Ludlow Castle's gatehouse
Ludlow Castle is a large, now partly ruined, non-inhabited castle which dominates the
town of Ludlow in Shropshire, England. It stands on a high point overlooking the River Teme. The castle is
owned by The Trustees of the Powis Castle Estate on behalf of the family of the Earl of
Powis, and is open to the public.
History
Construction of Ludlow Castle began in the late
11th Century as the border stronghold of one of the Marcher Lords, Roger de Lacy. It is first referred to by chroniclers in 1138 but was at this time a more basic castle
type.
It was held by the de Lacy's into the 13th century and with their focus on their holdings in
Ireland their enemies took it during the civil wars of the reign of King Stephen when the
King himself besieged the castle and rescued his ally Prince Henry of Scotland.
In 1224 King Henry III of England met with Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, the Welsh prince and leader, at Ludlow to
sign a treaty with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton as mediator.
Early in the 14th Century it was enlarged into a magnificent palace for Roger Mortimer, then the most powerful man
in England.
In 1402 Edmund Mortimer, himself born at Ludlow Castle, set out from the castle with
a large army to seek battle with the forces of Owain Glyndwr - he met them in the valley
of the River Lugg at the Battle of Bryn Glas
where he was defeated, captured and eventually allied himself to the Welsh rebel's cause, to the extent of marrying one of
Glyndwr's daughters with whom he had four children, before starvation and death at the seige of Harlech Castle in 1409.
Royal Connections
Later, in the 15th Century under the ownership of Richard, Duke of York, the Castle was a major base in the Wars of the Roses and was taken by the Lancastrians in 1459 but back in York hand in 1461.
Ludlow after became a royal palace. In 1472 Edward
IV sent his son the Prince of Wales and his brother (later the ‘Princes in the
Tower’ of Shakespeare fame), to live at the Castle, which was also the seat
of Government for Wales and the Border Counties. Ludlow was now in
effect the capital of Wales.
In 1501 Prince Arthur, (son of Henry VII and brother to Henry VIII) with his bride
Catherine of Aragon, lived here for a short time before his early death.
Queen Mary Tudor and her court spent three winters at Ludlow between
1525 and 1528.
The Civil War
In 1642 to 1648 Ludlow was a Royalist stronghold and was besieged by Parliamentarian forces and negotiated a surrender,
avoiding damage and slighting.
Decline
In 1669 the seat of administration for the Marches and Wales and the Council of the Marches was centralised in London during the reign of William and Mary. The legal and administrative community moved with it.
In 1689 the Royal Welch Fusiliers were founded at
the Castle by Lord Herbert of Chirbury but soon after it was abandoned and gradually fell into
decay. In 1811 the ruins were purchased from the crown by the 2nd Earl of Powis, in the ownership of whose family it remains.
Architecture
The Castle’s long history is reflected in its varied architecture; Norman, Medieval and Tudor, many of the buildings still stand. From the huge Outer Bailey a bridge across the moat leads to the Inner Bailey with the
Keep, the Great Chamber, the Solar (room) Wing and other interesting buildings. On the other side of the moat is the Ice House – once used to store explosives.
Open Air Theatre and Event Venue
Milton’s famous Comus was first performed in
the Great Hall in 1634 and the tradition of a performance is
continued each June and July when a play is performed in the open air within the Inner Bailey, as part of the successful Ludlow Festival. The Castle hosts other events through-out the year. Over 50,000 people pass through the
gates each year.
Food Festival
The Ludlow and the Marches Food and Drink Festival http://www.foodfestival.co.uk/about.html takes place in the Castle precincts each September.
External links
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