Shropshire is a historic and scenic county in England’s West Midlands, known for its medieval towns, castles, industrial heritage, and beautiful countryside.
Chirk Castle is a historic Grade I listed castle and stately home in north-east Wales, built in 1295 and managed by the National Trust. Visitors can explore both the castle interiors and extensive formal gardens and parkland surrounding the site. The estate also features notable landscape elements such as Offa's Dyke and has historic significance dating back to the Marcher Lords and English Civil War periods.
Sunnycroft is a Victorian suburban villa in Wellington, Shropshire, featuring a rare unaltered interior, an elaborate conservatory, and extensive grounds including stables, pigsties, gardens, and a tree-lined avenue. It is owned by the National Trust and open to the public by appointment or on limited occasions.
Telford is a planned new town in Shropshire, England, known for its strong industrial heritage and proximity to the Ironbridge Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site. It features a bustling town centre with shopping, cultural amenities, and extensive parkland, surrounded by historic towns and scenic landscapes.
Boscobel House is a historically significant Grade II* listed building in Shropshire, known for its role in protecting Charles II after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Visitors can explore timber-framed house interiors with original and Victorian exhibits, extensive formal gardens, and the famous Royal Oak tree on the grounds.
Eliseg's Pillar is an ancient early Christian monument from the 9th century, located on a Bronze Age burial cairn in Wales. Visitors can explore the historic outdoor site featuring a weathered cross shaft with inscriptions that tell the story of the kingdom of Powys and its rulers. The site is accessible via a short walk from nearby Valle Crucis Abbey car park.
Mitchell's Fold is a Bronze Age stone circle situated on Stapeley Hill in Shropshire, England, featuring an elliptical arrangement of ancient stones including a notable standing stone and cairn. Visitors can explore this outdoor prehistoric monument managed by English Heritage.
Langley Chapel is an Anglican church built in 1601 in rural Shropshire, notable for its original 17th-century wooden furniture and unmodernized historic interior. It offers visitors a rare glimpse into early 17th-century ecclesiastical architecture and furnishings, preserved without modern alterations.
Offa's Dyke is a historic large earthwork that runs along much of the England-Wales border, symbolising the ancient boundary between Mercia and the Welsh kingdoms. It offers visitors a significant outdoor experience with scenic views, walking paths, and notable archaeological importance.
The Iron Bridge, located in Shropshire, England, is the world's first major cast iron arch bridge, opened in 1781. Spanning the River Severn, it is a historic symbol of the Industrial Revolution and forms part of the UNESCO Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site. The bridge is a pedestrian-only attraction, preserved as a scheduled monument and Grade I listed structure, with extensive restoration ensuring its longevity.
10–12 Oct, 17–19 Oct…
Follow a Victorian-style passport trail around Benthall Hall and its garden, discovering George Maw’s travels, plant and fossil collecting, and inspiration for his tile designs. Suitcases around the site contain activities, objects to look at and passport stamps.
Old Oswestry Hill Fort is a large Iron Age hill fort in Shropshire, England, with well-preserved earthworks offering panoramic views. It is managed by English Heritage and open free to the public as a historical and archaeological outdoor site.
Powis Castle is a Grade I listed medieval castle and grand country house near Welshpool, Powys, Wales, featuring magnificent interiors with historical murals and family portraits. It is renowned for its extensive Baroque formal gardens with terraces and water garden remains. The site includes the Clive Museum, displaying South Asian artifacts from Robert Clive's collections, and offers a blend of indoor historic architecture and outdoor garden experiences. The castle is managed by the National Trust and attracts around 200,000 visitors annually.
Morville Hall is a historic Grade I listed Elizabethan country house and gardens in Shropshire, England, cared for by the National Trust. The venue offers rich historical architecture and distinctive gardens showcasing developments from the Elizabethan to Victorian periods, but it is currently closed to the public.
Moreton Corbet Castle is a ruined medieval and Elizabethan castle located in Shropshire, England. Visitors can explore the historic ruins and the remains of the Elizabethan manor house set within the castle grounds. The site is free to enter during daylight hours and offers a glimpse into medieval fortifications and Elizabethan architecture influenced by Italian designs.
Cronkhill is a historically significant Italianate villa designed by John Nash in 1802, known as the earliest of its style in England. It is a Grade I listed building located on the Attingham estate in Shropshire and is open to the public on limited days each year.
Attingham Park is a Grade I listed neoclassical stately home near Atcham, Shropshire, set within 4,000 acres including 640 acres of parkland and gardens landscaped by Humphry Repton. The estate features historical architecture, rare Georgian garden spaces, extensive deer parkland, and offers visitors both indoor tours of the mansion and outdoor exploration of the grounds, with food available onsite.
7 Oct, 14 Oct…
A 30–45 minute outdoor guided walk introducing the family and fortune of Attingham Park.
Acton Burnell Castle is the ruins of a 13th-century fortified manor house in Shropshire, notable as the site of the first English Parliament including Commons, managed by English Heritage.
Wilderhope Manor is a 16th-century Elizabethan manor house in Shropshire, now serving as a youth hostel, featuring original architectural details, historic surroundings, and natural landscapes managed by the National Trust.
Wenlock Priory is a historic ruined 12th-century Cluniac monastery in Shropshire, England, featuring extensive visible remains of its monastic buildings and church, alongside Grade II listed topiary gardens, accessible to the public and maintained by English Heritage.
Town Walls Tower is a preserved 14th-century medieval watchtower in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, part of the original town defenses overlooking the surrounding area and River Severn. It is cared for by the National Trust and open to the public on pre-booked guided tours during specific open days, also serving as a holiday let.
Shrewsbury is the historic market town and county town of Shropshire, England, renowned for its medieval street plan, historic castle, rich cultural heritage, and beautiful River Severn setting.
Benthall Hall is a 16th-century English country house in Shropshire, featuring fine oak interiors, historic gardens, and connections to the English Civil War, open to the public seasonally under the National Trust.
Knowles Mill is a historic 18th-century water-powered grain mill ruin in Worcestershire, set within the Wyre Forest National Nature Reserve. Visitors can explore the mill ruins, observe remnants of the mill machinery, and enjoy the surrounding woodland and meadow managed by the National Trust.
Kinver Edge is a historic heath and woodland escarpment on the Staffordshire-Worcestershire border, featuring England's last inhabited rock houses open for tours, Iron Age hillforts, and scenic walking and biking trails through diverse natural habitats.
The Royal Oak in Boscobel Wood, Shropshire, is the historic English oak tree where King Charles II hid to escape after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Visitors can explore the outdoor site near Boscobel House and learn about its significance in British history, including related traditions and commemorations.
Valle Crucis Abbey is a historic Cistercian abbey ruin in Denbighshire, Wales, founded in 1201 and dissolved in 1537. Visitors can explore extensive outdoor ruins including the church, cloisters, and outbuildings, with access to some first-floor areas. The site is noted for its medieval architecture and the only remaining monastic fishpond in Wales.
White Ladies Priory is a historic ruin of a 12th-century Augustinian priory near Brewood, Shropshire, known for its medieval church remains, Romanesque architecture, and its role in the escape of King Charles II. It offers outdoor exploration of the priory ruins and the surrounding historic landscape, with year-round public access.
Cantlop Bridge is a historic single-span cast-iron bridge designed and approved by Thomas Telford in 1818, located in Shropshire. It is a Grade II* listed structure and a scheduled monument, now serving as a pedestrian monument with an information board and free access.
Buildwas Abbey is a free-to-visit historic ruin of a 12th-century Cistercian monastery in Shropshire, England. Visitors can explore substantial remains of the abbey church and claustral buildings beside the River Severn, including an architecturally notable nave, cloister, and chapter house.
Haughmond Abbey is a historic ruined Augustinian monastery in Shropshire, England, featuring extensive medieval abbey ruins, cloisters, and a decorated chapter house. The site is maintained by English Heritage and open year-round with free admission, offering visitors a glimpse into monastic life and medieval architecture.
11–13 Oct, 18–20 Oct…
Visitors begin with a short introductory talk before exploring three rooms of historic objects from Attingham’s collection inspired by India, including a conserved panoramic artwork and related prints, ceramics, books, clocks, militaria and miniatures.
Stokesay Castle is a well-preserved fortified manor house in Shropshire, England, dating from the late 13th century. It features both medieval indoor architecture and extensive historic outdoor grounds including a moat and gardens. Managed by English Heritage, it offers a rare glimpse into medieval aristocratic life with its original wooden beams, solar block, and ornamental gatehouse.
Dudmaston Hall is a 17th-century country house and estate in Shropshire featuring historic architecture, extensive gardens, parkland, woodlands, lakes, and a distinguished collection of modern art. Visitors can explore both indoor historic interiors and outdoor landscaped grounds within a traditional English country estate setting.
11 Oct, 13 Oct…
A volunteer-guided wellbeing walk through Comer Woods, offering gentle exercise and time to enjoy the woodland and chat with other walkers. Participants can visit the café for tea and cake afterwards.
Lilleshall Abbey is a historic ruined Augustinian abbey in Shropshire with substantial 12th and 13th century stone remains set in a large monastic precinct. Visitors can explore the evocative outdoor ruins of the church and domestic buildings, surrounded by a cloister garden. The site is open to the public without charge and managed by English Heritage.
Wigmore Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Herefordshire, England, originally founded in the 11th century after the Norman Conquest. Visitors can explore the extensive ruins including curtain walls, towers, and gatehouse, set in an outdoor landscape with historical significance through various English historical periods.
Clun Castle is a medieval ruined castle in Shropshire, England, known for its historical Norman architecture and significance as a Marcher lord fortress. Now a Grade I listed building, it offers visitors the chance to explore extensive outdoor ruins, including a great Norman keep and remnants of pleasure gardens, managed by English Heritage.
Montgomery Castle is a historic Norman castle ruin in Powys, Wales, overlooking the town of Montgomery. It is notable for its medieval architecture and significant role in Welsh and English history, including the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The site includes visible ruins and nearby exhibitions at the Old Bell Museum.