In 1139 King Stephen lay siege to the Ludlow Castle and whilst doing so, committed a great act of bravery rescuing his ally, a young Prince Henry of Scotland

Ludlow Castle over looking the scenic River Teme in the beautiful Shropshire countryside was first mentioned in records dating back to 1138. The castle was built using limestone from its own quarry and was one of several Norman castles built along the Welsh border to help pacify their unruly neighbours. In 1139 King Stephen lay siege to the castle and whilst doing so, committed a great act of bravery rescuing his ally, a young Prince Henry of Scotland.

The de Lacy family and their descendants were the first lords of Ludlow castle right up until the end of the 13th. Upon the death of the last male heir in 1240, all of the family’s estates were divided equally between his two surviving daughters. Ludlow castle eventually found its way into the possession of Geoffrey de Geneville, a distant relation of Eleanor, the Queen of Edward I. In 1283 Geoffrey gave the castle and all its lands to his son Peter.

Ownership of the castle passed from the de Genevill’s to the Mortimer’s on the marriage of Peter’s daughter Joanna to Roger Mortimer. There it stayed until 1425, when Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, and leader of the Yorkists in the War of the Roses inherited it. Richard’s association with Ludlow during the war brought the full fury of Lancastrian forces upon it, who in 1459, seized and ransacked the castle.

When Edward IV, son of the Duke of York, ascended the English throne 1461, Ludlow Castle became property of the Crown remaining in royal hands for the next 350 years except during the Civil War and the Commonwealth.

In the 16th century, Ludlow castle became the capital of Wales when it was reorganized into shires during the infamous 'Acts of Union’. This newfound role saw the castle undergo major refurbishment and become the primary center for Welsh administration. During the Civil War of 1642-46 Ludlow became a Royalist stronghold and in 1646 Parliamentaian forces under the leadership of a Colonel Birch besieged the town and castle. Though much of the fighting was centered on the outskirts of the town and surrounding suburbs, Ludlow castle was surrendered after negotiations to the Parliamentarians.

The castle was abandoned around 1669, as part of the then governments policy to centralize control of the whole of England and Wales in London. The town’s folk began stripping the castle of its raw materials and soon it resembled a building site with the great majority of the castles rooms being left without roofs. By the 1760’s the government sought to demolish the castle but it was deemed to costly and instead was leased to the earl of Powis. In 1811 the castle was brought outright by the then Earl and from that time he and his ancestors have wrested the castle from any further decline.

In recent years grants from English Heritage have enabled important repair work to be done and over 50,000 visitors now visit this idyllic ruin set in the picturesque Shropshire countryside.

Tourist information

Opening times:

January: 10am to 4pm (weekends only) February to March: 10am to 4pm (7 days a week)

April to July: 10am to 5pm (7 days a week)

August: 10am to 7pm (7 days a week)

September: 10am to 5pm (7 days a week)

October to December: 10am to 4pm (7 days a week) Closed on Christmas Day and weekdays during January

Last admission half an hour before closing

Admission Charges:

Adults £4.00    Senior/student £3.50    Family £11.00    Children £2.00    Children Under 6 yrs FREE