Ludlow Castle

Steve, ever the excellently prepared traveler, checked out an up to date tour book on England from the public library. He selected Ludlow as our destination because of its castle. The book included all the information on times, days, prices, etc. Yet, the castle administration recently decided to change this. The castle is closed on weekdays during December and January now. From the gate, we could see into the courtyard. We will have to return someday.

Above and below is the view of Ludlow and its castle from the top of the church's tower.



Fortunately, the weather was perfect for a nice walk around the castle.

Ludlow: The Town and Church

On Monday of last week (December 10) Mathias had a day off. We boarded a train to Shrewsbury and continued on to the quaint little town of Ludlow. It's near the Welsh boarder and the countryside was absolutely beautiful on this cool, crisp but otherwise ideal day.

One of the places we visited was the church. It was full of wonderful ornamentation from various centuries...right down to a modern quilt in a plexi-glass enclosure which was spectacular. I, of course, fell immediately in love with the stained glass windows. The organ was being tuned. Christmas decorations were in place. The man greeting visitors was charming and suggested climbing the tower's narrow, spiral staircase. From here, we could see for miles.

This is one of the many bas reliefs on the ancient floor.

This is a view to the high vaulted ceiling in the tower.

Here's some stained glass. I particularly liked the small patrons at the bottom.

The ceilings above the choir and altar area were meticulously carved and painted.

From the top of the tower we could see the historic home that we also went to. It's the one on the corner, shaped like an "L", with the Tutor walls above the second floor and the bay windows.

Those bay windows included some gorgeous, German stained glass. Of course, the "guide" really wasn't helpful. He took our money and gave us the run of the place. There were carpets everywhere on sale. How these were suppose to sell to anyone remained a mystery...there were no exterior signs advertising them and one had to pay to enter the building.



Above is one of the nice, wooden paneled hallways.

One room had this decorative plaster ceiling.

The staircase was shaped like a giant "Y" on every level, with other century-old additional steps leading off the main section.

More stained glass....beautiful!



In the town, we walked past several shops like this one...

or this one!

Coventry

Steve and I took a train to Coventry on one of the days that Mathias had both a matinée and evening performance of The Nutcracker. We really enjoyed the Cathedral area despite the rain and wind. One of the best features of St. Mary's Cathedral, the oldest of the three...pre-Henry VIII's dissolution of Catholic monasteries, was the incorporation of new, outdoor artwork set in the remains. Above is one such example.



We loved walking through the bombed out ruins of "The Old Cathedral". Someone, the weather seemed perfect for the sad loss of this once glorious structure.



The Early 14th Century South Porch and the spire are still intact.






The most outstanding feature is the architectural bridge between old and new. The transition blends the physical areas and the spirit of both places. All these images can be "clicked" upon for closer inspection. In the picture above, there is a modern sculpture that was donated by survivors from the bombings in Japan. Other modern works were also tastefully displayed.


Above is one of the contemporary plagues that were situated in the side chapels that had once been maintained by the town's guilds.

I took several photos of locks while in England, including this one in Coventry. My current artistic work using keys and rusted nails made them so interesting. I'll likely start incorporating locks too!

There were many wonderful parts to the new cathedral, St. Micheal's, including a fantastic mosaic floor....

fabulous new stained glass....

excellent examples of 15th century stained glass that had been removed from the old cathedral before the war...

elegant etched glass angels...

and modern masterpieces like this wrought iron, Crown of Thorns, gate and a wall of wooden "mosaic" that included glass, intrigue carving, and great illumination.

Behind the altar, however, was one of the largest tapestries I've ever seen. It was created in the 1960s. The figure seen between the feet is LIFE SIZE...six feet tall!



There was another area of the church was newly embroidered panels depicting Jonah and the Whale and other ideas. I couldn't really concentrate on the topic because the work was so wonderful! There were digital prints on fabric and what looked like embellished felt. The hand stitching was obvious and tied the collaged elements together. Unfortunately, there was no sign...only two empty plastic containers that looked like information should have been available. There was also no one to ask. Even the nice ladies in the nearby Cathedral book and gift shop didn't know anything more about the embroideries...pity, they were great!

England!

Okay! I'm behind! Yet, I'm starting to catch up! I've finally managed to color & contrast correct all the images I took in England. I will post more later...but...here are my favorite pictures...easy to determine...they are of Mathias and/or Steve. Above, Mathias and Steve toast the holiday season with a sample of Gluhwein at Birmingham's German Market.



Mathias was off on Monday...a day of freedom and relaxation from the otherwise grueling Nutcracker schedule. We took a train to Ludlow to visit the castle, town, and church. Above is Mathias on one of the many quaint English side streets in Ludlow.





Unfortunately, the tour books didn't list the new hours for the castle. In December and January it is only open on the weekends. There was, however, a great walking trail around the place. The weather was glorious.
These are images outside the walls...outside the "paying area" that we really wanted to visit.



Our walk took us by many interesting projections and architectural niches.


We were deep into the foliage.



In addition to the castle, we toured an old historic home in Ludlow. Right now I can't think of the name of the place. The man collecting admission seemed to be drunk or otherwise "out to lunch". Thus, there was no "tour" or even a brief introduction. It didn't really matter. We had a blast. The building was obviously one that changed over the centuries. It had originally been three different structures that came under a single ownership and was modified under a single roof. I've never seen such an odd staircase. It gave new meaning to the term "jury jigged". Above is a photo taken in a bathroom...must have been late Victorian. Mathias' reflection is seen in the mirror.



The upper stories were quite interesting. Like most historic homes, nothing was level, straight, or square. The ceiling sloped as much at the flooring. Above, Steve demonstrates the "giant" effect!

Above, Mathias and Steve attempt to raise the ceiling.

Above, Mathias just fits in this doorway!

We also visited the church in Ludlow and climbed the tower for a spectacular view to the city. Above is Mathias in the spiral staircase.

We found a great pub for local ale after a hard day of sight-seeing!


At the end of the day we were back in Birmingham. Mathias tried to teach Steve how to play golf on a computer game. They played a "virtual" Harbor Town course...that's Hilton Head, South Carolina...a place they've both visited. Steve remembers the course but Mathias knew how the manipulate the computer players. We all laughed a lot.

More photos are coming!