When we could tear ourselves away from our cosy Tree Dome accommodation in South Shropshire, we took ourselves off to the nearby market town of Ludlow. A charming mixture of Georgian and Medieval architecture, Ludlow was described by poet John Betjemen as ‘ Probably the loveliest town in England with its hill of Georgian houses ascending from the river Teme to the great tower of the cross-shaped church,rising behind a classic market building.’
We wandered round Ludlow’s lovely streets, the buildings really are a colourful feast for the eyes. I wish I had taken more photos, my pictures don’t really do it justice. The town has lots of fascinating independent shops and olde worldy public houses. We returned later that day for a delicious evening meal at The Unicorn Inn on Corve Street.
Ludlow Castle. Ludlow has imposing castle ruins with Norman, Medieval and Tudor architecture. Constructed in the 11th century as a border stronghold of a Marcher Lord Roger De Lacy, the building was enlarged in the 14th century and was involved in the War of the Roses. Later it became a Royal Palace , used as a honeymoon destination by Prince Arthur ( brother of Henry VIII) and his bride Catherine of Aragon and then by Mary Tudor whose court spent three winters at Ludlow from 1525 to 1528. And in 1689 the Royal Welsh Fusiliers were founded at the castle by Lord Herbert of Chirbury.
Admission to Ludlow Castle is £7 for adults, £3-50 for children and dogs are welcome on a lead.
Berrington Hall. Just over the border in Herefordshire is National Trust Berrington Hall, a handsome Georgian manor with 250 acres of landscaped grounds, gardens and a small lake, on our visit buzzing with dragonflies. We decided to use our NT membership as even though we couldn’t go inside the house with our dog Hugo, there was plenty to see outside.
The parkland and gardens were designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown , his final commission before his death in 1783. My favourite part of our wander round ( apart from that small lake and dragonflies) was a wonderful pink pineapple-esque sculpture called Look! Look! Look! This striking sculptural pavillion has been designed to sit inside and imagine Browns curved walled garden as it would have looked two hundred years earlier.
Croft Castle. Another nearby National Trust property with grounds and gardens that we were able to bring Hugo to was Croft Castle. There are several way marked walks round the parkland and as in a lot of NT houses these days, deck chairs are dotted round the gardens, so you can really make yourself at home. On a walk past the natural play area, I was delighted to catch a glimpse of scarlet pimpernel in the wild. And the gardens in July are vibrantly colourful.
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sunshine and celandines 
I think Croft Castle would be my favourite and deck chairs would be a welcome bonus! 😁
I love it that both Berrington Hall and Croft castle have deck chairs in their beautiful gardens. So nice to find a spot to sit back , relax and enjoy the view. X
Part of what I miss about not being in the UK anymore is the lack of this kind of historical day out. The oldest we get anywhere locally is that some of the buildings in Kingston NY say they are from about 1661 but most got burned up by your lot in 1777 and rebuilt. Some are still there in the downtown that people can go in to see the history. Thanks for showing the photos and write ups. It looks like some lovely days out–
Thanks for the comment Donnalee. We had a lovely holiday in a part of England we had never been to before. Mind you I would adore to go to New York. Oneday!
We visited Ludlow years ago when we had a cottage near Hereford for a week. We loved it – but that cute wee dragon is new, I don’t remember it!
I think it’s for the kid visitors, or big kid visitors. 😀x
They look like beautiful country houses. Thanks for the photos and tour. I took a course on the Tudors and poor Catherine of Aragon, when her young husband Arthur who was destined for the English throne, died, she married Henry who became Henry the 8th. She had many miscarriages and stillbirths and then was divorced from him after he met Anne Boleyn. She never regained her position as queen. Poor woman!! xx
I know , such a sad story. Poor thing. At least she wasn’t one of the unlucky beheaded ones, that’s the only happy part of the sad tale. X
Lovely Shazza & seems was well worth the visit to all those places with you providing a wonderful bevy of photos for us overseas. Thanks & take care.
I didn’t know Ludlow at all, what a pretty town. The NT properties look really nice and what a super touch with the deckchairs.
I love that they do this . 😁
Lovely little town Ludlow. At one tome I used to dash past on the A49 (work related!) but did find the time to visit a couple of times. It has a something of a reputation as a foodie place.
I’m not sure , there were lots of nice looking places to eat. We liked The 🦄 Unicorn.
The gardens at Croft castle look beautiful!
They were very colourful and a great place to wander round. 🙂
Loved this!! The pelican on the house and the fog railings!! 💕💕
Dog 🐶
The dog and the cat ~ So cute. X
Lovely photos x