Halton: No Castle but Green Pasture

A pleasant, if muddy hill, overlooking the pretty Lune Valley village of Halton. The careful observer notes the bumps and mounds are not natural, for this is the site an of ancient castle. Built by the Norman Roger de Poitou around 1092, it was designed to control and tax this fertile valley. A formidable place it must have been, awing the Saxon folk into living peaceably and paying their new lord his dues. Yet now it offers no fear. In 1322, William Wallace and his Scottish hoards attacked and burnt it to the ground. Never again was it rebuilt, never again did its menacing shadow scare the locals.

Today’s fortresses are tomorrow’s green pastures. Today’s battles are tomorrow’s victories. Today’s sore wounds are tomorrow’s valiant scars. The gospel’s powerful opponents will one day bow the knee to Christ and confess His lordship:

He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.

Isaiah 23:11