[53] Should the visitor feel disposed to prolong his walk in this direction, he will find himself amply compensated by the enjoyment of an extensive prospect of the town, and the windings of the Severn, amid the romantic and richly wooded banks of Shelton and Berwick.
A few minutes’ stroll along the turnpike road, beautifully shaded by overhanging beech trees, will also bring him to the magnificent iron gates which afford entrance to the delightful grounds of Berwick, abounding in trees of great size and beauty. The Mansion-House, the seat of the Honourable Wentworth Powys, soon presents itself; and at a short distance, embosomed in trees, stands the small, but picturesque CHAPEL, erected in 1672, on the site of an ancient ruinous structure, and appropriated to the use of the inmates of the adjacent Hospital for decayed housekeepers, erected and endowed at the above period by Sir Samuel Jones, Knt. the then possessor of the Berwick estates.
To the lover of sylvan scenery, the neighbouring woods of Almond Park and the picturesque and woody declivities of Leaton Shelf, will afford a rich treat; and the experienced botanist will find in them many rare and beautiful species of brambles, and other floral treasures, well worthy his careful investigation.
[56] The turnpike road in this direction will conduct the stranger to Battlefield, “the royal field of Shrewsbury,” the site of the important Battle of Shrewsbury, fought on 20th July, 1403:—
“the bloody rout that gave
To Harry’s brow a wreath,—to Hotspur’s heart a grave.”
To detail the events of this direful contest would far exceed our prescribed limits, and we must, therefore, content ourselves by referring our readers to works of a higher order:—
“Trace, Visitor, the tale as beats thy vein,
Clad in cold-hearted History’s homely weeds,
Or garlanded with Avon’s dewy flowers.”
The spot, where it is said the bodies of the slain were interred, is now covered by a church, once collegiate, founded by Henry IV., in gratitude for his victory. It contains a handsome monument, in the florid Gothic style, to the memory of the late John Corbet, Esq. of Sundorne. A short walk over the adjacent fields brings us to the splendid Gothic mansion of Sundorne, the seat of A. W. Corbet, Esq. In the Library and Drawing-room are several fine and valuable paintings by Titian, Salvator Rosa, Rembrandt, Guido, Raphael, Rubens, Wouvermans, and Van Huysum. Within the grounds, midway of Haughmond’s “bosky hill,” are the venerable ruins of Haughmond Abbey, rich in many a curious remain of early architecture. One peculiar feature of the earlier portions of this Abbey, which merits the attention of the architectural antiquary, is, that whilst the round or Norman arch is used, the mouldings and pillars belong to the Early English era:—a singular and uncommon instance of transition in style.