Mitchell’s Fold
Mitchells Fold by Simon Whaley
(Mitchell’s Fold was published in BBC CountryFile magazine)
Mitchell’s Fold: a druid’s temple? Somewhere to worship the winter solstice? Or the prison for a wicked witch?
Mitchell’s Fold has as many atmospheres are there are weather conditions. Today, the Shropshire weather gods are in a good mood. The sun casts a spiritual shadow, most notably from this stone circle’s tallest pillar. A breeze carries the soulful song of the ever-present skylark cheerfully eastwards towards the legendary Stiperstones, where giants and the Devil once argued. It’s a wonderfully secret spot, barely 700 metres from the English/Welsh border, although 3,000 years ago, this area was bustling.
The 14 stones that comprise Mitchell’s Fold today were, it is believed, part of a group of 30, first placed here by Bronze Age settlers into a 27-metre diameter ring. The exact reason for its existence isn’t known, although it was one of five stone circles in the immediate area, of which only two survive today.
The eye is drawn to the tallest of the stones, nearly two metres in height, believed to be one of a pair, which might have formed the main entrance to this magical wonder. A 360-degree view provides vistas incorporating the Stiperstones, Corndon Hill and most of the hills of mid-Wales. An intriguing clue as to the stone circle’s purpose is that the spot where a central stone once stood is perfectly aligned for the winter solstice sunrise.
There’s a real sense that Mitchell’s Fold was an important meeting place. Even today, there are numerous paths, from all directions, congregating here, bringing visitors to this point throughout the centuries. In 1753, the antiquarian, William Stukeley, famous for his pioneering archaeological investigations of Stonehenge and Avebury, wandered over the springy turf to sketch a scene we would recognise today. He referred to it as a druid’s temple.
Folklore oozes from the surrounding area and Mitchell’s Fold has its own story, which was even carved into one of the stone arches of nearby Middleton Church, near Stapeley Hill. During a famine, a fairy gave a magic cow to the local people, capable of providing an endless supply of milk, but only if each local took one bucket of milk from the cow at a time. One night, an evil witch named Mitchell, placed a sieve under the cow’s udders and milked away. When the cow realised the trick, it disappeared. Immediately, witch Mitchell turned into a stone pillar and a circle of stones was erected around her to ensure she could not escape.
With barely a soul, or a house, to be seen from its centre, Mitchell’s Fold is best experienced on several occasions. But if you can only visit it once, brave a dark, windswept, stormy day and share the secret experience of Bronze Age settlers; feel isolated within an atmosphere of huge external forces battling around you.
Info Box 1
Three key experiences: a sense of magical isolation, wonderful Welsh views, and the sound of a skylark on a summer’s day.
Useful Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/mitchells-fold-stone-circle/
Tourist Information: www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/
How to get there: Mitchell’s Fold is on a narrow lane to Priest Weston, signed from the A488 Shrewsbury-Bishop’s Castle road, approximately 17 miles south of Shrewsbury.
Info Box 2
Stay:
Druids Castle Bed and Breakfast, Stapeley Hill, White Grit, Minsterley, Shropshire, SY5 0JH
Tel: 01588 650651
Website: www.druidscastle.co.uk
Druids Castle is located on Stapeley Hill, in the centre of this magical area and only 300 yards away from Mitchell’s Fold.
Eat:
The Stiperstones Inn, Stiperstones, Shropshire, SY5 0LZ
Tel: 01743 791327
Website: www.stiperstonesinn.co.uk
A traditional, family-run Shropshire pub, with over 30 main courses. For dessert, treat yourself to Whinberry Crumble, made with locally-picked whinberries.
(c) Simon Whaley
