Clun Tourist Information

Clun - a charming town in a remote area of south-west Shropshire, in the Welsh borderlands or 'Marches'.

The settlement grew up in the 7th century around the site of a Saxon church and took its name from the River Clun on which it stands. At this time there were many more houses in the town than there are today.

In around 1090 'Picot' de Say built a timber fortification on a rocky outcrop beside the village to keep the unruly Welsh under Norman control. After the Marcher castle was beseiged and burnt by the Welsh in 1196 it came into the ownership of the Fitzalan family (better known as the Earls of Arundel). In the 13th century the Fitzalans replaced the wooden structure with a stone fortress and established a borough beside the castle. Now ruined, the impressive castle continues to rise above the town and the grid pattern of the Norman town can be clearly made out.

Although Clun no longer has a market the Market Square is still one of the focal points of the town.

Interesting buildings to see in Clun include the 14th century packhorse bridge over the River Clun, the oldest in Shropshire, and the Trinity Hospital and Almshouses dating from 1614.

If you are visiting here the Clun Local History Museum, housed in the Town Hall, illlustrates the intriguing history of the town.

A good base for exploring Bury Ditches, Offa's Dyke, Caer Caradoc and the Marches on your walking holiday.

Each year, at the beginning of May, the small town stages the Clun Green Man Day to ensure the safe arrival of summer.