South East Shropshire

The parish of Morville lies to the west of Bridgnorth, and straddles the A458 Bridgnorth to Much Wenlock road. The church is dedicated to St. Gregory and is essentially a Norman structure, though of different periods, and replaces an earlier Saxon church. In pre-Norman times Morville church is said to have been one of the most important in Shropshire. Across the field from the church, and separated by a ha-ha, stands Morville Hall on the site of the former Morville Priory. The Benedictine Priory was created by the Bishop of Hereford and had several chapels attached to it. Only the chapel at nearby Aston Eyre, with its magnificent tympanum survives. These chapels were "for the benefit and protection of the poor in these warlike times." referring to the stormy period of King Stephen.

Much Wenlock, lying between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth has to be one of, if not the, county's best-loved small town. It has a history that seems to exude from every timber, stone and brick. For more information, see Much Wenlock.

The parish of Shipton stands on the B4378 Much Wenlock to Craven Arms road. The village is little more than a hamlet but made interesting by the hall which stands beside a bend in the road. Shipton Hall is one of the great stone-built houses of Shropshire, and was built around 1587 by Richard Lutwyche as a wedding present for his daughter Elizabeth when she married into the Mytton family. With its grey walls and mullioned windows, and a rather fine stable block, it is a magnificent sight, seen all too briefly by most who travel that road. It has seen many families as owners. First Richard Lutwyche, then the Myttons, and later the Mores. The house also belonged, for a period, to Thomas Palmer who was beheaded for treason in the reign of Queen Mary. Naturally, considering the age of the house, there are ghost stories, and one is of Harriot Mytton who is said to be seen at the window of her room in which she was locked by her mother when it was discovered that she had fallen in love with a servant.

The parish of Upton Cressett is a delightful spot and must have once been a much larger settlement than it is today, as close to the church and hall is the site of a mediaeval village. It is to be found just off the A458, not far from Bridgnorth.
The tiny Norman church is dedicated to St. Michael, but is now disused. It stands a few yards below Upton Cressett Hall, a remarkable Tudor house of brick, built in the 16th century with magnificent chimneys. Although the hall is still an impressive structure, and is said to be one of the oldest dated houses built of brick in Shropshire, in its heyday it must have been even more magnificent with its moat and drawbridge. The impressive and almost fairy tale gatehouse now stands detached from the present hall. Tradition has it that the young princes, sons of Edward IV, spent the night here on their way from imprisonment at Ludlow to their incarceration and subsequent death in the Tower of London.

The parish and village of Worfield lie immediately to the east of Bridgnorth across the river Severn. In the village the church is dedicated to St. Peter and is a magnificent structure worthy of many a town. Perhaps the reason for such a large church can be found in the fact that it serves around thirty hamlets in the area.
Although there are traces of the late 13th century, most of the present structure was built in the 14th and later centuries, and it is an interesting subject for those interested in church architecture through the ages. The older part of the village, with some attractive timber-framed and stone houses, stands below the church with its back to the river Worfe.