In Pictures: See all of our pictures from the eclipse

Lyth Hill, outside Shrewsbury was the base for more than 70 people to join Shropshire Astronomical Society to view the cosmic dimmer-switch in action.

Stephen Szwajkun, vice chairman of Shropshire Astronomical Society, was one of those there yesterday and said the hillside location was perfect to witness a "special event".

He said: "It is spot-on, you cannot go wrong with this. Most amateur astronomers tend to be individuals on their own exploring the night sky, but an event like this is an opportunity to share and you can feel the atmosphere up here. There has been a lot of excitement at witnessing a very rare solar event. I think the next one of this quality will not come around until sometime near 2070."

Mr Szwajkun hailed the quality of the eclipse, with superb weather conditions ensuring an eerie few minutes as the moon moved into place.

He said: "It was beyond all expectations. The actual event itself, in terms of what people could see, it has been clear and the experience has been really good. From an astronomical point of view it has been a huge success. People come up here and they have not been disappointed. It is such a rare event and for it to go so well, it's wonderful."

Victoria Iremonger, who attended the event with her two children, Reuben and Douglas, said: "Dad has always given us an interest in the night sky and I just thought it was such a special event. Reuben is fascinated by space and the night sky and it is special to be part of the visual effect, rather than seeing it on a screen."

Children at Lawley Primary School in Telford gathered on the school playground to watch the eclipse armed with buckets of water and pinhole viewers.

Year 4 teacher Kate Prentice said: "We explained to the children that they must not look at the sun directly so we have buckets of water so they can watch the reflection.

"They also had their pinhole viewers and they loved every minute of it.

"They have been looking forward to it all week and they were really excited when it started."

Youngsters were also out in full force with their pinhole cameras across north Shropshire.

At Market Drayton Junior School, the whole school gathered on the playground, with staff and pupils using the homemade cameras to follow events.

Nicola Williams, administrator at the Alexandra Road school said: "They all had a great time. They have been learning all about the eclipse in class and they made their cameras the day before.

"My daughter comes to the school and she has been very excited during the week.

"She has been coming home full of information about the eclipse, how it happens, when the last one was and when the next one is.

"It has been really good, and everyone has been looking forward to it."

Pupils from Thomas Adams School in Wem also watched the scientific treat yesterday morning – but these youngsters had a go at analysing it from a mathematical angle, putting their maths knowledge to the test using work they have been doing on arcs and circles.

In Whitchurch, children from Sir John Talbot's School were excited to get outside to witness the event - again using pinhole cameras to protect their eyes from the sun.

In Oswestry Sam Goodwin, 17, and his dad, Phil, made their own cameras to view the eclipse from the top of Oswestry Hill Fort.

Science student, Sam, said: "If ever you wanted proof that we live in a mechanical solar system then this is it. It is a remarkable sight."

A crisp tube became a pinhole camera for Alec Griffiths, 19, his mum, Bernadette and his girlfriend, Natalie Whyte, 21, while Steve Adams, 32 and Hannah Lloyd, 23, from Oswestry rigged up a home made device on which to project the image from their telescope.

Mark Grier from Shrewsbury invested in a £1.09 welding mask lens to see the eclipse while travelling showman, Allan Stokes, and his family watched from the tinted windows of one of their rides currently set up in Oswestry.

Pupils from Moreton Hall School took time out of lessons to watch the eclipse and made a time lapse video of what they saw.

In Ludlow the eclipse almost went unnoticed by some as shoppers and residents went about their business.

But a handful of those in the know gathered on Broad Street with camera phones, paper and cardboard with pin holes, to get a look at what was happening to the sun.

They were joined by a few curious shopkeepers and business owners who emerged from their stores and offices at around 9.30am - the darkest point - to see what all the fuss was about.