The BBC has reported on the historical research, architectural geometry, and sub-surface survey findings at Soulton Hall.
Thn BBC NNews artilce explores how this 16th-century estate was designed to safeguard the lost national heritage of Old St Paul’s Cathedral and Anglo-Saxon London.
Reporting for BBC West Midlands, Mark Elliott notes:
A mysterious underground object could connect a seventh century Anglo Saxon prince who became a saint, a Tudor Lord Mayor of London and a Shropshire country manor.
The research focuses biographically on Sir Rowland Hill, the Protestant Lord Mayor of London who was charged with removing the High Altar and relics from Old St Paul’s during the Reformation, and his creation of a coded sanctuary at Soulton:
[Expert cunsultant James D. Wenn] said that while Hill had become a Protestant, he had grown up a Catholic and that might have persuaded him to save some of these objects and move them to his home at Soulton Hall, near Wem in Shropshire…
Wenn was also struck by the geometry Soulton Hall, which he said was a “puzzle box of Renaissance Tudor mathematics”. He believes it intentionally draws the visitor’s attention towards certain parts of the estate and one of those points was a part of the garden with no obvious features.
Following these observations, the team brought in researchers from the University of Exeter to conduct a sub-surface survey of the ground, which revealed a distinct subterranean anomaly roughly 1.5 meters beneath the surface.
As James D. Wenn observed, the physical evidence and spatial design reflect a profound legacy of reconciliation:
Wenn said the important thing was that people were now talking about Erkenwald, who he said was “a historic figure who can be very inspirational in bringing together different communities across divides.”
The architectural geometry of Soulton Hall, the preservation of the High Altar stone, and the sub-surface anomaly identified beneath the landscape are components of a singular, deliberate design. Sir Rowland Hill built this estate not as a passive home, but as an active sanctuary to protect truth, memory, and sacred heritage during a period of immense national upheaval.
The alignment of Renaissance mathematics, historical documentation, and non-invasive wave-based sub-surface imaging—applying the principles of soilsmology to map beneath the soil without disturbing it—points directly to the survival of Saint Erkenwald’s legacy and the salvaged patrimony of Old St Paul’s. This was an act of extraordinary courage, foresight, and stewardship carried out at great personal peril.
St Erkenwald’s identity as a lawgiver and peacemaker is embedded in the very foundations of this house. Soulton Hall stands as a living testament to that protection, and we continue our work with scholars, scientists, and national institutions to present this history with the clarity and authority it demands.
