Nooks and Corners of ShropshireTimmins, H. Thornhill (Henry Thornhill)
History
Nooks and Corners of Shropshire
Timmins, H. Thornhill (Henry Thornhill)
Shropshire (England) -- Description and travel
A bowshot farther on we enter the demesne of Whitton Court, a charming,
seventeenth-century mansion, whose ruddy old brick gables, clustered
chimney stacks and mullioned windows, all wreathed in luxuriant ivy and
set against a background of autumnal foliage, make as pleasant a picture
as one could wish to see. Inside and out alike, this venerable abode is
a delight to the lover of things antique and curious, its owners having
displayed rare good taste in such renovations as have been found
needful. Though in the main of Elizabethan style, the oldest portions of
the house date back as early as the fourteenth century; and some richly
carved woodwork, some good pictures and curious old tapestry, are
features of the interior. An admirable sketch of Whitton Court appeared
in Mr. Oliver Baker's 'Ludlow Town and Neighbourhood.'
Tinker's Hill is full in view towards the west as we push on for Hope
Bagot, its tree-begirt slopes crowned by the old British earthwork
called Caynham Camp, of which the Parliamentarians availed themselves
when besieging the town of Ludlow. In the vale below lies Caynham
church, an ancient but much restored edifice, which has a curious triple
chancel arch of rather unusual character.
Ashford Bowdler, with its quaint old church overlooking the Teme, lies
but a few miles beyond, in a picturesque nook of the county adjacent to
the Herefordshire border.
Hope Bagot itself stands high up in the world, looking out across the
pleasant vale of Teme from its 'hope,' or upland valley, among the
foothills of Titterstone Clee. So now we stroll on to the church, which
is seen a short distance away under the shoulder of Knowl Hill.
It is an ancient place, and, with its grey stone walls and timbered
porch, falls in pleasingly with its rustic environment, tempting the
wayfarer to make a closer acquaintance. Many notable objects here meet
our gaze, a curious sedilia and piscina in the chancel, to reach which
we pass beneath a chancel arch evidently built by the Normans; and the
plain, bowl-shaped font is perhaps of equal antiquity, while the carving
upon the old oak pulpit calls for a passing notice.
A great dark yew-tree flings its shadow athwart the graveyard, and
yonder is the Holy Well, famed in bygone times as a sovereign remedy for
curing sore eyes.
But the day wears towards a close, and it behoves us to be up and away;
for it is a far cry yet to our night's bivouac at Cleobury Mortimer.
So climbing the steep flank of Titterstone, we win our way to the high
road, 'high' indeed at this point, where we stand some 1,250 feet above
the sea. Far and wide extends the bounteous landscape, a maze of hill
and dale, tilth and pasturage; its remoter features veiled in the soft,
warm haze of an autumn afternoon, lending an added charm to everyday,
familiar objects.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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