We were delighted to see Soulton Hall featured in a recent insightful article in the CPRE magazine, which explored the evolving landscape of rural land-based businesses. Penned by Eleanor Doughty, the piece touched upon several key aspects that we feel are important to our work here.
One area highlighted was community engagement. We were pleased to be mentioned for our efforts during coronavirus restrictions, when we decided to build an open-air amphitheatre at Soulton to offer a safe space for people to come together and enjoy performances. It was simply our way of trying to support the local community during a difficult time.
As the article noted:
The Ashtons’ dedication to keeping their local community close was proven again during the first summer of coronavirus restrictions. To bring people together safely, the family decided to build an amphitheatre at Soulton in which to stage performances in the open air.
The article also discussed heritage, something we are deeply aware of here at Soulton Hall:
Soulton Hall, home of the Ashton family for 450 years. Today’s Ashton
I’m very proud to live in north Shropshire – the people are great. We are lucky to have this architectural statement here, which people trust us to look after, and is respected as part of their landscape.
Finally, the theme of arts and culture was explored, and our little amphitheatre was mentioned again. It wasn’t really intended as a commercial venture, but rather as a way to bring some cultural experiences to the local community when other avenues were limited. The article highlighted this:
To bring people together safely during the pandemic, an amphitheatre was built at Soulton
and further noted our intentions:
The amphitheatre was not the most commercial of projects, but it wasn’t supposed to be: ‘The point of doing it is not to make money; it’s about the cultural weight that it gave us.
We found Eleanor’s article to be a thoughtful reflection on the ways rural estates are adapting, and we were grateful to be included in the conversation.
