A half hour's leisurely drive from Crewe is the Shropshire border. Shropshire is, I think, my favourite county, as I consider its countryside simply stunning.
Just off the A49 south of Whitchurch, you will find one of England's best kept secrets: nestled between a pig farm and a fine old church, the brooding remains of a Norman castle, actually a fortified house.
St Bartholomew's Church, next door, is also well worth visiting. It dates from a similar period to the earliest parts of the castle, and each member of the Corbet family since that time is buried in or around it. The church boasts some fascinating Corbet chest tombs, intricately carved, inside; and a modest donation will secure a copy of A Short History of Moreton Corbet Castle and Church by Major CJR Errington.
UPDATE:
One of my visitors, Stephen, emailed the following:
I met an old man in the church. I told him I do English Civil War re-enactments in the summer months. He said he would show me some musket ball holes on the side of the church.The holes were in one small area indicating someone had been put against the wall and shot!!!.There is another similar grouping on the right end wall of the house.Check these out the next time you go.
The web site address of Stephen's Civil War Re-enactment group is www.17thcenturylifeandtimes.com
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A very short distance further up the A49 is Hawkstone Park, which holds an altogether different appeal to the sombre elegance of Moreton Corbet. Instead of poetic ruins, Hawkstone boasts comparitively frivolous follies; erected mainly in the late 18th century.
Conceived on a massive scale, most of what exists today was commissioned by Sir Richard Hill who inherited the land in 1783 from his father Rowland.
The first folly encountered is the White Tower. Curiously red in colour, it now houses a lifesize model of Wellington (a regular visitor to Hawkstone) drawing up battle plans for Waterloo. This building, despite it's warlike appearance, was originally the Hill family's summer house. In order to reach the White Tower, you must first negotiate some rather steep steps cut into the cliff face - a mere taster for some of the exertion ahead of you!
The tower resides on the top of the cliff - the terrain here is perfectly flat, giving it it's popular name - the Terrace.
