Shropshire 22 - Acton Burnell Castle /where has silly sat nag taken us /Concorde College /Wigwig

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So where in the world has Silly Sat Nag taken us? We set her up with correct co-ordinates for Acton Burnell Castle and began the drive . The journey started off reasonably well as we drove along decent roads and through small villages and hamlets. We saw the signs for Wigwig . It made us smile . Apparently it is a hamlet situated in the area of natural beauty and scientific interest that is based around the Much Wenlock area. Did not smile so much when she started to take us off the main roads onto very narrow and muddy lanes . With few passing places we hoped not to meet anything coming in the opposite direction .

So far so good . We had avoided cars and not had to try to pass in one of the muddy passing places . Then was it lucky or unlucky as a tractor pulled out in front of us. As a positive it was trailblazing a way for us and we did not have to worry about cars coming the other way. They would give in for the tractor and we would follow in its wake . Its load looked unsafe. Bales of straw piled high. The bottom bales looked reasonably safe but as the bales were piled on higher they went out of line and bulged sideways . As the tractor trundled along we wondered how long we would be following it. It passed under the branches of trees and straw blew everywhere hitting our windscreen like snowflakes . We hoped at the end of the lane that we would be going different ways and thankfully the tractor turned left and we turned right.

Silly immediately instructed us to hand a left . A quick glance showed the lane narrowed and headed downhill to a ford. The river could be seen gushing across the lane. Not going that way even though Silly told us that we just 0.4 miles from our destination. We drove on and she changed to 4.3 miles and we going round in a circle approaching Acton Burnell from the other direction. Approaching a corner we drove very slowly and around the corner appeared a green car driven by a very elderly lady. She seemed unaware that she was approaching a corner and perhaps traffic might be coming towards her. We avoided her but she hit her brakes heavily and stalled the car. I wondered if she should even be on the road as she seemed too unsafe to drive .

We entered the village of Acton Burnell with its prestigious Concorde College an independent , co-educational international day and boarding school . Entries were invited from gifted children from the ages of 12 to 19 . The college advertised an education that was full of rigour to test the pupils, kindness and creativity within a safe , vibrant and friendly environment . The gates were locked and it looked indeed impressive but not the sort of place I would have liked to have attended . Private signs everywhere , no sign of students . Perhaps the fees of £5200 a term , £15,600 put a lot of people off apart from the rich at this time of austerity in our country. For average families that might be one wage . True that bursaries were available for the gifted poor but it still felt alien in such a small village setting .

We approached the locked gate and were presented with a sharp right turn and a tiny sign proclaiming "to the castle " There was parking for a number of cars and we parked on a muddy spot close to the church . For a while we watched the squirrels of which there were many. Some digging the wet ground and others climbing the trees . We were yet again on our own .

Apart from a spaniel who came to us wagging his tail. He seemed pleased to see us and we stroked him . His owner was less friendly . No wagging tail or cheery greeting from him as he drove past clutching another spaniel . The graveyard and church looked interesting . The church had been built by the owner of the castle Robert Burnell who died in 1292. He had risen through the ranks to become Bishop of Bath and Wells and was a close friend and chaplain to Edward I. The church of St Mary was described as unaltered and not messed about with . It was a unexpected gem with a Jesse window , tombs and wall paintings . Sadly we did not get to seem them as the door appeared from a distance to be locked . Perhaps had I gone over and tried it then I might have found it just shut to or a note telling me where to get the key from . I did not realise at the time what we might be missing by not going inside . Some you win . Some you lose .

Acton Burnell CAstle was too small to be called a castle . It was in fact a 13th century fortified manor house It is believed that the first English parliament was held here in 1283. We stood outside looking at the red sandstone house trying to imagine who had walked through those doors. All that remains of the house is an outer shell, roofless and without any walls inside . The castle stood on what was Watling Street . The roman road that was of great importance . Any lands and buildings belonging to the estate had long since disappeared but it was clear to see the importance of the house and its location . Edward I, his retinue and soldiers had stayed here as a guest of Robert Burnell. The king was so delighted he allowed Robert to crenalate his house which was indeed a great honour. A case of Edward keeping his friends sweet .

The manor house originally was three stories high . The lower floor was given over to storage and probably kitchens with spiral stairways leading up to the first floor which housed a great hall and the usual solar . The top floor housed a large space which must have been given over to bedrooms, to office space and a chapel . The house passed through the family to the Lovels of Titchmarsh through marriage . After the Battle of Stoke Field in 1487 the land and buildings were confiscated by Henry VII and granted to Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk . It passed then to the Smythe family in the mid 17th century before falling into disrepair when the family moved out of what was probably a cold and undesireable residence into the new Acton Burnell Hall nearby .

Entry was free. This was another English Heritage property but due to the lack of much to see entry fees had been waived for everyone . Looking back at the house it resembled a norman keep in its shape and design with its two central stories . No sign of fireplaces. Anything in the house had been robbed or moved to the new hall .

It was becoming dusk by now and the gate to the castle would soon be closed by the college . We did not want to be locked in so we walked back to the car and headed home . A funny old day - a poor lunch, an abbey and a fortified manor house . All done in an afternoon . Yes we had problems getting here thanks to Silly Sat Nag but there is eastern proverb that says Enjoy your problem . Well we had probles but the end result was more than enjoyable .

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