You Exhibitionist
The Queen PJ Harvey's second single. I've been listening to it for 34 years. It's taken a trip to deepest Shropshire to find my first one. A tiny church in the tiny hamlet of Holdgate, deep in the Corvedale Valley, in the shadow of the Clee Hills.
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| On the south wall, above the chancel door |
It's rather weathered and a little tricky to decipher. But once you have had it explained to you, it's impossible not to spot. From the Sheela-Na-Gig project;
The figure is described by some authors as “pugilistic” which is understandable given the weathering on the figure. In fact what at first seem to be the figure's hands are in fact its knees. The arms are behind the knees with the hand holding the vagina open.
No one can quite agree what they are for - a pre-Christian fertility symbol? A warning against lust? Who knows, but you wouldn't necessarily expect them on a church wall. If we wanted to see more of this ilk, we could have headed onwards to the next Hamlet. Tugford also has one.
This walk climbs out the Corvedale valley on the Shropshire Way. If you don't like sheep and/or stiles then maybe give this one a miss. It's not a bad walk, it's just that Mrs M is a tough woman to please. Already disinterested in rude symbols, she then moans that this route "is a bit samey and can we do something more exciting tomorrow?"
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| Corvedale Valley Floor Views |
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| The Clee Hills in the far distance from Wenlock Edge |
Not even spectacular Elizabethan architecture can excite her. On the crest of Wenlock Edge, we come across Wilderhope Manor House.
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| From the 1580s - restored by the Cadbury Family in the 1930s |
If you like it, you can stay there - either in a single room or by hiring out the entire gaff. It is a youth hostel.
On the drop down to the valley floor, we find our second Elizabethan home - Shipton Hall. Many parallels with Wilderhope, although this is in private ownership.
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| Same period, style and building material |
Walking Details
Distance - 7 Miles
Geocaches - 2 (including a 3 year resus)
Walk Inspiration - Les Lumsdon's Shropshire Walks
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