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The Old Vicarage Hotel & Restaurant is ideally situated for visits to the many tourist sites in the beautiful local Shropshire countryside and is close to the towns of Bridgnorth and Telford. Shropshire is a county that is quietly confident in its own unspoilt charm. You'll find picturesque villages & towns like Bridgnorth & Shrewsbury which effortlessly combine history with a thriving economy that is anything but twee. Shropshire is a county that doesn't have to try too hard but none- the-less offers a friendly warmth that draws visitors back time & time again.
The Ironbridge Gorge was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution. Today, its the Ironbridge Gorge Museums along the banks of the River Severn help visitors to re-live the sights and sounds of 250 years ago. The Severn Valley Railway too is splendidly evocative of a bygone age, combining the awesome power of steam with the enduring beauty of the surrounding countryside: while Cosford Aerospace Museum provides a fascinating insight into the world of modern aviation and space travel.
Close to the hotel there's a plethora of stately homes and gardens run by the National Trust and English Heritage: castles such as Shrewsbury, Stokesay, Clun, and Ludlow as well as Much Wenlock Priory and The Follies at Hawkstone Park. Nearby is Dudmaston Hall, a late 17th-century house with intimate family rooms containing fine furniture and Dutch flower paintings, as well as interesting contemporary paintings and sculpture. Also well worth a visit is Wightwick Manor which is one of only a few surviving examples of a house built and furnished under the influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement.
In nearby Albrighton is David Austin Roses with its recently opened new Plant Centre which includes not only one of the finest and most complete collections of roses obtainable anywhere, but also a great variety of interesting plants, trees and shrubs.
If you enjoy shopping, you can contrast the modern malls of Telford and Merry Hill with the old world charm of Shrewsbury, Ludlow and Bridgnorth.
Why not take a scenic flight by helicopter along the Severn Valley with views of the Wyre Forest and Shropshire Plain.
But to return almost full circle, you couldn't possibly visit Shropshire without spending some time enjoying the simple pleasures of the glorious countryside. Walk along Wenlock Edge (which so famously inspired A. E. Housman), the Clee Hills, the Long Mynd or Offas Dyke and you may not see another soul.
There's still so much Shropshire that remains largely undiscovered. |
