Sheep have been central to the history of Shipston on Stour. The name Shipston comes from ‘sheep wash town’ and the history is clear in the narrow alleys that the town has which were used for sheep counting.
A great joy is lambing season when the fields around us are a delight with hundreds of lambs. One of the great things is that the lambs really DO gambol!
Having been a city girl I had never appreciated how beautiful sheep are and how many hugely different breeds there are.
On and off from the 19th century a sheep and wool fair has been held in Shipston. In 2009 the tradition was revived and now, every year, we have a wool fair in Shipston. www.shipstonwoolfair.org.
It is a great day out and a real showpiece for some beautiful, weird and wonderful sheep and this year was no exception with excellent food and music and lots of people.
