of the Early English period. The moat is now dry, but otherwise one can see in Stokesay the type of house close to the Welsh Marches which was occupied by a lesser feudal lord in the days when Wales was still the home of unconquered tribesmen, who might at any time make a sudden descent into English territory. Facing the gateway is the hall, 51 feet by 31 feet (internal measurements), lighted with four tall lancet windows looking on to the moat on the west side. The open timber roof is blackened with smoke, for there was no fireplace, and the smoke from the central brazier escaped through an outlet in the roof. The builder of this hall is given by the late Mr. Augustus Hare as John de Verdun, who died in 1279, while the curious and picturesque polygonal tower at the south corner was no doubt built by Verdun's successor, that Lawrence de Ludlow who received permission from Edward I. to fortify his house of Stokesay. It would be a pleasant task to describe every room and every architectural detail of this fascinating castle, but space unfortunately does not permit.

The Church at Stokesay was rebuilt after the Civil War. Beautiful views of the Long Mynd, of Wenlock Edge, and the ridge lying between them, now open up. The church at the little village of Wistanstow has been restored, and during the alterations a carved oak roof of the Perpendicular period came to light.

CHURCH STRETTON

is a village in an exceedingly pleasant situation, with the Long Mynd ridge of hills to the west, and with Hope Bowdler, Caer Caradoc, and the Lawley nearly opposite. The name Stretton, like Streatham, indicates the presence of a Roman road—one of those leading southwards from the great Roman city of Uriconium.

The interesting cruciform church has a Norman nave with Transitional central tower and transepts. Several Perpendicular windows have been inserted. Mr. Hare mentions a stone in the churchyard, near the sundial, bearing this inscription to Ann Cook, who died in 1814:

'Hesba Stretton,' the novelist, took her pen-name from this village, where she lived for many years.

Near Church Stretton the site of Brockhurst Castle is passed over. Bodbury Ring, to the left beyond Church Stretton, is said to have been occupied by Ostorius Scapula previous to his great battle with Caractacus. The site of the engagement is on the right, and a mile farther on the road leads under Caer Caradoc Hill, 1,506 feet high, with a perfect camp, vallum, and ditches upon the summit, wherein Caradoc entrenched himself previous to the fight. The district under the Long Mynd is extremely picturesque, with deep gullies and cross valleys running into the great ridge, whose elevation in places reaches to 1,600 feet. It is a paradise for geologists, deposits emerging from underneath the Silurian which are of more than ordinary interest. The Caradoc Range is an old volcanic outburst. The line of the Roman road traversing the valley already mentioned may be noted running parallel with the railway.

(For description and plan of Shrewsbury, see pp. 76-79.)

LOOP No. 6—SECOND PORTION
SHREWSBURY TO HEREFORD, 81¼ MILES

DISTANCES ALONG THE ROUTE

Miles.
Shrewsbury to Buildwas	11	¾
Buildwas to Ironbridge	2
Ironbridge to Bridgnorth	7	¾
Bridgnorth to Birdsgreen	7
Birdsgreen to Kidderminster	7	¼
Kidderminster to Worcester	14	½
Worcester to Malvern	8	¼
Malvern to Ledbury	8
Ledbury to Hereford	14	¾

NOTES FOR DRIVERS

Shrewsbury to Worcester.—A few hills only to Bridgnorth; thence to Kidderminster some steep hills, but otherwise an excellent road. One of the hills is 1 in 12 after Shatterford; after that good.

Worcester to Hereford.—To Malvern splendid; between Malvern and Ledbury ascent 1 in 9, descent 1 in 11 in crossing the Malvern Hills, then very good road to Hereford, with only trifling hills.

PLACES OF INTEREST ON THE ROUTE

Buildwas Abbey.—A beautiful ruin.

Bridgnorth.—A picturesque town, with a church and the remains of a castle; the bridge.

Kidderminster.—A town famed for its manufacture of carpets; church, Perpendicular.

Stourport.—An uninteresting town.

Ombersley.—A picturesque village; The Court, the residence of Lord Sandys.

Worcester.—A busy city; the cathedral and tomb of King John; the Edgar Tower; the Guildhall; the famous porcelain works.

Great Malvern.—A finely-situated watering-place; the abbey gateway; a Norman church, originally a priory church.

Ledbury.—Picturesque market town, with old market hall and several quaint houses; church, Norman, Early English, and Perpendicular; tower detached.

Hereford.—(See p. 176.)

The route from Shrewsbury follows that to Uriconium for nearly a mile, when a bifurcation occurs, and the road to the right is chosen, passing through Sutton and Cound. The church at the latter place is chiefly of Early English architecture; it contains a carved early Norman font of great interest. The Wrekin, with Heaven's Gate Camp upon it, is a prominent feature in the distance, while the Severn indulges in sinuous windings by the side of the road. Buildwas Abbey is quite close to the road; it presents a beautiful aspect, and is one of the finest ruins in the county. The abbey was founded by Roger de Clinton, Bishop of Chester, in 1135, for Cistercians. Parts of it still remain roofed. Coalbrookdale is historically interesting as the cradle of the iron trade. It sprang into prominence when the Sussex ironfields had to be abandoned, owing to the shrinkage of the forests there. In 1700 members of the Darby family experimented upon iron ore smelted with coal and coke, and since then it has been a centre of the iron industry.

Ironbridge contains nothing of any particular interest. It is a town of foundries, forges, and furnaces, while hideous tiers of dirty cottages cluster on the steep hill-side. In the town is the iron bridge from which the place gains its name; it is a bridge of a single span, stretching 120 feet, and is the first on record. Its presence is due to the energy of Abraham Darby, of the Coalbrookdale Works, in 1779. From Ironbridge the road trends away from the Severn, passing through a well-wooded country, and eventually reaches

BRIDGNORTH

This picturesque town is reputed to have been founded by a daughter of Alfred the Great, and was fortified with walls and a castle by Robert de Belesme, Earl of Shrewsbury. Henry I. besieged it in 1102, and in the time of Henry II. it was dismantled. The walls suffered the same fate at the hands of the Parliamentary forces after a long siege in 1646. The upper town is built upon a steep rocky plateau, which rises abruptly from the river, crowned by the remains of the old castle, which deviate remarkably from the vertical. A bridge of fine design joins the upper to the lower town.

At Quatford a fortress was built by Ethelfleda, and subsequently a college by the wife of Roger de Montgomery, from a romantic remembrance of having first met her husband upon that spot. Slight indications of a keep still remain upon a rock overlooking the Severn. The church has the chancel arch and font of the Norman period, and the remainder is Decorated work of the fourteenth century.

The Forest of Morfe at one time covered the whole of this district. Dudmaston Castle is passed immediately before Quatt is reached, and then an undulating run eventually leads to

KIDDERMINSTER

The name of the town means the 'minster on the brow of the hill.' From the time of William the Conqueror down to c. 1135 it was a manor in possession of the Crown.

The Church.—This is dedicated to St. Mary, and is chiefly of the Perpendicular period. It contains a number of ancient monuments, and has recently undergone a restoration. The town is celebrated for its manufacture of carpets; a peculiar property of the River Stour is reputed to add to the brilliancy of the colouring. Dyeing, worsted-spinning, together with iron manufactures, are carried on in the town.

On leaving Kidderminster the road lies almost due south to Stourport, a rather uninteresting town, possessing, however, an iron bridge over the Severn. The church is of modern construction.

Ombersley is a village of uncommonly neat appearance, with many timbered houses effectively rendered in black and white. The Court was erected in the time of Queen Anne, and is the country residence of Lord Sandys. The church in the village is new.

WORCESTER

is sheltered by the Malvern Hills on the south-west, and by other picturesque eminences. A Roman road originally traversed the city, and as early as the year 680 Worcester was surrounded by lofty walls and fortifications, which, by existing records, appear to have compared favourably with other towns.

The Cathedral.—(Open on weekdays 9.30 to 6, but closed at 5.30 between October and March 31 [or dusk]. 6d. each charged for entering the Choir, Lady Chapel, and other special portions.) When Mercia became an independent kingdom a church was raised, and subsequently another built by Oswald in the tenth century a little north-east of the present building. Wulfstan found Oswald's church in ruins, the handiwork of Hardicanute's soldiers. He began a new cathedral in 1084, but two fires subsequently ruined it. Re-erected, it was reconsecrated in 1218. The cathedral suffered but little at the Reformation, but very much during the Civil War. It is not a grand building so far as massiveness is concerned, but possesses a variety of styles which harmonize in a remarkable degree, and a sense of unity pervades the whole building. The tower is a beautiful specimen of Perpendicular work, and has recently been thoroughly renovated. The chief objects of interest in the interior are the stalls, with their miserere seats, dating from 1397, formerly in Worcester Priory; the cloisters, chapterhouse, and remarkable Norman crypt, with King John's tomb in the choir. There are picturesque remains of the old Guesten Hall, the refectory and dormitory.

The Edgar Tower stands near the entrance to the cathedral cloisters. It was originally the entrance to Worcester Castle, but the monks converted it into a monastery gateway.

The Guildhall dates from 1721, and is an impressive building, containing some objects of interest from the battlefield of Worcester.

The Commandery.—This is a hospital founded in 1085; the great refectory and Guesten Hall, with beautiful roofs and stained glass, should be seen.

There are a number of old timbered houses remaining in the city, especially in Friar Street, near the city gaol, and in Lich Street. In the Corn Market is King Charles's House, built 1577, in which Charles II. took refuge in 1651 after the Battle of Worcester. It has the inscription, 'Fear God; honour the King,' over the doorway. In the Trinity, not far off, is an interesting Elizabethan house with an open gallery. The Royal Porcelain Works, founded in 1751, are in Severn Street, near the cathedral. (Open 9.30 to 12.30, 2.15 to 5. Admission 6d.)

GREAT MALVERN

Malvern is a watering-place, situated in a beautiful district on the eastern slope of the hills of the same name, and is much frequented by reason of its fine air, its healthy surroundings, and its mineral springs. A Benedictine priory was founded here shortly after the Conquest, and one of the buildings, the Abbey Gateway, dating from 1083, still remains.

The Church is of Norman work, with Perpendicular additions, dating from the time of Henry VII.; it originally formed the Priory Church, and was purchased by the inhabitants at the Dissolution, and made parochial. The recumbent effigies in it are of considerable interest.

Between Malvern and Ledbury lie the Malvern Hills; in crossing them one has to negotiate a hill of 1 in 11. One is reminded of Touraine in the quantities of mistletoe growing on the trees as the quaint old town of Ledbury is neared.

LEDBURY

The main street is full of charm in its possession of several old houses and a market-house standing on chestnut pillars. The upper portion has been much restored, but the wooden supports are those of the building believed to have been put up by John Abell in Elizabethan times.

The most notable feature of the church is the detached Early English tower, now crowned with a modern spire. Of the original Norman church the western doorway remains in the Perpendicular nave. Besides the tombs of the Biddulphs the stained glass in the north chapel should be examined. These windows are of the Decorated period, and the chapel is dedicated to the local St. Catherine, who lived at the beginning of the fourteenth century. During the Civil War there was a hot fight in Ledbury in the year 1645 between Prince Rupert and a body of Roundheads. Marks of bullets can be seen on the church doors and elsewhere in the town.

(For Hereford, see p. 176.)