Historic site set amid a sea of buttercups

Buttercups and hawthorn blossom - a perfect setting for Stokesay Castle, near Craven Arms.

Historic site set amid a sea of buttercups

I had a whole field of buttercups in front of me, but it still took half an hour to find the right composition.

On the left is the Church of St John the Baptist, built around 1150 as a chapel to Stokesay and probably expanded when the castle site developed in the 13th century.

It is a rare example of a church extensively rebuilt during the Puritan period following the Civil War, although some Norman elements still survive.

Among the church's most striking features is a gallery with space for musicians including a bass viol, flute and clarinet.

The musicians were replaced in about 1855 by a harmonium, and later still by the present organ.  

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