Criggion: Landscape and Local History

If you are looking for a hotel in Criggion, choosing a focus can help with planning your trip. Specific topics include the hill landscape and river floodplain, the Church of St Michael and All Angels, and railway and radio history. Consider whether landscape, architectural history or technological development is particularly important to your stay. For a landscape-focused trip, the hills, river floodplain and network of paths can take centre stage; if you are interested in history, the church, railway and Criggion Radio can be explored as distinct architectural and technological topics.

Landscape and paths

Criggion lies on the north side of the Breiddon Hills; to the north stretches the floodplain of the River Severn. The hills and river landscape therefore offer two distinct points of reference when exploring the area. Breidden Forest and Breidden Hill are also relevant for planning walks: there is an extensive network of public rights of way there, connected to the surrounding landscape, as well as a public car park. The network of paths is a practical planning reference, while Criggion’s location describes its geographical setting. Check current conditions before planning a walk, as path conditions and access arrangements can change.

Church and architectural history

The Church of St Michael and All Angels lies at the foot of the north side of Breidden Hill and is a Grade II* listed building. It dates from 1770. Other features include a chancel extension from the mid-19th century and a west gallery dating from 1840. The gallery’s precise date can be distinguished from the mid-century date given for the chancel extension. For those interested in architecture, the church is a specific point of interest among Criggion’s themes.

Criggion Quarry and SSSI

Criggion Quarry lies within the Breidden Hills Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The area was designated primarily for its rare flora and unusual acidic grassland habitats. If you would like to include the area in your plans, check access arrangements in advance, as access and quarry operations can change.

Railway and radio history

The Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Light Railway had a branch line to Criggion. The branch line to Criggion Quarry reopened for mineral traffic on 21 February 1912 and for passenger traffic on 27 July 1912. The sequence distinguishes between the purposes: mineral traffic resumed in February, and passenger traffic in July of the same year. This places the railway in context as part of Criggion’s transport history.

Criggion Radio adds a distinct communications topic to the railway history. Criggion Radio was established in 1940 in response to the fact that the VLF transmitter at Rugby had no standby facility. In the Very Low Frequency range, the transmitter provided worldwide radio coverage for ships and submarines. The railway and radio differed in range and purpose: the railway centred on the branch line and two types of traffic, while the radio provided worldwide coverage for ships and submarines.

Discover more destinations: Shawbury, Weston Rhyn, Hopesay, Broseley, Trefonen, Sutton Maddock, Chetton, Welshampton

For the broader travel overview: Shropshire.