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Lyth Hill Heritage Celebration 2005
Grassland walk June 2005
A Year on Lyth Hill
Woodland Ways and Settlement - Part One
Woodland Ways and Settlement - Part Two
Wildlife Detectives on Lyth Hill
Shrewsbury Wildlife Trust
Mary Webb and Spring Cottage, Lyth Hill. 1916-1927
Birds on Lyth Hill
Rock Makes the Lyth Hill Landscape
Lyth Hill Heritage Celebrations 2006
Geology Trail Training Event May 7th 2006
Fungus foray on Lyth Hill October 2005
Groups involved in the Lyth Hill Heritage Group
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Woodland Ways and Settlement - Part One
Location: Shropshire
A history walk along the top of Lyth Hill
The walk is a roundabout ramble on Lyth Hill starting from the top car park. The area shown on the map is based on the ancient tithe Apportionment Map (c1840) to offer additional interest.
The original T.A. map was surveyed by William Jones, probably at his home WHITE HOUSE, Lyth Hill Road, 1 mile north of the start. After his sudden death in 1843, the house became Bayston Hill's first school (private) 1/2 mile north of the start. 303 on the map (now wrekin Villa) was home of Thomas Humphreyson, Twinespinner / Rope maker c1840. Hemp twine was probably spun here as an ancillary process to the rope-spinning at the top of the hill.
The unadopted track to 577, F/P 2, having borne the heavy haulage of timber from the Glade Coppices in C18, making it useless as a turnpike road would then have borne much of the Rope Industry traffic until 1893. Claims that the Rope walk ran from the top, 800 yards along here may be exaggerated. The walks were usually about 440 yards.
The fertile North Shropshire Plain, visible from hedge gaps, contrasted, formerly, with the wooded hilly terrain of the "Long Forest" of Shropshire to the south. Excellent viewpoint! Most of the small field boundaries have now been lost to recent farming practice but their names survive to afford a better understanding of local history.
Rope Walk House 578 is the much developed home of the illustrious Carter and Davies family of rope makers. Little remains of the intensive industry once centred here.
The windmill was erected in c1863 in the grounds of Rock Villa (now Windmill House). this lay in the Lythwood Township which, being tithe free was not, unfortunately surveyed c1840.
Spring Cottage (SC) was the secluded home of the great Mary Webb, poet and author. give thanks for her genius as you pass!
Lyth Hill Cottage (now Kilimani) ostentatiously place-named on the map, was, in 1840, the home of John Boothby, owner of local coal pits, Hanley Spa etc. Such properties were rarely named on T.A. maps!
The property contained 584 - Old Cottage- probably an early squatters home. Perhaps it is significant that it lies adjacent to:-
Chapel 583. Founded c1781, was licensed as a Dissenters Chapel and listed as 'Independent' in 1840. Several local people were baptised here and it was last used c1930.
Continued in 'Woodland Ways and Settlement' - part Two
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