Where the ruins of Uriconium are still exposed to view. Here, after a lapse of 1,500 years, the visitor may tread the streets and pavements, handle the implements which the old Romans used, admire their well-turned arches, and see the paint and plaster upon the walls of their apartments. The “Old Wall,” so long a sphinx by the roadside, suggesting enigmas to passers-by, has found an interpreter in revelations which the spade and pickaxe have made within its shadow. From the time when its walls first fell down, it has furnished plunder to the country round. The old monks, finding it easier to take down its stones than to quarry now ones, built their churches with its spoil, whilst the “old wall” left standing served as an advertisement of the treasures buried around it. The Romans who selected the spot no doubt did so on military grounds; but, looking at its position on the river, and the scenery surrounding it, one can readily imagine that an eye for the beautiful, and a love of nature, had some influence in the choice.
The Severn, near Wroxeter, is famous for grayling, which seldom exceed three-quarters of a pound, but which have here been caught two pounds and a half in weight. The ford has a marly or shaly bottom, and the stream is quick and clear, conditions such as this famous fish, described by Dr. Fleming as the “grey salmon,” has a liking for. It has grey longitudinal lines—hence its name—and a violet-coloured dorsal fin barred with brown; it is best in the winter and early spring months, and spawns in those of April and May. The French, who denounce the chub as “un villain,” pronounce the grayling “un chevalier.” And Gesner says, that in his country, which is Switzerland, it is accounted the choicest fish in the world. As bait, grass-hoppers or large dun flies are used, and hooks covered with green or yellow silk; in July, black and red imitation palmer worms are recommended; in August, the artificial house fly, or blue-bottle; and in winter, black or pale gnats are often used. The fords, too, from here to Buildwas are good for trout, that near Cound, from the entrance of Cound Brook into the Severn, being best.
On leaving Berrington, we come in sight of the wooded steep of Haughmond, Shakspere’s “bosky hill.” It commands the field where Falstaff fought “an hour by the Shrewsbury clock;” and has still a thicket, called the Bower, from which Queen Eleanor is said to have watched the battle in which the fortunes of her husband were involved. A castellated turret crowns the summit of the rock next the Severn; beyond, is Sundorne Castle and the ruins of Haughmond Abbey.
The Severn Valley Railway affords a very interesting approach to the old Salopian capital, by bringing before the traveller its striking features, its singular situation, and its most pleasing aspect. On one side are groups of villa-looking residences, the little church of St. Giles, the column raised to Lord Hill, and the Abbey Church and buildings. On the other is the town, with its spires and towers and red-stone castle rising from an eminence above the river. The station occupies a narrow isthmus of the latter within the precincts of the castle, and is a handsome structure, of the Gothic style of architecture. The castle was built by the first Earl of Shrewsbury, who obtained so many favours of a like kind from the Conqueror. Among portions which the old Norman masons raised, is the inner gateway, through which, it is said, the last Norman earl, in token of submission, carried the keys to Henry I. From its position upon a troubled frontier, it changed masters many times, and suffered much from the attacks of assailants. It was fortified by William Fitz-Alan when he espoused the cause of the Empress Maude; and in favour of Henry IV., in his quarrel with the Earl of Northumberland, when the Shrewsbury abbot went forth from its gates to offer pardon to Hotspur, on condition that he would lay down his arms; and it was taken by storm by the Parliamentary army in 1644. It now belongs to the Duke of Cleveland, and has been converted into a dwelling-house, the present drawing-room having been the guard chamber in the reign of Charles. To the right of the castle gates is the Royal Grammar School, founded in 1551 by King Edward VI., and subsequently endowed with exhibitions, fellowships, and scholarships connected with Oxford and Cambridge, to the number of twenty-six. A little higher is the Chapel of St. Nicholas, an old Norman structure, which belonged to the outer court of the castle, but is now used as a coach-house and stable.
Close by is a highly ornamental timber gateway, erected in 1620, leading to the Council House, the temporary residence, during feudal times, of the Lords President of the Marches. Continuing along this street, we pass the Raven Hotel, recently rebuilt at a cost of nearly £20,000. It was here George Farquhar wrote his comedy of the “Recruiting Officer,” which he dedicated to “All friends round the Wrekin.” Descending Pride Hill, the eye rests upon a number of rare old specimens of domestic architecture, which, like those in High Street and others, were the homes of the ancient burghers; mansions here and there of more pretension are also to be seen, mingling an air of antiquity with one of comfort. The town is rich in specimens of ecclesiastical architecture, and possesses some very handsome churches. Of the four whose towers and spires are seen within the circle of the Severn, St. Mary’s is the most interesting. Its site is 100 feet above the river, and its tall and graceful spire is a landmark seen for many miles. The lower portion of the tower, the nave, transepts, and doorway, are of the 12th century, whilst other portions are of the 15th and 16th. The interior, with its clustered columns, decorated capitals, moulded arches, and its oak-panelled ceiling, ornamented with foliage, has a fine effect; added to which, the exquisitely-sculptured pulpit, given in memory of a former minister, and the still more recently erected screen, in memory of another, with numerous mural monuments, in stone and marble, are of peculiar interest. The windows are of stained glass, some being very ancient, and most of them elaborately and beautifully painted, and highly deserving of attention.
Near to St. Mary’s are the churches of St. Alkmund and St. Julian, the former indebted for its foundation to the piety of Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred; the latter, also of Saxon origin, to Henry IV., who in 1410, attached it to his new foundation of Battlefield College, raised in memory “of the bloody rout that gave to Harry’s brow a wreath—to Hotspur’s heart a grave.”
The old collegiate church of St. Chad, founded, it is supposed, soon after the subjugation of the country by Offa, and transformed, as tradition alleges, out of one of the palaces of the Kings of Powis, is now a ruin. The modern one, dedicated to the same saint, of whom there is an ancient carved figure in the vestry, is now the fashionable church of the town.
The Abbey Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, built upon the site of a Saxon one of wood, with the abbey ruins and the famous old stone pulpit of the refectory, should also be visited.
In the centre of the Market Square still stands the old Market House, erected in 1595 by the corporation. It has a statue of Richard, Duke of York, father of Edward IV., in an embattled niche in front, and a surcoat, with armorial bearings, moved from the tower of the old Welsh Bridge; also the arms of the town, sculptured in relief.
In the immediate neighbourhood of these relics of antiquity is the recently-erected statue to the great Lord Clive, the Townhall, the Working Man’s Hall, the Music Hall, the public news-room, and a group of other handsome buildings. A passage near the Music Hall leads to the Museum of the Shropshire and North Wales Natural History and Antiquarian Society, which no visitor with time on his hands should neglect to visit. In addition to objects of natural history, it contains others of interest obtained from Wroxeter, and is open daily from ten to four to visitors upon payment of twopence. Portions of the town walls, erected in the reign of Henry III., with one of the ancient towers, are still standing, and form a pleasant walk. But the grand promenade is the Quarry Avenue, which, with Kingsland on the opposite side, is the common property of the inhabitants. The former is a sloping piece of meadow land, intersected by limes, whose intertwining branches make a fretted archway of living green, whilst the latter is the spot where the trade pageant, called Shrewsbury Show, is held. In addition to objects of interest which we have enumerated, our readers will find materials for observation and study for themselves; as a further aid to which, we would commend them to “Sandford’s Guide to Shrewsbury.”
We glanced in passing at some few features which could scarcely fail to attract the attention of the tourist, and a brief notice only of others will be needed for the geologist. In ascending the river we descend, geologically speaking, from an upper to a lower series of rocks, which rocks, in many instances, are covered over by fluviatile and marine deposits of sand and gravel, containing shells of fish inhabiting our modern seas. These show how recently the sea must have retired from a surface so covered with its remains; whilst their position low down in the valley, and but a little way above the present bed of the Severn, proves how much more recently the arm of the sea, known as the Severn Sraits, must have been succeeded by the river. The best places for collecting these remains along the railway will be found to be in embankments and cuttings near Buildwas and Coalbrookdale, the latter having yielded as many as twenty-two distinct species. In cuttings along the railway, and in their immediate vicinity, will also be found sections of rocks, from the variegated marls of the New Red Sandstone, of the Mesozoic, to the silurians, of the Palæozoic, or Primary Formations. The coal measures of Coalbrookdale, with their alternating beds of coal, clay, and iron ore, are rich in specimens of the fauna and flora of the carboniferous age; the best places for discovering them being the spoil banks of the mines, where shale, and ironstone nodules, will be found the most productive. One of the richest beds yielding fossils is the Penneystone, which may be seen on the surface near Coalbrookdale and Ketley; remains of the Megalicthys, Gyracanthus, and Holoptychus being occasionally found there, whilst Conularias, Nautili, Spirifers aviculus, Bellerophons, and others are numerous. The sand rock overlying it contains Calamites, Lepidodendrons, Ulodendrons, Sigillarias, &c., &c. Benthall Edge and Lincoln Hill yield characteristic fossils of the Wenlock limestone and Wenlock shales in great numbers and variety, corals being most abundant. Between the Severn and the Acton Burnell hills fossils of the Caradoc may be found in drift, in old walls by the wayside, and in strata dipping praidly beneath the Wenlock shales.
In shallow portions of the Severn, we have several varieties of the River Crowfoot (Ranunculus fluitans), which, with their long slender stems and pure white blossoms, form a conspicuous feature; also the Canadian Water-weed (Anacharis alsinastrum), which has found its way as high up as Shrewsbury. In marshy flats bordering on the river, are found the Yellow Flag (Iris pseud-acorus), the Water-dock, (Rumex Hydrolapathum), the Water Drop-wort, Soap-wort, Frog-bit-water-lily, and the creeping Yellow Cress; whilst the little Lily of the Valley, the Giant Bell-flower, the Spreading Bell-flower, the rare Reed Fescue-grass, and the tall, handsome Fox-glove, which,
“On fair Flora’s hand is worn,”
adorn the woods along the slopes.
Other plants are found as follows:—
Ranunculus parviflorus (Small-flowered Crowfoot) . . . Stagborough.
Cardamine impatiens (Narrow-leaved Bittercress) . . . Stagborough.
Poterium sanguisorba . . . Stagborough.
Campanula latifolia . . . Owton and Stagborough.
Campanula patula . . . Owton and Stagborough.
Vinca minor (Lesser Periwinkle) . . . Arley Wood and Stagborough.
Heleborus fœtidus (Stinking Hellebore) . . . Farlow.
Geranium phseum (Dusky Crane’s-bill) . . . Farlow.
Rhamnus catharticus (Common Buckthorn) . . . Farlow.
Prunus padus (Bird Cherry) . . . Farlow.
Geum rivale . . . Farlow.
Artemisia Absinthium (Common Wormwood) . . . Farlow.
Artemisia campestris . . . Farlow.
Habenaria viridis . . . Farlow.
Lathræa squamaria . . . Ribbesford Wood.
Orobanche minor . . . Ribbesford Wood.
Mentha piperita (Peppermint) . . . Near Horshill, Ribbesford.
Thymus serpyllum and T. glandulosus . . . Near Horshill, Ribbesford.
Calamintha Nepeta and officinalis . . . About Ribbesford.
Daphne Laureola (Spurge Laurel) . . . About Ribbesford.
Fagus sylvatioa (Common Beech) . . . About Ribbesford.
Paris quadrifolia . . . About Ribbesford.
Cardamine amara (Bitter Ladies’ Smock) . . . Blackstone.
Cerastium arvense (Field Chick-weed) . . . Blackstone.
Hypericum montanum (Mountain St. John’s-wort) . . . Blackstone.
Sedum dasyphyllum . . . Blackstone.
Viola canina (Dog’s Violet) . . . Hartlebury Common.
Radiola millegrana (Thyme-leaved Flax-seed) . . . Hartlebury Common.
Comarum palustre (Purple Marsh Cinquefoil) . . . Hartlebury Common.
Menyanthes trifoliata (Buck-bean) . . . Hartlebury Common.
Chenopodium ficifolium . . . About Bewdley.
Chenopodium polyspermum . . . About Bewdley.
Chenopodium urbicum . . . About Bewdley.
Chenopodium Bonus Henricus . . . About Bewdley.
Rumex sanguineus . . . About Bewdley.
Bryonia dioica . . . About Bewdley. (In hedges.)
Anacharis alsinastrum . . . In the Severn, near Bewdley.
Habenaria viridis . . . About Bewdley.
Spiranthes autumnalis . . . About Bewdley.
Cephalanthera ensifolia . . . About Bewdley.
Tulipa sylvestris (Wild Tulip) . . . About Bewdley.
Ornithogalum umbellatum (Star of Bethlehem) . . . About Bewdley.
Hieracium vulgatum . . . Bewdley and Broseley.
Papaver Argemone (Prickly-headed Poppy) . . . Corn-fields, near Bewdley.
Turritis glabra (Tower Mustard) . . . Near Bewdley.
Sisymbrium Sophia (Flax weed) . . . Near Bewdley.
Hypericum Androsœmum (St. John’s-wort) . . . Woods around Bewdley.
Vicia sylvatica (Wood Vetch) . . . Woods about Bewdley.
Prunus Cerasus (Wild Cherry) . . . About Bewdley and Norton Prescot.
Potentilla argentea (Hairy Cinquefoil) . . . About Bewdley.
Epilobium angustifolium . . . Near Bewdley.
Myrrhis odorata . . . Between Brosely and Ironbridge.
Artemisia Absinthium (Common Wormwood) . . . About Bewdley.
Doronicum Pardalianches . . . About Bewdley.
Hieracium umbellatum . . . About Bewdley.
Campanula latifolia . . . Ditto, and Coalport Dingle.
Nepeta Cataria (Cat Mint) . . . . Fields about Bewdley and Stourport.
Leonurus Cardiaca (Mother-wort) . . . Occasionally found about Bewdley.
Thalictrum flavum (Meadow Rue) . . . Banks of Severn.
Nasturtium sylvestre (Creeping Nasturtium) . . . Banks of Severn.
Sinapis nigra (Common Mustard) . . . Banks of Severn.
Saponaria officinalis . . . Banks of Severn.
Malachium aquaticum (Water Chick-weed) . . . Banks of Severn.
Geranium pratense (Blue Crane’s Bill) . . . Banks of Severn.
Astragalus glyciphyllus (Sweet Milk Vetch) . . . Banks of Severn about Linkham.
Œnanthe crocata (Hemlock Water Drop-wort) . . . Banks of Severn.
Inula Helenium meinlen (Elecampane) . . . Near the Severn, below Quatford Low, near Clee Hills.
Campanula latifolia . . . Banks of Severn.
Lysimachia vulgaris (Yellow Loose Strife) . . . Banks of Severn.
Scirpus sylvaticus . . . Banks of Severn.
Juniperus communis (Common Juniper) . . . Wyre Forest, near Furnaw Mill.
Gymnadenia conopsea . . . Wyre Forest.
Habenaria bifolia (Small Butterfly Orchis) . . . Wyre Forest.
Habenaria chlorantha (Yellow Butterfly Habenaria) . . . Wyre Forest.
Neottia Nidus-avis (Common Bird’s Nest) . . . Wyre Forest.
Epipactis latifolia . . . In plantations at Willey, and in Wyre Forest.
Epipactis palustris . . . In plantations at Willey, and in Wyre Forest.
Cephalanthera ensefolia . . . In plantations at Willey, and in Wyre Forest. (Abundant.)
Convallaria magalis . . . In plantations at Willey, and in Wyre Forest.
Narthecium ossifragum (Bog Ashphodel) . . . In plantations at Willey, and in Wyre Forest.
Luzula sylvatica (Great Hairy Woodrush) . . . In plantations at Willey, and in Wyre Forest. (Abundant.)
L. pilosa (Broad-leaved Wood-rush) . . . In plantations at Willey, and in Wyre Forest.
Triglochin palustre (Marsh Arrow-grass) . . . In plantations at Willey, and in Wyre Forest.
Eriophorum angustifolium (Cotton-grass) . . . In plantations at Willey, and in Wyre Forest.
Eriophorum latifolium . . . In plantations at Willey, and in Wyre Forest.
Carex muricata, C. vulpina, C. teretiuscula . . . In plantations at Willey, and in Wyre Forest.
C. ovalis, C. pendula, C. pilulifera . . . In plantations at Willey, and in Wyre Forest.
C. fulva . . . Wyre Forest.
Melica nutans and uniflora . . . Wyre Forest.
Equisetum sylvaticum and E. hyemale . . . Wyre Forest.
Lycopodium clavatum and L. inundatum . . . Wyre Forest.
Thalictrum minus . . . Wyre Forest.
Aquilegia vulgaris (Common Columbine) . . . Wyre Forest.
Rhamnus catharticus and R. Frangula . . . Wyre Forest and Farlow.
Sanguisorba officinalis (Great Burnet) . . . Wyre Forest.
Rubus saxatilis, and most of the other species of Rubi . . . Wyre Forest.
Rosa spinosissima (Burnet-leaved Rose) . . . Wyre Forest and Weldon.
R. villosa and R. tomentosa . . . Wyre Forest.
Pyrus Malus, P. Aria and P. aucuparia, and P. torminalis . . . Wyre Forest.
Epilobium angustifolium (Rose bay Willow) . . . Wyre Forest.
Gnaphalium sylvaticum (Highland Cudweed) . . . Wyre Forest.
Serratula tinctoria (Saw-wort) . . . Wyre Forest.
Hieracium murorum . . . Wyre Forest.
Pyrola minor, and P. media . . . Wyre Forest.
Gentiana Amarella (Autumnal Gentian) . . . Wyre Forest.
Lithospermum officinale (Grey Millet) . . . Wyre Forest.
Pedicularis palustris (Marsh Louse-wort) . . . Wyre Forest.
Scutellaria minor and galericulata . . . Wyre Forest.
Anagallis tenella (Bog Pimpernel) . . . Wyre Forest.
Daphne Laureola . . . Wyre Forest.
Populus tremula (Aspen) . . . Abundant over the Forest.
Fagus sylvatica (Common Beech) . . . Abundant over the Forest.
Quercus Robur and Q. intermedia. (Two very distinct species, Q. intermedia occupies almost exclusively the whole of Wyre forest.) . . . Abundant over the Forest.
Polemonium cæruleum (Jacob’s Ladder) . . . Bridgnorth.
Campanula patula, or spreading bell flower . . . Bridgnorth and near Berrington.
Sambucus Ebulus (Dwarf Elder) . . . Bridgnorth.
Lathræa squammaria (Greater Tooth-wort) . . . Bridgnorth.
Camelina sativa (Common Gold of Pleasure) . . . Bridgnorth.
Vicia sylvatica (Wood Vetch) . . . Bridgnorth.
Astragalus glycpyhyllus . . . Bridgnorth.
Parietaria officinalis . . . Bridgnorth.
Lactuca virosa (Strong-scented Lettuce) . . . Bridgnorth.
Scirpus sylvaticus . . . Bridgnorth.
Erigeron acris (Blue Fleabane) . . . Bridgnorth.
Adonis autumnalis (Pheasant’s Eye) . . . Coalport.
Monotropa Hypopitys (Yellow Bird’s nest) . . . Coalport.
Ligustrum vulgare (Privet) . . . Benthall Edge.
Erigeron acris . . . Benthall Edge.
Bee Orchis (Ophrys apifera) . . . Benthall Edge.
Pinguicula vulgaris (Common Butter-wort) . . . Wrekin.
Vaccinium myrtillus (Bilberry) . . . Wrekin.
Danthonia decumbens . . . Wrekin.
Eriophorum angustifolium . . . Wrekin.
Isolepis setacea (Bristle-stalked Moor-rush) . . . Wrekin.
Myosotis collina (Early Field Scorpion grass) . . . Wrekin.
Polypodium dryopteris . . . Wrekin.
Amongst the ferns of the district may be mentioned—the Royal fern (Osmunda regalis), which has been found sparingly at Shirlett, in Willey Park, and in Dairley Dingle; the beautiful Beech fern (Polypodium Phegopteris), which grows in the greatest luxuriance in Dairley Dingle, also in a wood in Willey Park; and the Hay fern (Lastrea fænisecii), in Coalbrookdale, and upon Shirlett. Also several other commoner species, as Lastrea Oreopteris, Lastrea spinosa, Lastrea dilatata, and its variety glandulosa, Lastrea filix mas, and its variety Borreri; Aspidium aculeatum, and Aspidium augulare.
In giving the above list, I willingly acknowledge the assistance of my friends, Messrs. Baugh, Jordin, and Maw.
In 1 volume, crown 8vo., handsomely bound in cloth, and gilt, price 7s. 6d.; or in cloth, and not gilt (Second Edition), price 5s. 6d.,
The Severn Valley; A Series of Sketches. Descriptive and Pictorial, of the entire Course of the Severn, containing Notices of its Topographical, Industrial, and Geological Features, with Glances at its Historical and Legendary Associations. By John Randall, F.G.S.
“This work will be an admirable guide-book for the tourist, and is so beautifully printed as to be worthy of a place on any drawing-room table, although the price is modestly fixed at 7s. 6d. only. Mr. Randall sketches landscapes with artistic taste, lingers here and there for anecdote, drops in at the wayside hostelry, and picks up pleasant chit-chat on angling and other subjects. He is evidently a lover of nature, and possesses a pleasing style of demonstrating his devotion in print.”—Worcester Herald.
“Mr. Randall’s style is pure and unaffected; it flows equably and cheerfully along as the river he so lovingly describes. To tourists this elegant and interesting book will prove an invaluable companion, and as such we cordially commend it.”—Eddowes’s Journal.
“This is a valuable addition to the story of literary information connected with this and neighbouring counties, and we doubt not the work will prove as popular as undoubtedly it is interesting.”—Worcestershire Chronicle.
“The author has made judicious selection of the abundant materials presented, and draws a series of graphic and pleasing pictures of all the more noticeable features of the country which are to be found along the extensive and meandering course of the Severn.”—Gloucester Journal.
“The book which has furnished our theme is perhaps the best account of the Severn and the Severn Valley in existence.”—Gloucester Chronicle.
“Always easy and flowing, and sometimes approaching almost to the force of poetry in its simple elegance of expression, the legendary and historical associations which belong to the scenery of the Severn blend naturally with the most glowing pictures of descriptive beauty, and there is never any appearance of labour or constraint.”—Shrewsbury Chronicle.
“The ground—which to the great majority of tourists must be comparatively new—presents some of the finest scenery in the kingdom. Its antiquities, its historical and legendary associations, are full of interest; whilst to the student of nature, whether his special subject be geology or botany, it is no less rich and attractive. On all these subjects, as well as on the industrial features of the district, Mr. Randall is at home.”—Shropshire News.
“Mr. Randall is a good guide. He is thoroughly acquainted with his subject. He has long been familiar with the Severn Valley, and knows its geology, its traditions, its historic records, its myths, its poetry, and its loveliest scenes. On all these topics he dilates with the freshness which ever arises from deep love.”—Literary Companion.
“An itinerary abounding with interesting material of a very varied kind, of which the author has availed himself to write a most agreeable guide-book.”—Art-Journal.
“We can most conscientiously recommend it to our readers, for there is food for all tastes and temperaments in its ever-varying pages. For a day’s out to any place on the Severn, we do not know a better guide.”—Birmingham Post.
“The wood-cuts, though small, are artistically drawn and neatly engraved.”—Army and Navy Gazette.
JAMES S. VIRTUE, AND ALL BOOKSELLERS.
{6} Upon payment of one shilling.
{11} The geological features of the district are readily recognised. The great magazine of salt at Droitwich is sufficiently indicative of the red marls observed in the cutting at Shrub Hill, and which rise, by means of passage shales, into the lias on one side, and descend, by means of other members of the New Red Sandstone, into the permians on the other.