Cathedrals, Castles and Canals

RESIDENTIAL TRIP TO THE WESTERN SHIRES, 21 – 25 SEPTEMBER 2025

On Sunday 21 September, 29 of us set off from Norwich, heading for Birmingham, where we visited the Back to Back houses in the centre of the city, which were formed by  splitting larger houses down the middle. One half faced the street and the other half faced the courtyard, which provided communal washing and toilet facilities. Such was the demand for housing in industrial Birmingham that workers were just grateful to have a roof over their heads and the stories indicate that there was a real community spirit.  Later we had a boat trip on the large canal network which gave us a glimpse of the city’s industrial heritage and engineering supremacy.

From our base in Gloucester, we enjoyed a tour of the city’s stunning cathedral, a place of Christian worship for over 1,300 years. With its golden façade glowing in the autumn sunshine and its rich historic interior, the cathedral was a feast for the senses. After lunch in the beautiful Cotswold village of Broadway, we carried on to Snowshill Manor and Garden, home to a huge and diverse collection of extraordinary objects, collected by its last owner, Charles Paget Wade.

The following day saw us exploring Stokesay Castle, a well preserved 11th century manor house in the heart of the Shropshire countryside. It was a delight to discover rooms left untouched by time and to climb onto the roof for views across the fields.  Lunch and a look around the wonderful church in Ludlow (climb the 250 steps for a view over to Wales from the top of the tower) preceded an afternoon at Hereford Cathedral which, amongst its many treasures, contains the medieval Mappa Mundi, which the group was disappointed to see did not have Norwich marked on it. However it was a fascinating example of how the world was viewed, geographically and spiritually, 800 years ago.

Our tour continued the next day in Stratford-upon-Avon and a guided tour of the many places associated with Shakespeare.  Alas, there wasn’t time to take in a performance at one of the three theatres. On to nearby Compton Verney, a Grade 1 listed Robert Adam manor house with an outstanding collection of British, Italian, German and Chinese paintings; and, it must be said, a very good café with excellent cake!

Our fifth day was our last so we started to head in the direction of Norwich but there was one more treat before we took the road home.  We stopped at the interesting and beautiful Rodmarton Manor, built for the Biddulph family in the early 20th century and one of the last country houses to be constructed and furnished in the Arts & Crafts style.  The property opened specially for our group and, on our house tour, we saw exquisite examples of lovingly hand crafted furniture. The family still lives in one wing of the house and it is clear that they and their small staff care deeply for the property and diligently maintain its upkeep. Before we left, we all called into the café and one of our party declared the coffee and walnut cake the best he had ever tasted.