Longville: Walking and Heritage

Walking and landscape

Longville in the Dale is one of the settlements in the Parish of Rushbury in Apedale, within the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The surroundings can be viewed from two specific perspectives: walking routes at Wilderhope and on Wenlock Edge, and the architectural history of Wilderhope Manor and other listed buildings. The different route lengths and clearly attributed construction dates are useful when planning your trip.

A visitor access note dated 20 July 2020 describes the Wilderhope Coppice Walk as a marked 2-kilometre circular route starting at the estate’s car park. The same note mentions a medium-sized car park behind Wilderhope Manor for free use. As the access note is dated, check the current access arrangements before your visit.

The same access note also describes footpaths across the farmland of the Wilderhope Estate leading to Wenlock Edge Ridge and Stanway Coppice Ridge. The estate adjoins the woodland at Wenlock Edge managed by the National Trust. The two ridge names provide specific points of reference for planning a walk; the woodland at Wenlock Edge is also a distinct part of the landscape.

From Wilderhope, the Shropshire Way route runs for about six miles along Wenlock Edge. The Wenlock Edge Walk near Longville is around 26.30 kilometres long; the estimated walking time is about eight hours. Compared with the 2-kilometre circular route, this is a considerably longer walk with a much greater time commitment. Longville in the Dale is marked on the map of the southern section of the Shropshire Way at Stage 8, from Wilderhope to Ironbridge.

Wilderhope Manor and historic buildings

Wilderhope Manor in Longville in the Dale is an Elizabethan house restored by John Cadbury in 1936. The year refers to the restoration, while “Elizabethan” places the house in a historic architectural period. This keeps the classification of the house and the later restoration date distinct as separate historical details.

Other historic buildings include the Stables to North of Wilderhope Manor: a 17th-century stable building with a U-shaped plan and two projecting wings. The building is Grade II listed. The U-shaped plan describes the arrangement of the structure; together with the wings, it provides a clear sense of the stable building’s form beyond its date.

Home Farmhouse is also Grade II listed. The main section is dated to 1805, and the rear wing to 1708 and 1724. The dates therefore distinguish between the building’s parts: 1805 belongs to the main section, while the two dates 1708 and 1724 refer to the rear wing. This makes it possible to trace the house’s dates by section rather than reducing them to a single construction year.

Wet grassland and wet woodland

A 2014 survey describes Longville in the Dale as an area of wet grassland and associated wet woodland. For nature-minded travellers, this offers an ecological perspective alongside the walking routes and historic buildings: the focus here is on the habitats themselves. Together with the routes around Wenlock Edge, this landscape perspective complements the historic buildings and their different construction dates.

Discover more destinations: Hopesay, Hinstock, Craven Arms, Much Wenlock, Worfield, Llanyblodwel, Wem, Kinton

For the broader travel overview: Shropshire.