Shropshire

Description

Visit Shropshire's only grass-roofed public building and discover how to read the clues to the mysteries of our landscape. Plus activities, walks and trails. Take a walk in our 25 acres of meadowland. Visit our craft display area where we regularly have different exhibitions. Soak up the geological, historical, archaeological and cultural significance. Beneath the amazing grassy roof is a series of galleries telling the story of the Shropshire Hills, the folk who lived here and the forces which shaped the landscape. Discover the writers, poets and artists who have drawn inspiration from this unique countryside and step inside our simulated hot-air balloon ride for a bird's eye view of those "Blue Remembered Hills".

The Secret Hills Discovery Centre in Craven Arms is housed in an extraordinary grass-roofed building designed to echo the hill forts in the surrounding Shropshire countryside. The centre allows the visitor to step inside and discover for themselves just how the Shropshire landscape evolved into what we see today. The exhibition guides the visitor through a geological history of the Shropshire Hills pointing out the key features of the Shropshire landscape. You'll also see the Shropshire Mammoth - surprising perhaps as they haven't walked around Shropshire since the end of the last Ice Age some 13,000 years ago. It is only with modern forensic research that visitors can see exactly what Shropshire looked like when mammoths walked the Shropshire plains.

The best way to view the Shropshire countryside is by the air, but the absence of a hot air balloon hasn't stopped the Secret Hills explaining the landscape from up high. A unique simulated hot air balloon flight forms the museums centre piece. It takes visitors from the Wrekin in the north of Shropshire to the Stiperstones in the south. Visitors can find the clues about how the landscape formed and then seek them out for themselves among the Shropshire countryside.

The centre houses several changing exhibitions throughout the year of local arts and crafts. Outside the Discovery Centre, there are over 25 acres of Onny Meadows to explore with a path taking visitors along the banks of the river Onny where heron, kingfisher and wagtails are known to roam. There are several signposted walks and cycle routes taking visitors away from the centre to as far as the Long Mynd. The Discovery Centre is open from 10.00am every day and has a small café serving freshly cooked meals and a book/gift shop. Entry to the centre is free but there is an extra charge to the Secret Hills exhibition.