Mainstone
Encyclopedia
Mainstone is a small village and parish
in Shropshire
, England
, near the border with Powys
, Wales
. It lies in the Clun Forest
, a large remote and very rural area which is semi-forested and rather hilly.
The parish church, dedicated to St John the Baptist, lies in the hamlet of Churchtown (alternatively written as "Church Town") a mile west of Mainstone, though the village itself contains a Primitive Methodist chapel, built in 1892 and still in use in the mid 2000s. The village lies approximately 1 mile northwest of the small village of Cefn Einion
. The market town
of Bishop's Castle
lies some 3 miles to the east, while the small town of Clun
is about 5 miles away to the south.
The River Unk originates in and then flows through the parish. Offa's Dyke
also cuts north-south through the area, bisecting the hamlet of Churchtown. The long-distance footpaths "Shropshire Way
" and "Offa's Dyke Path
" pass through the area and join just outside Churchtown.
Mainstone lies at around the 260m above sea level mark. The surrounding hills all peak at roughly 400-420m.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, near the border with Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It lies in the Clun Forest
Clun Forest
Clun Forest is a remote, rural area of open pastures, moorland and mixed deciduous/coniferous woodland in the southwest part of the English county of Shropshire and also just over the border into Powys, Wales....
, a large remote and very rural area which is semi-forested and rather hilly.
The parish church, dedicated to St John the Baptist, lies in the hamlet of Churchtown (alternatively written as "Church Town") a mile west of Mainstone, though the village itself contains a Primitive Methodist chapel, built in 1892 and still in use in the mid 2000s. The village lies approximately 1 mile northwest of the small village of Cefn Einion
Cefn Einion
Cefn Einion is a small dispersed village in Shropshire, England. It is located two miles southwest of the village of Colebatch and between the small villages of Bryn and Mainstone.Cefn Einion in Welsh means 'Einion's Hill'....
. The market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Bishop's Castle
Bishop's Castle
Bishop's Castle is a small market town in Shropshire, England, and formerly its smallest borough. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,630. Bishop's Castle is east of the Wales-England border, about north-west of Ludlow and about south-west of Shrewsbury. To the south is Clun...
lies some 3 miles to the east, while the small town of Clun
Clun
Clun is a small town in Shropshire, England. The town is located entirely in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The 2001 census recorded 642 people living in the town...
is about 5 miles away to the south.
The River Unk originates in and then flows through the parish. Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke is a massive linear earthwork, roughly followed by some of the current border between England and Wales. In places, it is up to wide and high. In the 8th century it formed some kind of delineation between the Anglian kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys...
also cuts north-south through the area, bisecting the hamlet of Churchtown. The long-distance footpaths "Shropshire Way
Shropshire Way
The Shropshire Way is a waymarked long distance footpath running through the English county of Shropshire. It runs 224 kilometres / 139 miles around the interior of the county in a large loop.- The Waymarked Route :...
" and "Offa's Dyke Path
Offa's Dyke Path
Offa's Dyke Path is a long distance footpath along the Welsh-English border. Opened in 1971, it is one of Britain's premier National Trails and draws walkers from throughout the world...
" pass through the area and join just outside Churchtown.
Mainstone lies at around the 260m above sea level mark. The surrounding hills all peak at roughly 400-420m.