Historic
Ludlow has been praised for many years for its
extraordinary attractiveness. The town can be enjoyed as
a place to shop or for its many festivals and activities,
for its character as a bustling market town or for its
excellent food shops and first-rate restaurants. Further
information can be found on the following web sites:
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One
of Ludlow's main charms is its wealth of historic and
interesting buildings - many dating from the 12th century
- and its secret alleyways and quiet corners. This drawing shows the Butter Market as seen from Harp Lane - one of many appealing yards in the Town. Make sure you also look into Quality Square and wander along Valentines Walk, Pepper Lane, Attorney's Walk and Friar's Walk - not forgetting the Linney. There are many excellent books available which explain the history of the Town and describe its famous buildings. Publications are available from the Tourist Information Centre in Castle Square or from the Town's many well-stocked book shops. |
Ludlow is one of the most elegant of English towns and from its earliest days it was a market town, serving the needs of both the Town and the agricultural community around it. Stallholders have sold their wares in and around Castle Square for over 900 years. Many of the local farmers owned large flocks of sheep and, from the end of the 11th to the 16th centuries, anything and everything to do with the wool trade was important to Ludlow. With the river Teme nearby to provide power for the mills (there were 11 along the river at one time - several of which were fulling mills) fleeces were processed into cloth locally. Ludlow became a fashionable social centre in the 18th and 19th Centuries and many county families built town houses here. With the population rising fast, houses were build in the 'backs' and space in the Town became limited - and so it developed to the east. The Castle has obviously been a significant feature of the Town and dates from the 11th century when it was founded by the de Lacy family. It was one of a line of castles built to control the Welsh border. The Castle has been involved in many battles and skirmishes - not least during the English Civil War - and there are also stories of intrigue and scandal associated with it ... |
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More information on specific buildings and features of interest will be provided here in due course.
Other places of local interest include:
Berrington Hall (National
Trust)
Croft Castle
Ironbridge (birthplace of the Industrial
Revolution)
Mortimer Forest (walking)
Stiperstones
Stokesay Castle
Stretton Hills
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