Ludlow

We are in Shropshire in one of our favourite places.  
There was a change of plan as Grace and John are moving back into their house tomorrow, so instead of doing the whole journey down on bank holiday Friday we have come part way today to stay over in Ludlow. We have visited twice before but have never stayed overnight.

We like this county and often make a detour to visit different places. We’ve stopped at Ironbridge, Bridgenorth and Shrewsbury in the past and called into Ludlow and Much Wenlock on those visits.

We are staying at the pictured Feathers Hotel.

After checking in we walked through town and then down to the river behind the castle. It is the River Teme and had 5 mills alongside it at one time indicated by the many wiers. 
We followed the Bread Walk by crossing the bridge and following the river to Ludford and crossing the bridge there back into town. It is called the Bread walk as apparently the mill workers were paid in bread at one time.

There are lots of blue plaques on the buildings not always noting the people who lived there but the history of the houses themselves. On one lovely timbered building it was said it was ‘Newly built in 1656 after burning in the civil war’.
On the hotel one of the plaques says that ‘An older building was enlarged and refronted in 1619’ and the other ‘Became an inn in 1670. Much altered in the mid 19th century when the balcony was added for electioneering’

Lots of history here.

As you climb back up from the river many of the houses are from the later Georgian period, equally attractive.

Dinner awaits.