<< News >> The Wrekin is up for sale
Submitted by PaulM on Monday, 02 August 2004 Page Views: 17069
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There are few, if any, parts of the Shropshire landscape which are so rich in history and folklore. Legend has it that the Wrekin was formed when a Welsh giant dropped a load of earth he was carrying to Shrewsbury to flood the town. Some claim that it was J R R Tolkien's inspiration for Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings.
Now, however, the Wrekin's life path is about to take a new direction, in ownership if not form. Almost a third of it - that part which covers 126 acres of the hill's northern promontory looking out towards the plains of north Shropshire - has been put up for sale with an asking price of £500,000, prompting some to say that it is the single most important heritage site to be sold for many years - maybe a generation.
The area now on the market is the section that we know best, at close quarters anyway, as the public has long been granted access to its summit along this area.
Thousands of walkers, joggers and cyclists have adopted the hill as a beloved terrain to challenge themselves and fitness levels and admire jaw-dropping views. Others visit it for its environmental, geological and historical interest.
So it is something more than an amorphous lump visible to vast tracts of Shropshire, and few could argue against its stature as the county's leading environmental icon.
Peter Holt, the landowner from the nearby, 1,700-acre Orleton Estate, has put it on the market admitting that he is sad to be selling the land that his family has owned since it was bought at the end of the 18th century.
Then, Mr Holt tells us, it was bought as an investment, with its timber used for coppicing.
"My family was never particularly keen on commercial forestry," he explains. "But it's the most wonderful piece of woodland, particularly impressive when you are among the trees. The view from the Wrekin is magnificent and I have been going up there since I was a child.
"It's more than just an area of woodland with a good view. It's been used as a way for people to find their way home for centuries, and is recognised by so many - that's why people cherish it so much. The decision to sell has been a very difficult one to make, but the estate needs consolidating and reorganising."
No criticism has been levelled at the way the Holt family has managed the tranche of land - on the contrary, there is a strong sense of opinion that a huge debt of gratitude is owed to the vendors, not only for their conservation efforts but also for keeping routes of access open to the public.
But the mood among those who have been monitoring the situation most closely - and seldom has the sale of a piece of land got tongues wagging like this - is decidedly upbeat, full of excitement for what the future holds.
One man who has seized the opportunity to do his bit to ensure the welfare of the hill's future is Peter Bradley, MP for the Wrekin.
Not only does the hill sit firmly in his constituency, it also forms the backdrop to his garden, so Mr Bradley is a Wrekin man through and through, and he is passionate that the next stage in its evolution is handled sensibly with the landmark's long-term welfare at the top of the list of objectives.
"I think this is a tremendously exciting chance to acquire the site for the public in perpetuity and I think that's very important.
"Then we will get the opportunity to carry out what we have talked about, and that is to develop and implement a long-term management plan for the whole of the hill.
"Finally it provides a unique chance to make it what I call a 'people's place'. It is so important that the public has a sense of ownership and has the chance to contribute to and implement the management plan."
Mr Bradley has brought together the likes of Shropshire Wildlife Trust, English Heritage, the National Trust, environmental groups and various councils to bounce ideas between them as to how their respective skills could be utilised to maximum effect to ensure its long-term prosperity. But he is at pains to point out that this is a site for the people and he welcomes the public's contribution to its future management and even ownership.
Few have as much knowledge of the environmental and geological make-up of the Wrekin than Dr Ian Dormor, landscape conservation officer of Shropshire Hills area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).
The outline of his vision for the Wrekin - maintaining the "special qualities of the hill as the landscape and cultural icon of Shropshire through careful and sensible management" - has been echoed by many since Mr Holt put his area up for sale.
"The Wrekin provides a sense of place for Shropshire people," Dr Dormor. "Visitors and local people are attracted to the hill by its cultural associations, legends and pleasant wooded environment, and particularly for the magnificent viewpoint it provides over the Shropshire landscape."
He has pointed out that while the Orleton Estate owns the northern end of the hill, the Uppington Estate - also known as the Raby Estate - owns the southern part and both landowners have had very different management aspirations for the land. The Uppington Estate, he suggests, manages the woodland commercially, with the Orleton Estate managing the woodland for conservation.
"Both landowners are conscious of the growing demands on the Wrekin by visitors and the impact this is having on the ecology and commercial forestry operations," Dr Dormor explains.
"Not only is the Wrekin visually impressive, it is also significant in terms of its geology and ecology, having been notified as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).
"The Wrekin is particularly important for the range of woodland vegetation types which occur at its northern end and on the Ercall. The sessile oak woodland is of particular note as an example of a type of wood which is classed as 'upland oak wood' and which is recognised as a priority habitat deserving particular attention for protection and enhancement."
Historically, English Nature has described the site as being "of great historical importance," as the place where "the unconformable relationship between the Uriconian and Cambrian and the volcanic nature of the Uriconian, were first demonstrated. The site is of great importance in the interpretation of Lower Cambrian stratigraphy in Britain."
We'll take their word for it!
We are also told how the Wrekin is also of particular significance for its archaeology, with the national importance of its Iron Age hillfort reflected in its designation as a scheduled ancient monument.
Perhaps one public organisation which has more reason than any other to be involved with the purchase of the land is Shropshire Wildlife Trust, especially given that the organisation already owns an area of land at the Ercall, the Wrekin's smaller neighbour, an area that could now be consolidated.
Indeed the trust's development manager, John Hughes, has admitted that this is the sort of opportunity that comes around only once in a lifetime. However, as a charity, one of the main stumbling blocks is being able to raise the required funds.
He adds: "Whoever does buy it needs to go into the acquisition with eyes wide open because it's difficult to see how it could be made into a hugely profitable commercial enterprise.
"Over the last few years there have been problems with inadequate parking and toilet facilities, as well as litter and dumping problems."
Whether it is a private individual or group of individuals, a public body or a consortium of public bodies, whoever ends up buying the Wrekin will be taking on much more than just an accepted and much-loved part of the Shropshire skyline.
As The Shropshire Magazine went to press no offer had been made for the Wrekin. Inquiries should be made to Tony Morris-Eyton or Edmund Bailey of FPD Savills on 01952 239500.
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