Bishop's Castle

Refreshing ...in more ways than one!

Before clocking-on there was no need to know the time to the minute. Before the railways there was even local time. Until 1680 most clocks were happy with one hand. The clock on St. John’s Church is one of the few remaining one handed clocks in the country. Even for an abbreviated tour of the town, we should take our time from this relaxed timepiece.

Putting back the clock

If you spot someone unloading tree trunks half way up the hill – it may well be chair maker Stuart Carroll. Very few people in Britain make such individual chairs in such time-honoured fashion. Stuart and his wife Jane have taken nine years to put back the clock a hundred years or more. They talk of their work as re-introduction not reproduction. The coppiced ash trees of the South Shropshire Hills provided the wood for chair-making here for over two hundred years until the late 1800s.

The traditional Clun Forest chair was made of green ash. As the ash was split along the grain, releasing the stress in the wood, the chairs were strong. They were made without glue, being pegged in the traditional way.

The chairs are all made to order – numbered and signed on the seat bottom – so don’t expect to take half a dozen with you when you leave. The Carrolls are founder members of the Bishop’s Castle and Clun Valley Real Furniture and Craft Group, where you will also find ceramics,leather, musical instruments and other beautifully made furniture from talented local craftsmen.

Timeless design from the best local and national artists

Bishop’s Castle is a medieval town with a fascinating architectural mixture. Its past is celebrated by two museums, one of local history and one about the famous Bishop’s Castle railway. It is still a rural market centre, with regular cattle and sheep auctions and a farmers’ market in the Town Hall.

The gradient of the main street is 1 in 6. No wonder there’s a House on Crutches. Collectors and shoppers in search of the unusual are drawn to the summit by a collection of arts, crafts and a book shop that is nationally renowned. It is as if a ship, charged with a precious cargo had run aground on this Shropshire hilltop. A firm of specialists in batik have an outlet, more argosy than shop, of batik cloths, handmade textiles from Indonesia, jewellery and crafts. There’s a UK specialist in used classical CDs and records who also stocks an extensive range of second hand books. Browse awhile with coffee and cakes. The antique shops offer original art, furniture and objets d’art and a gallery provides a ‘link’ between the best designer-makers and the discerning buyer. You can buy specialist ceramics and glass, metalwork and wood.

Hand-framed and hand-finished knitwear in finest Shetland wool, alpaca, cotton, linen and silk – an “emporium of really wearable clothes” is on the first floor of a shop that combines knitwear and decorative items for the home. Lots of friendly traditional shops, butchers, grocers, ironmongers, line the main street.

Further down the hill look out for Art Deco and other art glazed pottery and art glass of the 1920s and 1930s.

How do they find the time?

Perhaps that one-handed clock really does take its time, leaving the townsfolk here with more time for fun and joining in than the rest of us can find. How else do they cram in all these festivals, May Fair, Folk Weekend, Walking Festival, Midsummer Rejoicing, The Michaelmas Fair and the Tandem Triathlon, as well as the Christmas Lights?

“Time gentlemen please!”

For 800 years the Welsh drovers brought herds of cattle, flocks of sheep and even geese along the Kerry Ridgeway to the market at Bishop’s Castle. To slake the drovers’ thirst, they’ve been brewing real ale here since at least 1642.

In a county renowned for its brew pubs, Bishop’s Castle is Top of the Hops. Talk about fitting a quart into a pint pot, in July there’s just time, between the Carnival and the Agricultural Show, to celebrate the Real Ale Festival – a well-established event held on Friday and Saturday. Both breweries (The Three Tuns and Six Bells) brew special beers and hold brewery tours. Other inns have a selection of real ales to taste – some with a regional theme.

The Six Bells stands opposite the Church alongside the old mid-Wales to London road. It is a former coaching inn whose brewery now produces several award-winning ales. At the top of the town beside the Three Tuns Inn is a Grade II listed Victorian four-storey tower brewery. Born of three generations of brewers, it is a rare survivor of a rural workshop brewery.

Whilst at the top of the town, it is worth visiting the site of the old castle where you can see the remains of the castle wall. It is a beautiful place for a picnic and you don’t even need to make your own sandwiches. Pick what you fancy from the many interesting and delicious snacks, sandwiches or more substantial takeaways in various outlets in the town.

A stitch in time for St John’s

That one handed clock must have recorded countless hours before one glowing symbol of the town’s rare community spirit was completed – an altar-cloth made by individuals and groups as a patchwork collage. This work of art, with colours derived from the stained-glass windows, is used on appropriate occasions. The Norman tower is in the process of being restored but the Church is always open for you to view the inspiring architecture and
stained glass.

Some of the most beautiful river valleys in the country have been carved from the landscape around Bishop’s Castle. A E Housman and the Clun Valley are practically synonymous. The Shropshire Way comes through the town, Offa’s Dyke passes by just outside. It is an ideal base for exploring this ancient and unspoilt land of rolling uplands, valleys and castles.

Bishop's Castle Facts

Tourist Information Point - Located at Old Time, High Street.
E-mail: info@oldtime.co.uk or Tel: 01588 638467
Market Days: Fridays including a Flea Market monthly on 1st Saturday, Farmers Market - monthly on 3rd Saturday. Wednesday is traditionally early closing day.
For information about Bishop's Castle visit - www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/bishops-castle
For information on numerous events throughout the year, including the Walking and Real Ale Festivals, the Real Furniture, Craft Show and the Offa's Dyke Walk,
Michaelmas Fair - www.michaelmasfair.org.uk
Bishop's Castle Town Tours - Tuesdays and Saturdays at 6.30pm from May - September. Group tours throughout the year by arrangement.
Tel: 01588 638467
Bishop's Castle Walking Festival - Tel: 01588 638118
The Kerry Ridgeway Walk - Powys section of www.greenwalks.net
Secret Hills Shuttle Bus - a green and easy way to access the countryside - www.shropshirehillsshuttles.co.uk or Tel: 01588 673888
Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural beauty - http://www.shropshirehills.info/

For more information about Shropshire, including Accommodation, Atrractions and Activities, visit Shropshire Tourism