History

Ludlow Castle History

Follow the Fascinating History of Treachery, Love and Royalty at Ludlow Castle

In the Early Days

1086 Walter de lacy starts to build Ludlow Castle after coming over here in 1066 with William the Conqueror

Visit the de Lacy Chronicles website

http://www.delacychronicles.com

The Mortimers

The Mortimer family arrived in the wake of William the Conqueror.

Their story is a colourful picture of ambition, power, rivalry and various attempts to claim the throne.

The Young Princes

The Princes in the Tower spent their childhood playing around the North Range, Great Hall and Tudor Lodgings before their fateful trip to London

The Royal Castle

Throughout the 16th and 17th Century Ludlow Castle was held by the Crown

Everyday Life in the Castle

Many people would have lived within the Castle walls from important nobles to chambermaids and farriers.

Sports and Leisure

The Georgians and Victorians used the castle as a bowling green, for archery, hunting, agricultural shows and later plays and festivals

The Arts and
Ludlow Castle

On special occasions entertainment in the castle goes back as far as the 16th Century

High Days and Holidays

By 1689 the castle was a ruin but then, with the coming of the railway to Ludlow in 1852 and travel being more accessible to all, it became a tourist Attraction

Restoration Project

An exciting and ambitious renovation to the Castle House within the castle walls was completed in 2007.

Castle House Restoration Project

Everyone is delighted that Castle House has been fully renovated to an extremely high standard using highly skilled craftsmen. Since the restoration took place in 2007 we are able to provide the following:

The Restoration and Re-use Project

Once the transfer had been completed the Trustees had two possible options regarding the future of Castle House. The first would be to renovate the building and continue to use it as eight (or fewer) residential flats. This would preserve the building but provide no benefit to the Castle visitors, Ludlow town, the district nor would it enable the public to see the interior of the only habitable part of Ludlow Castle.

The scheme now provides:-

additional space in support of Ludlow’s main festivals
retail outlets for local crafts and rural businesses
an enhanced “experience” for visitors to Ludlow Castle and the town

The full renovation cost approximately £1m more than restoring Castle House to residential use and was completed in early June 2007.

This exciting and ambitious renovation has allowed the ground floor of Castle House, for the first time in its history, to be accessible to all and adds greatly to the facilities offered in the castle - which was always one of the main reasons for embarking on this project.

A glass covered courtyard to link Castle House to the main entrance
Castle Tea Room with seating in the glazed Courtyard, Pantry, Study and the Garden Terrace
Exhibition hall/function room(s)
Several retail points for local crafts and produce