Clun
The village of Clun
lies in the south western corner of Shropshire, surrounded by
hills and lying alongside the River Clun. It is thought that
people lived here as far back as the Bronze Age, making Clun one
of the most ancient settlements of the country.
For many, the area around
Clun is amongst the most attractive in the county - the novelist
A E Housman called it: '... one of the quietest
places under the sun'.
Clun is surrounded by hills, and lies alongside the banks of the
River Clun. A mediaeval stone bridge crosses the river - narrow,
because when it was built (c. 1450) it was for the use of
pedestrians and packhorses.
The remains of Clun Castle, built by the Normans in the early
12th century to defend the Welsh border, look down over the
village. Offa's Dyke passes nearby, and there is an Iron Age
hillfort (Bury Ditches) not far away.
Artists and writers have often seen Clun as a quiet, ideal
location - the playwright John Osborne lived here towards the end
of his life, and is buried in the churchyard.
The Green Man Festival is held annually in May; in a custom
dating back centuries the Green Man of Clun is confronted by
Frostie, the Queen of the Cold, in the Battle of the Bridge (on
an ancient packhorse bridge over the River Clun). If Frostie
wins, then summer will not reach the Clun valley that year!
The Green Man of Clun (2004)
The Green Man of Clun (2005)
