Soulton Hall
Soulton Hall is a country house in Shropshire, England, located two miles east of the town of Wem, on the B5065. The present hall. The manor of Soulton is pre-Norman in origin. What can be seen externally of the present hall is constructed of brick, produced at the site in a field now known as "the Brickle", a corruption of "Brick Kiln", with Grinshill stone dressings. The present exterior of the building was constructed in 1556, but incorporates some hidden older materials. The door case was added in 1556. The hall of the 1550s which can be  seen today was built by Sir Rowland Hill (MP), who was the first Protestant Lord Mayor of London in 1549, and, as Sheriff of London, was involved in the case which established Parliamentary Privilege. The manors of Hawkstone and Soulton were sold in 1556 by Thomas Lodge to Sir Rowland Hill and Thomas Leigh under long leases (until 1610) for quiet enjoyment by his brother Edward Lodge. Within the building are traces of an older Tudor or medieval building of timber-frame construction, thought to date from the late 15th century. Examples of simple pargeting on this earlier building can  be seen within the building. In 1668 a semi-circular door case bearing the marital coat of arms of Thomas Hill, a descendant of Sir Rowland's and a friend of Samuel Pepys, was added above the front door. The blazon on those arms is given below. To the east of the hall is what is now a walled garden, accessed by steps from the terrace on the north, or by a Tudor gate to the north. At the front of the hall is a Pillared forecourt, again part of the 1550s design concept. Culture and culture references. Books. The  manor has been referenced in the following books: Drama and live performance. In 2020, during the crisis in live performance and theatre resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, outdoor performance was reintroduced to Soulton. The National Youth Theatre (NYT) gave their first live in person performance since the restrictions following the lockdown that was brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.T The play was a new, specially devised work called "The Last Harvest" In 2021, the NYT returned with a performance of "Animal Farm". Associated Buildings and Features. Within the grounds of the hall are thought to be the remains of  extensive medieval gardens although it is possible that the obvious forms in the fields near the hall may be the remains of a deserted medieval village. These are a Scheduled Ancient Monument. There are also some 18th-century farm buildings, of which a range of buildings now known as Soulton Court, which has a stone tablet dated 1783 relating to later work, incorporates a manorial hall unknown date prior to the mid-1600s. A dovecot once existed to the east of the garden wall, it had been dismantled by the end of the 1800s. History of the Manor. Saxon and earlier . Within the manor is evidence Bronze Age habitation, and some signs of Neolithic activity. The name of the manor is Saxon and means either 'settlement with a plough' or 'settlement with reeds' or possibly 'settlement in/near a gully' . The manor supported the clergy of the King's Chapel of St Michael in Shrewsbury Castle. The manor house has probably always occupied the current site with this fortification only being used for military and not domestic purposes. The manor of Soulton existed at the time of the Domesday Book (see: PASE Domesday) and is recorded as "Svltune". The Domesday Book  records the manor as being freely held by Brihtric, the brother of Eadric Streona, who was the Ealdorman of Mercia. Both Brihtric and Eadric were slain by King Cnut on Christmas Day, 1017. Post Norman. The building on the present site was pre-dated by Saxon ane perhaps earlier structures. A Norman Adulterine castle was constructed approximately 300 meters to the north-east of the hall during the Anarchy in the early 1100s. The location is marked by a mound which can still be seen. This site is located around the point at which the roadway crosses a narrow gap  in some wet terrain which would likely have had a strategic reason for establishing a fortification in that location. This building is believed to have burnt down at some point in the late 14th century. A grant of the manor in 1299 indicates that some of the ancient marker posts marking the boundary with Wales were part of the boundary of the manor. Post 1556. The present hall, described above was built in 1556 as a corps de logis , complimenting menting the surviving the earlier hall complex. There is an 1801 bridge on which Thomas Telford worked on the B5065 , known as Soulton Bridge. There are also the remains of a water mill active from at least the 1300s until the mid-to-late 1800s near Soulton Wood. Modern Monolithic Monuments. Long Barrow. A modern long barrow, Soulton Long Barrow, is under construction on farmland north of Soulton Hall. The site became operational in 2019. The new monument was covered on an episode of BBC Countryfile being visited by Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison in April 2019. Standing Stones. Three megalithic limestone standing stones are located on the access route to the barrow. These were added to the approach route  to the barrow in autumn 2017. The stone for these monoliths, as with the barrow itself came from Churchfield Quarry, Oundle, near Peterborough. There is no deliberate alignment beyond way-marking for these standing stones. In 2020, a standing stone, with an alignment to the setting sun on the winter solstice, was added to the ritual landscape to acknowledged the suffering of the families impacted by the Coronavirus Pandemic. Henge Monument. Plans for a henge monument were publicised in 2020. Farm. There is a farm at the manor, including Soulton Wood. The farm practices no-till farming. This was covered  in an episode of BBC Countryfile in April 2019 with Matt Baker. Research cooperation between Harper Adams University and Oxford University looking at the results of cultivation on Soil ecology, which used DNA sequencing of the soil biome has been hosted on the farm. The woodland is largely oak with some cherry and ash. In total the woodland covers about 50 acres and it is designated ancient woodland. Material from the wood was supplied for repair of the House of Commons after bomb damage in the Second World War. Archaeology. The manor includes various protected archaeology. An official excavation with  Dig Ventures took place in June 2019. An further dig took place in 2021 which identified a lost castle. Coat of arms. The blazen of the arms added above the front door in 1688 is as follows: Culture and Heritage. Soulton Hall is a Grade II* listed building, along with its walled gardens, pillared forecourt and carved stone work. Soulton Bridge, crossing Soulton Brook is a Grade I listed structure, built in 1801 by Thomas Telford. An eighteenth century dance, the Soulton Jigg, is linked to the manor and published in John Walsh's 1740 "The Second Book of the  Compleat Country Dancing-Master". It is now a hotel and farm. It is still owned by descendants of Sir Rowland Hill. Some affinity both architectural, and by family connections has been attributed to Soulton with Rosewell (plantation) in Virginia. There is periodic filming at the manor. Spelling. Before the modern spelling of 'Soulton', a wide variation in spelling can be observed: Present Use. The manor is now a hotel and venue. In 2021, during the North Shropshire by-election, the Liberal Democrats used the Moot Hall in the grounds of the manor as their HQ during the by-election campaign . The campaign ultimately led to the victory and election of the Liberal Democrat candidate Helen Morgan.