The Wrekin
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The Wrekin is a hill in east Shropshire, England. It is located some 7 km (4 miles) west of Telford, on the border between the boroughs of Shrewsbury and Atcham and Telford and Wrekin. Rising to a height of 407 metres (1335 ft) above the Shropshire Plain, it is a prominent and well-known landmark, marking the entrance to Shropshire for travellers westbound on the M54 motorway.[1] The Wrekin is contained within the northern panhandle of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The hill is popular with walkers and tourists and offers good views of Shropshire. It can be seen well into Staffordshire and the Black Country, and even as far as the Beetham Tower in Manchester, Winter Hill in Lancashire and Cleeve Hill in Gloucestershire.
Name
The name of the Wrekin derives from the ancient British meaning prominent hill (similar to the Brecons) and is thus one of the relatively few topographic place names in England with a Celtic origin. It subsequently gave its name to the Roman town of Viroconium Cornoviorum, some five miles (8 km) to the west, which is now Wroxeter. The minor Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the Wreocensæte took its name from the Wrekin. For several centuries the hill was known as Mount Gilbert, a name given to it by the Normans after a hermit who lived there.
Summit
There is an Iron Age hill fort on the summit almost 8 hectares in size, to which the name Uriconio originally referred. It is thought the fort was built by the Cornovii tribe and was once their capital.
A more recent addition is The Wrekin transmitting station, used for broadcasting and telecommunications. At the top of the main mast is a beacon which emits a red pulse of light every few seconds at night, primarily to alert low flying aircraft. It is known locally as the "Beacon on the Wrekin", and is visible for many miles around.
Wider area
The name The Wrekin is also used to refer more generally to the part of East Shropshire around the towns of Telford and Wellington, within sight of the hill. The area is rich in geology and is one of the birthplaces of industry: Ironbridge Gorge is just to the south of The Wrekin hill. Woodland covers much of the hill, the area around the hill and into the Ironbridge Gorge area too.
To the north of the Wrekin is the smaller hill, The Ercall, which is notable for its extraordinary geology and exposed quarries.
Access
The Wrekin can be accessed from the final junction on the M54 motorway (J7) before it turns into the A5 which continues to Shrewsbury. The hill is then signposted. There is a well-used footpath up the side of the hill which has an entrance at the end of the road off the M54. There is also a small carpark and parking bays up the road. The ascent is steep in parts.
Politics
The hill gives its name to the unitary authority and borough of Telford and Wrekin, formerly a district of Shropshire called simply The Wrekin. The Wrekin is the highest point in the borough. The Wrekin is also a parliamentary constituency, returning a Member of Parliament to Parliament at Westminster. It has been held by the Conservative Party since the general election of May 2005. Towns in this constituency are Wellington, Newport and Shifnal. Telford has its own constituency, called simply Telford.
Folklore and customs
The Wrekin is the subject of a well-known legend in Shropshire folklore. One version of the story runs as follows:[2]
A giant called Gwendol Wrekin ap Shenkin ap Mynyddmawr with a grudge against the town of Shrewsbury decided to flood the town and kill all its inhabitants. So he collected a giant-sized spadeful of earth and set off towards the town. When in the vicinity of Wellington he met a cobbler returning from Shrewsbury market with a large sackful of shoes for repair. The giant asked him for directions, adding that he was going to dump his spadeful of earth in the River Severn and flood the town. "It's a very long way to Shrewsbury," replied the quick-thinking shoemaker. "Look at all these shoes I've worn out walking back from there!" The giant immediately decided to abandon his enterprise and dumped the earth on the ground beside him, where it became the Wrekin. The giant also scraped the mud off his boots, which became the smaller hill Ercall Hill nearby. Ironically Shrewsbury is subjected to flooding from the River Severn on frequent occasions naturally.
"All around the Wrekin" is a phrase common in Shropshire, Herefordshire, Wolverhampton, Stafford and around to mean "the long way round", in the same way that "round the houses" is used more widely. "To all friends around the Wrekin", meanwhile, is a toast traditionally used in Shropshire, especially at Christmas and New Year.
In 1981 an event was undertaken by local school pupils and adults called "Hands around the Wrekin", whereby a large group of people all held hands, surrounding the hill at the base.
Notes
- ^ "BBC Shropshire - The Wrekin".
- ^ The Wrekin Giant, BBC Shropshire. Accessed 5 November 2006.
External links
- Computer generated summit panoramas The Wrekin indexGroup dedicated to The Wrekin[1]
