“What country, friends, is this?”
Situated in the rolling countryside of south Shropshire just near the border with Worcestershire, Neen Sollars is a small village with a population of something under 200 people.
The wedding itself took place at All Saints’ Church. This charming cruciform church was built in the 14th Century and has links with Sharon’s family that go back many generations. It is also notable for a memorial (described by one guest as ‘cathedral quality’) to the 16th Century traveller Thomas Coningsby, who was the James Bond of his time and made several trips to foreign lands including Turkey, Northern Europe and Greece. To this day, many of the village’s inhabitants look on his memorial with awe and imagine what it might be like to see the sights that lie beyond Cleobury Mortimer and Tenbury Wells.
Elsewhere in the village, visitors might like to wander down to the River Rea, a merry stream which flows through Neen on its way to join the fast-flowing Teme and eventually the mighty Severn.
The pub in Neen is called the Live and Let Live. It is quite a traditional pub, very welcoming and serves good food and beer.
The reception was held in a marquee in nearby Atchel field. There were flowers and cake and confetti, and food and drink and dancing and cider and fire.