Built well and fayre, with streates both large and wide.

And who that lists to walke the towne about,

Shall finde therein some rare and pleasant things.”

            At first I was puzzled to discover that this piece originates from Churchyard’s travelogue entitled The Worthiness of Wales, because Ludlow is the administrative centre of South Shropshire, a rural and very English county.  But such was Ludlow’s importance, and it’s connections with the Royal family, it was once the administrative centre for a large region of the country, including Wales.

            Today, Ludlow stands on a hill islanded to the west and south by the fast flowing waters of the River Teme, and to the north and east by the fast flowing by-pass of the A49 trunk road.  The benefits are that life inside this fast flowing cycle can be very sedate indeed.

            During the compilation of the Domesday Book, the only inhabitation identified in this area was a small agricultural hamlet called Dinham, on the banks of the River Teme.  References to Dinham still exist in the town today.  But William the Conqueror’s invasion of 1066 shattered the tranquillity in several ways.  Whilst he succeeded in conquering the English, the Welsh were determined to put up a fight.  This lead to a resumption of the cross border skirmishes that used to plague this area, and influenced the location of many of the communities along the frontier. 

            William awarded one of his loyal men, Walter de Lacy, several areas of land along the English – Welsh border, including the Manor of Stanton Lacy.  Nowadays, Stanton Lacy survives as a small village to the north of Ludlow.  Walter’s son, Roger, decided to build a castle in the southeastern corner of this Manor as a stronghold against the Welsh.  Building began in 1086 and was completed 8 years later.  Local inhabitants sought refuge within the safety of the castle walls, and during the early years of the 12th century, the grid-like patterns of streets that still exist now were developed to provide accommodation and promote markets and trade.  This had the added benefit of allowing Roger to charge levies to those who entered and kept undesirables out.  And so in 1138 that the place name “Ludelaue” was first recorded.  It translates as ‘hill beside loud waters’, and taking a walk around the castle walls is a sight of breathtaking beauty, watching the waters of the Teme flowing over the recently restored weirs.

            Ludlow’s fortunes continued to improve in the 15^th Century when the de Lacy’s, now joined by marriage to the influential Mortimer family, married into the Royal family.  Anne Mortimer married Edward III’s grandson, Richard, Earl of Cambridge, and brought Ludlow Castle into the ownership of the Royals.  It was King Edward IV who decreed that Ludlow should become the administrative centre for Wales, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire - an immense area.  The administrative authority became known as the Council in the Marches and Wales.

            In the 21^st Century, Ludlow continues to act as an administrative centre, but on a much smaller scale.  It still covers an impressive area of over 400 square miles, and provides local services to the sparsely populated South Shropshire district, the largest in Shropshire.

            In the same way that our modern Royal family use Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral, so the Royal family often frequented Ludlow Castle.    Edward V and his younger brother Richard spent most of their childhood here, before becoming the infamous ‘Princes in the Tower’ when their uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, deposed Edward after only three months of rule, imprisoning him and his brother in the Tower of London, before reputedly murdering them there in 1483. The son of Henry VII, Prince Arthur, brought his bride, Catherine of Aragon to the castle, where they lived for six months.  This seal of approval gave a huge social boost to the town.

            Wandering around Ludlow today it’s easy to see how prosperous the town has been throughout its life.  Wherever you look, you cannot fail to notice some of the 500 listed buildings that adorn the wide and airy streets, many of which have facades that cover the fabric of even older structures.

            Ludlow’s primary industry between the 11^th and 16^th centuries was its woollen trade, and at one time 11 mills operated along the banks of the River Teme, providing employment.  In 1377, Ludlow’s population of about 1,700 people made it the 33^rd largest town in England.  Remaining constant for over four hundred years, it suddenly swelled to over 5,200 after the Napoleonic Wars, its prosperity attracting workers.

            By the early 1800’s Ludlow’s main industry had changed from wool to the malting of grain and also glove manufacturing.  It is recorded that in 1813, Ludlow had 12 glove makers employing a total of 720 workers who produced 7,000 pairs of gloves in one particular week.  Their main export market was the United States.

            Nowadays, the town continues to bustle amongst the extraordinary architecture that its past prosperity allowed it to develop.  Adjacent to the Castle in the square is Castle Lodge, a 16^th Century stone and timber building, constructed for one of the officials of the Council of the Marches and Wales.  Inside it is heavily panelled and houses some beautifully stained glass windows.  Open to the public today, it has even been used as the set for television adaptations of period drama.  At the turn of this Century, Hollywood descended upon Ludlow, using it as a backdrop for the filmUnconditional Love starring Rupert Everett and Kathy Bates.

            Perhaps Ludlow’s most famous hostelry is the Feathers Hotel, which in 1983 Jan Morris wrote in the New York Times “I daresay it is the most handsome inn in the world”.  Praise indeed for a building rebuilt in 1619 as the private home of a lawyer, but converted in 1670 into an inn that continues to ply the trade today.  Perfect for a relaxing afternoon tea.

             From an administrative centre, Ludlow emerged in the 18^th and 19^th centuries as a fashionable social centre.  The Assembly Rooms, built in 1840, became an important social venue in the town where local people could meet to socialise and dance.  Today its function remains the same as an arts centre for the townsfolk and surrounding parishes, providing live performances and cinema showings.  The American novelist Henry James visited Ludlow in the 19^th Century and wrote, “The place seems to say that a hundred years ago or less, it was the centre of a large provincial society”.  Too true!

            It was that large, provincial society who wanted a town house in Ludlow leading to several county families building them here.  The resulting vibrancy and prosperity allowed the Parish Church of St Laurence to embark upon its latest and most recent extensive refurbishment between 1859 and 1861, revealing the spectacle we see today.  It is a Parish Church and not a Cathedral, which comes as a surprise to many visitors, for it’s size, is staggering.  A place of worship for over 900 years, the square tower of St Laurence’s spears Ludlow’s skyline, as if competing with the Castle for domination.

            Today, Ludlow’s vibrancy continues to attract visitors from far and wide, particularly in June and July, when it provides the dramatic backdrop to the annual Festival.  The Festival flagships are the Shakespearean plays performed inside Ludlow Castle.  The first festival took place in 1960, but the first performance within the castle walls occurred some 326 years earlier, when John Milton’s masque Comus was performed in the Great Hall.  A masque was a mixture of verse, dance and music with a slightly dramatic plot usually based upon a mythological theme.

            Hot air balloon rides occasionally take visitors high into the skies over Ludlow, but one of the most breathtaking (quite literally) ways to survey Ludlow’s architecture is from the top of the tower of St Laurence’s Church.  Climbing some 200 steps to reach its summit is not for the feint hearted but the spectacular views make it worthwhile.  And poet A E Housman, in his 1896 collection A Shropshire Lad, captured the Tower’s solidity when he penned,

            “Come you home a hero,

            Or come not home at all.

            The lads you leave will mind you,

            Till Ludlow Tower shall fall.”

            Wandering around the town it’s apparent how it continues to thrive on one of the activities that it was originally established.  Markets take place in the Castle Square every week on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, with an additional market on Wednesday’s during the summer months.  One of the most popular is the Local To Ludlow market where only produce sourced from a 30-mile radius of Ludlow can be sold.  It seems ironical to think that traders in Roger de Lacy’s Ludlow may have travelled similar distances in order to sell their wares.  It does mean though, that Ludlow’s heritage can still be lived today.

The End