- Type
- Ruin
- Built
- c. 1075 · 11th century
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Style
- Norman architecture
- Commissioned by
- Walter de Lacy
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 52.3672°, -2.7230°
History
The castle was founded around 1075 by the Norman baron Walter de Lacy, and its stone walls are among the oldest in England. In the early 14th century Ludlow passed to Roger Mortimer, who turned it into a splendid residence, and in the 15th century it came to the Crown. Edward IV's son, the future Edward V, was brought up here, and in 1502 Prince Arthur, elder brother of Henry VIII, died at the castle a few months after his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. For about two centuries Ludlow was the seat of the Council of Wales and the Marches. After the council was abolished in 1689 the castle fell into ruin, and in 1811 it was bought by the Earls of Powis, who still own it.
What to see
You enter from the market square into the broad outer bailey, and a bridge over the dry ditch leads to the inner castle with the Great Tower, originally a Norman gatehouse. The most unusual building is the round chapel of St Mary Magdalene from the 12th century, modelled on the rotunda of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The walls of the Great Hall and the Mortimers' chambers also survive, and the towers look out over the Teme valley and the Shropshire hills.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q576369
Popularity: articles about this site in 28 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).