Weston-under-Lizard Tourist Information

Weston-under-Lizard is a small but charming village in a scenic rural part of Staffordshire, close to the border with Shropshire.

Lizard is the name of a nearby hill, once reputedly a leper colony, and it is used as part of the village name to differentiate Weston-under-Lizard from the nearby village of Weston-upon-Trent. Weston traditionally meant “west farmstead”.

Weston-under-Lizard is located 7 miles east of Telford. It is on the A5, the historic Roman Road known as Watling Street which ran from London all the way to Holyhead in Wales.

Weston-under-Lizard is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as belonging to the Sheriff of Shropshire and it had ten tenants and two serfs.

The Manor of Weston eventually became Weston Hall, home of the Mytton family who married into the Wilbraham family. The Wilbrahams had the original manor house completely rebuilt in 1671 and this is the magnificent building which exists today.

Their daughter Mary married Richard Newport, who became 2nd Earl of Bradford. In its illustrious past, Weston Park has entertained many celebrities and members of royalty and was the location of the G8 summit in 1998.

The church of St Andrew was largely rebuilt in 1700, also by Lady Wilbraham, although the tower is a much older structure. Inside the church two monuments of note are to the memory of Lady Wilbraham, Countess of Bradford, and her eldest daughter. The church also has a fine carved pulpit from 1701.

Present Day Weston-under-Lizard

First impressions of Weston-under-Lizard are how charming and quaint the village is. It is the archetypal English rural community with the obligatory church and post office. The nearest pub is the Bell Inn at nearby Tong.

Pretty detached cottages hide behind English country gardens and stone walls mark their roadside boundaries. Some of the cottages were built as almshouses by the 3rd Countess of Bradford in 1874. They can be seen to the west of the church cemetery.

Weston-under-Lizard remains very much an estate village as it was once all part of the Weston Hall estate. The church is the centre of village life. The village school was built in 1973 and became a church-controlled voluntary school for infants. It closed in the late 1970s.

Things to do in Weston-under-Lizard

Walking in the area is a popular pursuit along the miles of country footpaths. Keen hill walkers can climb to the summit of the Wreakin, a local landmark.

Weston Park is the huge stately home on the outskirts of Weston-under-Lizard which is open to the public. It is the ancestral seat of the Earls of Bradford and has 1000 acres of grounds landscaped by Capability Brown.

It is now managed by the Weston Park Foundation Trustees and is well worth a day out. The grand house is open for tours and the vast estate offers walks surrounded by the beauty of Staffordshire countryside. It occasionally hosts V Music Festivals during the summer.

Other nearby attractions include the recreated Victorian town of Blists Hill, part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, about 9 miles from Weston-under-Lizard.

The Telford Steam Railway operates on Sundays by a team of steam enthusiasts and is a fun way to see the surrounding countryside.