Shropshire
Introduction
Shropshire is a generally unremarkable land-locked English county on the Welsh border with Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, Worcestershire to the southeast, and Herefordshire to the south. Shropshire's county town is Shrewsbury, England and worth a visit is the nearby Ironbridge.
Things to Do
Boscobel House and The Royal Oak
Located a short distance north west of Birmingham just off the A442, Boscobel House and the Royal Oak is a small farm house most famously associated with being where King Charles II took refuge in 1651 after fleeing for his life following Civil War defeat. The “Royal Oak” in which he hid still stands to this day in the back garden.
On site you can visit the stables, farm house, formal gardens (behind the farm house), farm animals (chickens, pigs and sheep), and orchard.
There is a small visitor centre and shop. In the grounds there is a small tearoom serving drinks and light lunches with a children's play area behind.
We attended during their annual “Victorian Farm Weekend” where they have various traditional crafts being demonstrated on site.
There is a small car park here which is paid for in the visitor's centre. There is a small admission charge to the site.
Worth a visit are the ruins of “White Ladies Priory”, located at the end of a small path a short distance from Boscobel House (there are only one or two spots to park on the road nearby). Access to the priory site is free.
Further Information
For further information, please see:
- Shropshire Council - Government web site