Historic timber-framed building on a street corner with antique street lamps.

A Shropshire gem with stories to tell

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The history of Castle Lodge

History lives at Castle Lodge. For more than 800 years, our hotel has stood proudly in the centre of Ludlow. It's hosted spies, scientists and – quite possibly – royalty. Even today, echoes of its illustrious past resound among its oak-panelled walls and mighty Tudor beams. Let's look back.

The medieval period (1270–1500)

Castle Lodge began as two separate properties owned by the wealthy Palmer's Guild. Ludlow was thriving as a centre of the wool trade – and the Guild wore the biggest boots in town.

The wool industry attracted hordes of patrons, as well as many skilled craftspeople. That includes Richard Beckeye (1373), a leatherworker, and William Benet (1439), a tailor. Both rented tenements at Castle Lodge from the Palmer's Guild.

Many relics of this time still exist today. The market, of course, was thriving then and is thriving now. The medieval stocks, which once stood at the top of Mill Street, can now be found just a few yards from Castle Lodge. And Richard Beckeye has earned his own tribute in the form of our attic apartment that bears his name.

A town fit for royalty (1501–1527)

As the 16th century dawned, Ludlow was riding high as the de facto capital of Wales. Ludlow Castle became a political powerhouse – and many prominent figures took residence there, including several members of the Royal Family.

This flush of royal tenancies began in 1501. That year, Prince Arthur and his new wife, Catherine of Aragon, moved to Ludlow Castle to take their seats as Prince and Princess of Wales.

By 1509, Arthur had died – and Catherine married his brother, King Henry VIII. In keeping with tradition, they sent their daughter, Mary, to Ludlow to begin her own reign over Wales and the Marches. Mary would, of course, become the notorious 'Bloody' Mary I of England.

As legend has it, some of these royals took temporary residence at Castle Lodge. We know that Mary escaped from the castle to a 'place solitary' when the plague struck Ludlow. Similarly, Catherine of Aragon may have moved here to avoid the illness that later took her first husband's life. In fact, some say Catherine is still here. Could she be the mysterious apparition that sometimes stalks an upstairs chamber?

Ghost or no ghost, spectres of Arthur and Catherine still haunt the Lodge. You'll spot them in the carved wood panelling – her symbol, the pomegranate, and his, the feather and rose. And is that a portrait of Arthur in a stained glass window? Experts believe it might be.

New beginnings (1572–1618)

Thomas Seckford built the house we know today as Castle Lodge in 1572. Even in those prosperous days, the property stood out for its grandeur – with local poet Thomas Churchyard describing it as 'a fayre (beautiful) house'.

Seckford used several existing elements in its construction. Today, you enter the Lodge through a 13th-century door that belonged to an earlier building.

Castle Lodge was further expanded when Robert Berry took residence in the 1570s. He 'repaired and bewtyfied' the property, adding its timbered top story and panelling the interiors. These enhancements, of course, give the Lodge much of its distinctive Tudor ambience.

Berry is a noteworthy and complicated character. He worked as a spy under Elizabeth I. He was suspended from the Council of Marches for malpractice. And while he served as an MP seven times, he made only one speech in Parliament – to ask that his son be pardoned for brawling.

Ups and downs (1689– 1768)

In 1689, the Council of the Marches was dissolved, and Ludlow lost its status as the capital of Wales.

Despite this fall from grace, the town remained a lively local centre – and Castle Lodge hosted many of the town's leading lights. That includes the local lawyer Benjamin Karver [whose family crest still adorns the mantelpiece in our Room].

Then, in 1746, one Captain Frederick Cornwall moved in. His life and misadventures (including scuttling his first ship on her maiden voyage) inspired our Captain's Suite, which you'll find on the second floor.

By the 1750s, Castle Lodge was in the possession of George Pardoe. Like Karver, he was a prominent lawyer – but he made his fortune in the mining trade. When he died, he bequeathed the princely sum of £500 to each of his daughters – worth around £100,000 today.

A home for learning – and the learned (1803–1881)

From the early to mid-1800s, Castle Lodge housed several noted intellectuals – starting with Joseph Babington, who took residence here in 1803.

Joseph was a talented physician and amateur botanist – but it was his son, Charles Cardale Babington, who is best remembered today. A classmate of Charles Darwin, the younger Babington eventually became one of the leading botanists of the Victorian era.

The next tenant was Dr Charles Badham. Badham is best known for identifying the symptoms of bronchitis – a research project that he was working on while living at the Lodge.

Yet another botanist, Mary McGhie, moved into the Lodge in 1828. The daughter of a Jamaican former slave, McGhie trained under noted London science writer Jane Marcet. She would eventually make many contributions to a well-regarded guide to local flora.

Then, in 1849, the Lodge became a school. At its height in the 1870s, it boasted 16 pupils and taught reading, writing and geography, as well as drawing, croquet and music.

From family home to boarding house (1895–1988)

A self-described 'professor of dancing', Phoebe Sharp purchased Castle Lodge in 1895. She went to great effort to restore its Tudor character – including by removing external plasterwork to reveal the 17th-century timbering you see today.

By 1926, Sharp had transformed the Lodge into a small private hotel. With the growth of motoring holidays, it became a popular destination for a wealthy clientele. High-society magazine The Queen described it as 'quite a unique place' that had 'given much satisfaction to Queen readers'.

The next owner was Percy Brown, who ran the hotel from 1938 until 1948. Brown was an extraordinary character with an impressive CV. Before becoming a hotelier, he dabbled in carpentry, professional roller skating and photojournalism – a career that saw him arrested by German forces during World War I.

It's believed that Brown attempted to sell the Lodge to an American client, who wanted to rebuild it, brick by brick, on US soil. Thankfully, the deal fell through.

In 1958, Castle Lodge came into the possession of Donald Pearce. It's Pierce who we have to thank for the sensitive restoration of the house as you see it today. An antiques dealer by trade, he installed a new ceiling and staircase and added to the existing wood panels.

It was also during Pearce's tenure that the Lodge made its debut on the silver screen. In 1965, it was used as the principal filming location for the bawdy comedy The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders. The less said about its critical reception, the better.

Finally, in 2019, the Lodge was purchased by its current owners. Plans were put in place to transform it – again – into a luxury boutique hotel. The rest, as they say, is history.