Exhibition delves into 10,000 years of Shropshire parish's history

History enthusiasts Jane Smith and Ron Summers like nothing more than delving into the past of Worfield and Rudge.

And now they are planning one of the most ambitious exhibitions the county has ever seen.

Not for them a mere stroll into the past to the last century or two.

The pair have researched an amazing 10,000 years of the area's history, back to the Stone Age.

And next month on June 14 and 15, visitors will be able to share in the story at a their show at Lower Hall in Worfield village centre.

Worfield parish covers a sweeping area of land which lies along the River Worfe and includes the village of Worfield itself.

It also includes large communities at Ackleton, Hilton and the Hobbins and no fewer than 29 hamlets.

The project started when Jane's husband died and she was downsizing from farm to smaller property.

She said: "It was my idea. I suppose I was also looking for something to fill 'the hole'. I love historical events but it often seems that the exhibitions you go to are based on just family history and it seemed there was an opportunity to do so much more."

Ron became a willing collaborator in the project and between them, they have gathered the most extraordinary collection of information, documents, photographs and artefacts which will form the basis of the exhibition.

Ron's metal detecting interest – Jane has coincidentally also written a book about metal detection – and Jane's skill at translating from Latin have all helped with the venture.

Worfield itself is a good place for inspiration – in Main Street leading up to the church, for instance, every property is listed.

The seeds were originally sown around six years ago and it has taken the team about eight months to put the big weekend together.

One of the oldest surviving landmarks is the Iron Age hill fort at Chesterton, which once belonged to the Cornovii tribe, whose economy was based on agriculture and trading cattle

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to take a walk-through timeline of history from prehistoric times, including artefacts dating back to 8,000 BC and a variety of photographs covering all aspects of village life, the invention of the camera through to the present day.

The event will interest history enthusiasts and but is also intended to be a family-friendly weekend with something for everyone, and with children especially welcome.

There will also be a steam rally, costumed historical characters and vintage vehicles. Plus tours of the church, flower displays and a circular walk and treasure hunt around Worfield village and Davenport Park.

*Read Shirley Tart's full story in June's Shropshire Magazine