We’re just back from a dawn stroll through the mists of time, along one of our very favourite (near) Lichfield waterside wanders…

Alrewas to Wychnor, by canal and river, is only a short stroll but takes you on long leaps through the centuries, with some beautiful views, stories, historic sites and the dawn chorus makes for a very special soundtrack.

Swans were busy dipping the riverbed for breakfast, we spotted a couple of herons stood stock still by the river bank looking for prey and the air was filled, particularly by the water meadows part way between the two villages, by the sound of warblers, wrens, a woodpecker and even a curlew too.

Back to the history! Wychnor has got lots of it, not least its name suggests a settlement by the Hwicce, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom further south, which ended up under Mercia in the 7th century. Of course, we know the Romans were here long before, as Rykneld Street runs very close by, as evidenced by the gentle roar of cars and lorries even at five o’clock in the morning.

It’s the village’s later history which has left a spectacular mark, or set of marks, on the landscape. Wychnor has one of the most dramatic deserted medieval villages we’ve seen anywhere – and we’re big fans of them (!). Look out for a post soon about several others around Lichfield and Tamworth.

The Wychnor DMV (as archaeologists call them, as deserted medieval village is such a mouthful, and is annoying to type too!) spans several fields, most notably just to the west of the church. Other parts of the DMV include spectacular surviving ridge and furrow (plough marks) too.

We’ve included a Lidar image below to give a sense of its extent. An interpretation panel includes an illustration of how it might have looked in medieval times. The earthworks are so prominent, including mill races and fish ponds, it’s not difficult to imagine our medieval ancestors at work and play here, especially on a timeless misty morning like today. The place is extraordinarily atmospheric.

As shown on the map, in the 19th century, Ordnance Survey surveyors mistook the village remains for marl pits, of which we’ve got lots around this area.

Wychnor has lots of other intriguing history. When the canal was cut it took for a basin part of the old Wychnor Forge, an ironworks of which a certain Erasmus Darwin had been a driving force.

When it comes to lore and customs, Wychnor has one of the very best. The Wychnor Flitch of Bacon, awarded to couples who claimed to be contented after a year of marriage, is a sizzler of a tradition that goes right back to medieval times.

We’ll head back to Alrewas another time too, as it’s got all you can ask of a historic village in its own right….

John T