When was ludlow the capital of wales

Plan route using Google maps. Map reference: SO Lat: Where to go We love Plan your Visit. Ludlow Town Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire with a population of 11,; it is located 28 miles south of Shrewsbury and 23 miles north of Hereford.

In Victorian times the town was less prosperous and fewer new buildings were built; this has meant that its character has been largely preserved. Ludlow is best explored on foot. Shopping is a delight in Ludlow. There is a wide and varied range of individual shops: bakeries, delicatessens, clothes shops, ironmongers, gift shops, book shops, antique shops and craft shops, to name but a few. The Council of the March was dissolved in but was revived with limited powers from until its abolition in In the town and castle were besieged by a strong Parliamentary force under Colonel Birch.

Though there was fighting on the outskirts of town and parts of the suburbs were burnt, the castle itself was surrendered after negotiation. The kind of demolition carried out elsewhere was therefore avoided. After the castle was quickly abandoned, as part of the policy of the new government of William and Mary, to centralize control of the whole of England and Wales in London. In Daniel Defoe described it as 'the very perfection of decay'. T he people of the town looted the castle for principal materials and rooms were soon roof-less.

In the s the government considered demolition, but in view of the costs involved, preferred to lease it in to the earl of Powis. A later earl bought the castle in Since the care of successive earls of Powis and their agents has arrested further decline, while in recent years grants from English Heritage have enabled important repair work to be done. Harvey, A Castles and Walled Towns of England. Wrightman, W. E The Lacy family in England and Normandy, Ludlow Castle is arguably the most impressive castle in the Welsh Marches.

Although ruinous, much of the fortress survives including the Keep, which stands to its full height, and a rare example of circular chapel. Ludlow Castle and Town Walls. The castle occupied a spur of high ground overlooking the River Teme. The Inner Bailey was created first and originally was a standalone enclosure fortification. The town was founded shortly afterwards but a small portion of it was flattened when the castle's Outer Bailey was built in the late twelfth century.

Outer Gatehouse. The Outer Gatehouse dates from the late twelfth century but has been extensively altered in later years. Gatehouse Keep. Prior to the expansion of the castle in the late twelfth century, the entrance into the fortification was via the Gatehouse Keep. This was a relatively unusual arrangement with only a handful of other surviving examples, most notably at Exeter and Richmond castles.

The structure was heightened to four storeys in the early twelfth century. After the Outer Bailey was constructed, the entrance archway was blocked up and a new archway was cut through the curtain wall. Inner Bailey Entrance. This entrance replaced the access through the Gatehouse Keep in the late twelfth century. It was narrowed in the fourteenth century. Round Chapel. The chapel of St Mary Magdalene is a rare surviving example of a twelfth century church with a circular nave.

Its design imitated the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Ludlow Castle. The castle as viewed from the RIver Teme. Broad Gate. This gate is the only one of Ludlow's seven medieval gates to survive. It is flanked by D-shaped towers. The upper storeys have been heavily modified and predominantly date from the eighteenth century. Ludford Bridge.

The current bridge dates from the fifteenth century and replaced an earlier structure. The road led up the hill to Broad Gate. Town Walls. Significant sections of the town wall survive but the remains have been heavily modified.