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Abdon is a parish
of secrets with tantalising hints of its past to be found in faded
records or grassy mounds. There is little of the Iron Age remaining as
both the forts within the parish, have largely been destroyed through
quarrying. Abdon Burf is at the summit of Brown Clee Hill which, at
1771 feet is the highest point in Shropshire. It was an oval enclosure
covering an area of between 20 and 30 acres. The earthen walls were as
much as 65 feet wide at their base. The great fallen stone, the Giant's
Shaft, which was said to have been placed there by the Druids, and a
vague outline of the earthworks is all that remains of Abdon Burf. Ashford
Bowdler lies along
the banks of the River Teme some three miles south of Ludlow. The
actual year in which the Norman church of Saint Andrew was founded is
unknown. What is certain is that little of the original church remains.
It is a very attractive building with a wooden porch and shingled
bellcote and is perched, almost precariously, on the very steep banks
of the River Teme. Its Norman origin is confirmed by the two blocked
round-arched doorways on the north and south sides of the nave, both
partly obscured from inside by the monuments on the walls. It is
believed that these doorways may have been used by passing pilgrims
seeking a blessing on their way. The church is small enough to almost
seem to belong to the Georgian Church House opposite, rather than the
house belonging to the church. With its white paint and iron porch,
Church House is the epitome of a rectory of its time. Aston
Botterell lies at the
foot of Brown Clee Hill and to the east of the B4364 Bridgnorth to
Ludlow road, some eight miles from Bridgnorth. The views of Brown Clee
Hill, whether shrouded in cloud or not, are magnificent, as are the
extensive views to the east from some parts of the parish. The village
of Aston Botterell is not much more than a cluster of farm buildings
and a church, but its lack of inhabitants is more than compensated by
the beautiful parish church. It is a stone building which has obviously
been altered and added to over the years. Nevertheless, it retains a
certain charm in its stone and timbers. Inside the church are some
magnificent memorials to members of the Botterell family who gave the
parish its name. Little is known of where the family originated from,
but records of the area show that the family can be traced as far back
as 1202. Certainly by the late 14th century they were lords of Aston
Botterell and living in what is now Aston Manor Farm. The oldest part
of this house dates from around the 13th century. The parish
and village of Bromfield
lie immediately to the west of Ludlow. The village stands between the
rivers Onny and Teme which eventually merge a little way downstream. In
the fork formed by the two rivers stands the remains of a Benedictine
Priory. What is left is mainly in the form of St. Mary's Church, the
nave of which was originally the name of the priory, and there is still
amble evidence of its Norman origins. In the church is a memorial to
Henry Hickman who was born at nearby Lady Halton. It is believed by
many that he was the first to experiment successfully with
anaesthetics. The village
of Burford
is only separated from Tenbury Wells and Worcestershire by the river,
where a substantial bridge spans the shallows of the river Teme. It was
the ford across the river that gave the village its name and it was an
important enough crossing to have been the site of a fortified Roman
settlement. Away from the river to the north the parish of Burford has
a rural charm that can only be found in Shropshire.
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