Clun is one of the largest parishes in Shropshire, and is a sprawling, hilly parish cut in half from west to east by the river Clun and the B4368, and to a lesser degree by the rivers Unk and Redlake

It can be a cold place, especially on the windswept hills, in the winter, but on a fine summer's day it is a glorious parish to explore.
"Clunton and Clunbury; Clungunford and Clun; are the quietest places under the sun"
So wrote A.E. Houseman in 'A Shropshire Lad', although later people have changed "quietest" for less complimentary words.

It is a pleasant place, especially by the river where a picturesque medieval bridge still manages to cope with the traffic that is was never meant to take. The history of Clun goes back much further than this ancient bridge, as a careful study of the relevant Ordnance Survey maps will show, for Clun is positively inundated with sites of ancient settlements and fortifications. Clun also has its castle. a splendid ruin to the west of the town. Some say it is the Garde Dolereuse of Sir Walter Scott's "The Betrothed", but that may be no more than conjecture. Across the river from the castle the road climbs to the church, which has even older origins than the castle.

But the parish of Clun is large enough to have other villages and hamlets worthy of mention. To the west of Clun is Whitcott Keysett . It is a small but pretty hamlet. In the south of the parish, the names of hamlets seem to take on a bizarre sound with New Invention. Enquire as to its origin and you will be told a story about a blacksmith who hit on the idea of fitting horseshoes backwards to confuse the enemy in times of war. More likely that the local wags will invent a new explanation as to the origin of the name every time they are asked.

GO2 Ltd thank Tim Carrington of 'Shropshire Promotions' for these extracts

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