Ludlow Castle

Built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the River Teme, Ludlow Castle was started by Walter de Lacey who died in 1085. The family lost possession after a series of rebellions against William II. 

During the 19-year anarchy ‘when Christ and his saints slept,’ Gilbert de Lacy took advantage of the chaos by siding with Matilda against King Stephen, seizing back the castle while he had the chance. Stephen marched his army into Ludlow, risking his life to save Prince Henry of Scotland. The unfortunate prince had been caught by a grappling hook and was being hauled up the walls of the castle by its defenders. King Stephen leapt on him and dragged the young prince free as battle raged about them, and in 1139 regained Ludlow Castle.

The castle was eventually returned to the Lacy family but in the early C14th fell into the hands of the powerful Mortimer dynasty

Chapel interior. The walls show where a first floor  balcony would have been laid for those too important to hear Mass with the rabble. 

Through the portal you can see the foundations of the chapel's full extent. 

During the C12th the round Norman chapel was built in the inner Bailey, and the castle extended to form a large outer bailey surrounded by a curtain wall. The main gatehouse is on the east curtain wall facing a growing town. To the west of the curtain wall is Mortimer’s tower, a smaller gatehouse. The Keep , well and the important Northern Range are top left.

The Keep from the inner bailey and the flag of St George. I need to get up there.

Mortimer's Tower on the West curtain wall

View of the inner bailey from one of the towers.

Penetrating the ruins of the Northern Range is akin to wandering around a medieval Escher, with missing ceilings and openings leading to nowhere in particular. But my aim is in sight. The Great Keep which is higher than it looks here. 

The main complex of the castle is now a dark and

gloomy maze

But eventually, we get there

The Keep and the walls from where Prince Henry may have been hooked.

About halfway up. Yaroo!

Magnificent corkscrew stairs. Ideal for defenders allowing space for their the sword arm. Almost impossible for attackers to use theirs. By the time I'd reached the top I was too weak to use a pea shooter. 

The pole without the flag. Bit of an oversight, sorry

That's me up their waving down. My wife had more sense. I was reliving my childhood.

The castle really came into its own during the War of the Roses, when Richard Duke of York inherited the castle following the failure of the Mortimer line. Lancastrians captured it in 1459, but in 1460, Richard’s eighteen year old son, Edward, raised an army from the area around Ludlow and defeated the Lancastrians at nearby Mortimer’s Cross. It proved decisive and Edward became king in 1461.

In terms of famous deaths, Edward’s two young sons, Edward Prince of Wales and Richard Duke of York were brought up there before being taken into ‘protection’ by their uncle, infamous Richard III. They disappeared soon after in the Tower of London.

Arthur, a later Prince of Wales enjoyed married life with Catherine of Aragon in Ludlow, before his premature death in 1502. The excitement proved to much for the fifteen year old boy who'd boasted that he had 'been in Spain.'  His heart, (a euphemism for his bowels) is buried in St Lawrence Church, as seen from the top of the keep.

Outer Bailey and St Lawrence Church beyond

 

More specifically here:

Close to the High Alter

                                                     

But back to the castle.

In the C16th Ludlow Castle became the administrative centre of The Council of Wales and the Marches, which met in the Great Hall. A new ‘Judge’s Lodgings’ was built near the entrance to the Inner Bailey, with a first floor bridge connecting it to the round chapel. 

The Judge's Lodgings

Note the Elizabethan style windows

Showing on to the Inner Bailey, Northern Range in foreground.

                                    

And the round chapel that once had a connecting bridge to the Judge's Lodgings

In the Civil War, it surrendered to the Roundheads and fell into disuse after the Council of Wales was abolished in 1689.

As for us? We ended our stay in a very nice tea-room with Earl Grey and a bun. 

Carvell's—it was like stepping into an Agatha Christie