THE PEOPLE AND HISTORY OF LOWER CORVE STREET AND ST. MARY’S LANE, LUDLOW
Second Edition - Sponsored by Ludlow Civic Society
When Jonathan and Rosemary Wood moved into The Merchant House with their son, William, in 2006, Jonathan (a former Chairman of Ludlow Historical Research Group and a Town Guide) began researching its history. Work intervened, and the project was put on hold until Jonathan’s retirement would allow him to finish it. The advent of a stroke in 2019 however meant that no more books could be written. It was agreed the manuscript should be completed, and that Rosemary would ensure the copy was ready for publication. Whilst doing this, it seemed natural that the typescript should also cover the people and houses of Lower Corve Street and St. Mary’s Lane.
Neighbours were both enthusiastic and supportive, advance orders were placed, and in 2022 310 copies printed. They appeared in Castle Bookshop on 7 December, and within two weeks had all been sold. It seemed that many people would be disappointed at not being able to buy a copy.
However, Ludlow Civic Society has sponsored the cost of a second edition.
Chairman John Cartwright said, “We felt this book complemented the Society’s key objectives, viz., to stimulate public interest in the town's beauty, character and history, encourage civic pride in the area, and promote research in Ludlow’s built heritage.”
Available by the beginning of April 2023, the limited-edition reprint will cost £25. Advance copies may be reserved by emailing Rosemary Wood ([email protected]) or phoning 01584 875438.
The authors acknowledge the generous financial support of Ludlow Civic Society to make this second edition possible, and also thank Ludlow Town Guides for their assistance.
About the book
Until the C20, Corve Street was one entity though a major section lay beyond the Corve Gate. Only with the creation of Coronation Avenue did ‘Lower’ Corve Street come into being. The Merchant House was world-famous when it was a Michelin-starred restaurant owned by master chef, Shaun Hill. But over the centuries this C15 half-timbered house with the river Corve running behind it has been owned by wealthy dyers, tanners and glovers.
Centuries ago, this riverside location provided the Knights Hospitaller with rents from burgage plots owned by Hugh de Lacy, the Lord of Ludlow.
Wealthy dyers and tanners lived and worked by the Corve, and traded with Flanders and Florence. In the C18, rich glovers erected low-status back buildings for their impoverished workers in what became a noxious tanning zone. They then moved up the hill into town to build or renovate grand houses reflecting their new social status. Speculators amassed fortunes or went bankrupt.
Maltsters and brewers plied their trade, social distinctions were blurred. Land was exchanged and murder was committed. Animals were auctioned, carriers and hauliers flourished, and Corve Street had its own ‘red light district’.
Ludlow’s recorded history begins in 1086, when its castle was built along the Welsh Marches to defend the border. Much has been written about this planned Norman town with royal connections and medieval, Tudor and Georgian buildings, but Ludlow’s northern, industrial quarter is not so well documented.
The People and History of Lower Corve Street and St. Mary’s Lane, Ludlow is a lavishly illustrated A4 production. This second edition, sponsored by Ludlow Civic Society, has a limited print run of 150, and copies are available from Castle Bookshop, 5 Castle Street, Ludlow, SY8 1AS (01584 872562).
Or you can order and collect your copy from The Merchant House, Lower Corve Street, SY8 1DU.
Contact Rosemary Wood, 01584 875438 or email [email protected]
Second Edition - Sponsored by Ludlow Civic Society
When Jonathan and Rosemary Wood moved into The Merchant House with their son, William, in 2006, Jonathan (a former Chairman of Ludlow Historical Research Group and a Town Guide) began researching its history. Work intervened, and the project was put on hold until Jonathan’s retirement would allow him to finish it. The advent of a stroke in 2019 however meant that no more books could be written. It was agreed the manuscript should be completed, and that Rosemary would ensure the copy was ready for publication. Whilst doing this, it seemed natural that the typescript should also cover the people and houses of Lower Corve Street and St. Mary’s Lane.
Neighbours were both enthusiastic and supportive, advance orders were placed, and in 2022 310 copies printed. They appeared in Castle Bookshop on 7 December, and within two weeks had all been sold. It seemed that many people would be disappointed at not being able to buy a copy.
However, Ludlow Civic Society has sponsored the cost of a second edition.
Chairman John Cartwright said, “We felt this book complemented the Society’s key objectives, viz., to stimulate public interest in the town's beauty, character and history, encourage civic pride in the area, and promote research in Ludlow’s built heritage.”
Available by the beginning of April 2023, the limited-edition reprint will cost £25. Advance copies may be reserved by emailing Rosemary Wood ([email protected]) or phoning 01584 875438.
The authors acknowledge the generous financial support of Ludlow Civic Society to make this second edition possible, and also thank Ludlow Town Guides for their assistance.
About the book
Until the C20, Corve Street was one entity though a major section lay beyond the Corve Gate. Only with the creation of Coronation Avenue did ‘Lower’ Corve Street come into being. The Merchant House was world-famous when it was a Michelin-starred restaurant owned by master chef, Shaun Hill. But over the centuries this C15 half-timbered house with the river Corve running behind it has been owned by wealthy dyers, tanners and glovers.
Centuries ago, this riverside location provided the Knights Hospitaller with rents from burgage plots owned by Hugh de Lacy, the Lord of Ludlow.
Wealthy dyers and tanners lived and worked by the Corve, and traded with Flanders and Florence. In the C18, rich glovers erected low-status back buildings for their impoverished workers in what became a noxious tanning zone. They then moved up the hill into town to build or renovate grand houses reflecting their new social status. Speculators amassed fortunes or went bankrupt.
Maltsters and brewers plied their trade, social distinctions were blurred. Land was exchanged and murder was committed. Animals were auctioned, carriers and hauliers flourished, and Corve Street had its own ‘red light district’.
Ludlow’s recorded history begins in 1086, when its castle was built along the Welsh Marches to defend the border. Much has been written about this planned Norman town with royal connections and medieval, Tudor and Georgian buildings, but Ludlow’s northern, industrial quarter is not so well documented.
The People and History of Lower Corve Street and St. Mary’s Lane, Ludlow is a lavishly illustrated A4 production. This second edition, sponsored by Ludlow Civic Society, has a limited print run of 150, and copies are available from Castle Bookshop, 5 Castle Street, Ludlow, SY8 1AS (01584 872562).
Or you can order and collect your copy from The Merchant House, Lower Corve Street, SY8 1DU.
Contact Rosemary Wood, 01584 875438 or email [email protected]
© Shropshire Archives.
Nos. 45 - 50 Corve Street. No. 45 was demolished in the 1930s to make way for Coronation Avenue.
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Photographs courtesy of “Shropshire Star”, Shropshire Archives/Shropshire Council.
Demolition in 1967-68 of Nos. 83 - 88 in Corve Street and St. Mary’s Lane.
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Review
The People and History of Lower Corve Street and St. Mary’s Lane, Ludlow
The book sets a new standard in local history publishing for its outstanding design and breakthrough quantity and quality of illustration. I should straightway declare an interest as I’ve backed the book from the off and know at first-hand how consistently tenacious the writers have been both in their enquiries and research - and their battling against the odds to get their work published.
The opening drone photography is eye catching and revealing; in conjunction with the maps you’re given new perspectives on a familiar patch of townscape just as the number of old and modern photographs of the street scene and various nooks and crannies throw light on the palimpsest this part of Corve Street is.
The focus is on the section of Corve Street Without i.e. north of the former Corve Gate and the development of this area as an industrial suburb from early days when the proximity of the river Corve made burgage plots leading to the river bank highly desirable premises. Winding from the old Corve bridge southwards the street can still look like a typical village lane leading towards a church; any latter day gentrification is relatively recent and photographs demonstrate clearly the extent of structural and qualitative variety in the buildings.
The book gives a vivid sense of just how noxious the neighbourhood would have been when tannery was the main trade; how substantial several of the main houses were; how many were the maltings and beer houses; how poverty stricken were many households; how various were the trades and small industries; how recently the elements of a rural economy were present - and just how many are the surviving relics of life here in preceding centuries.
The book is also thorough in its detailing of property ownership by prosperous families living elsewhere in the town and the many rentals existing here from early days. Like Lower Broad Street this part of Corve Street was a slum, indeed a red-light district - hence no doubt the readiness of 20thc local authorities to condemn properties and push for their demolition.
Noteworthy is the interest taken in this history by the many local residents who have contributed their recollections. It’s no surprise that the first edition sold out so quickly since many native Ludlovians welcomed the book as ‘their’ history.
Stylish in design and absorbing in its material, the book offers new viewpoints in every sense.
Janet Gough
Ludlow High School 1951-59, sometime High Mistress, St Paul’s Girls’ School, London, and Lower Corve Street resident.
Ludford House by Ralph Beardmore, Logaston Press, 2020, £10.00.
The People and History of Lower Corve Street and St. Mary’s Lane, Ludlow
The book sets a new standard in local history publishing for its outstanding design and breakthrough quantity and quality of illustration. I should straightway declare an interest as I’ve backed the book from the off and know at first-hand how consistently tenacious the writers have been both in their enquiries and research - and their battling against the odds to get their work published.
The opening drone photography is eye catching and revealing; in conjunction with the maps you’re given new perspectives on a familiar patch of townscape just as the number of old and modern photographs of the street scene and various nooks and crannies throw light on the palimpsest this part of Corve Street is.
The focus is on the section of Corve Street Without i.e. north of the former Corve Gate and the development of this area as an industrial suburb from early days when the proximity of the river Corve made burgage plots leading to the river bank highly desirable premises. Winding from the old Corve bridge southwards the street can still look like a typical village lane leading towards a church; any latter day gentrification is relatively recent and photographs demonstrate clearly the extent of structural and qualitative variety in the buildings.
The book gives a vivid sense of just how noxious the neighbourhood would have been when tannery was the main trade; how substantial several of the main houses were; how many were the maltings and beer houses; how poverty stricken were many households; how various were the trades and small industries; how recently the elements of a rural economy were present - and just how many are the surviving relics of life here in preceding centuries.
The book is also thorough in its detailing of property ownership by prosperous families living elsewhere in the town and the many rentals existing here from early days. Like Lower Broad Street this part of Corve Street was a slum, indeed a red-light district - hence no doubt the readiness of 20thc local authorities to condemn properties and push for their demolition.
Noteworthy is the interest taken in this history by the many local residents who have contributed their recollections. It’s no surprise that the first edition sold out so quickly since many native Ludlovians welcomed the book as ‘their’ history.
Stylish in design and absorbing in its material, the book offers new viewpoints in every sense.
Janet Gough
Ludlow High School 1951-59, sometime High Mistress, St Paul’s Girls’ School, London, and Lower Corve Street resident.
Ludford House by Ralph Beardmore, Logaston Press, 2020, £10.00.
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This publication may be purchased from Castle Bookshop, 5 Castle Street, Ludlow, SY8 1AS
Ludford House by Ralph Beardmore, Logaston Press, 2020, £10.00.
REVIEWS
Anyone approaching Ludlow from the south descends the hill towards the bridge over the Teme. To their right is a stone wall, some windows, an entrance to a courtyard and four chimneys. This is part of the west range of Ludford House. Three further ranges lie out of sight from the road. Unlike some of Shropshire’s buildings, little had been published about the house’s fabric and history. This has changed now as Ralph Beardmore has written a book, Ludford House: the Story of a Shropshire House and its Occupants. He has had a thirty-year involvement with the property, and, throughout this period, he has studied its past. The book starts with a reproduction of a plan prepared by Arthur Baker, that was published in The Builder magazine in 1902; this plan is used to understand the location of the rooms. Then both the history of the house and the lives of its owners and occupants are chronicled. Ludford was first mentioned in the Doomsday Book where its earliest Lords and the role of St John’s Hospital are described. During the mid 1500s the Foxe family was one of the powerful and influential families in the region. They completed various works at Ludford House including rebuilding of the north, east and west ranges. Around this time it was decided that the assizes for the county of Hereford should be held at Ludford, and this started a tradition lasting many years of holding court within Ludford House. The Charltons took over the estate and carried on the tradition of altering and improving the building. Both these works and the family’s influence in the area are portrayed. Like previous owners, Job Charlton carried out works on all three ranges of Ludford House, and also rebuilt the almshouses next to the churchyard. In 1761, Sir Francis Charlton commissioned Thomas Farnolls Pritchard to repair and improve the east range which was in danger of collapse. He supported the timber framing, replaced some of the walls, built a new staircase and chimney and completed other works. This was by no means the end of the alterations as only fifty years later extensive changes were carried out by Edmund Charlton. This was followed by changes to the road going south from Ludlow, improvements to the access to St Giles’s Church, then in 1988 the Garden House was restored using as much of the original timbers as possible. Ludford House is a large property with a footprint of nearly a quarter of an acre, and over the years there have been many alterations, especially in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The result is a complex building with many phases of additions and alterations. The book details the various owners and their contribution to these changes. There is an appendix with Baker’s plans of the house and an explanatory note on each of the rooms, but the book would benefit from more pictures of the rooms. The author has spent a great deal of time gathering and recording an enormous quantity of information on the topics covered in the book. The result is an interesting study of a little-known property, a useful addition to the libraries of those who collect books on the history of Shropshire’s great houses and their owners.
Michael Page, Reviewed in Heritage News for Ludlow Civic Society
Earlier this year I gave a damning review of another book about the history of a prominent Ludlow building. This book is the exact opposite of the previous one: it is concise, perfectly illustrated, affordable, and most importantly, is based on half a lifetime’s real research rather than a few hours on the internet. In short, one of the best pieces of local history writing I’ve ever read. If like me, you have looked at the multiple huge chimneys on the right as you wait at the traffic lights to cross the bridge into Ludlow, and thought, “what on Earth is that building”, you will love this book.
/www.goodreads.com/boo/show/5997977-ludford-house-ludlow
Ludford House by Ralph Beardmore, Logaston Press, 2020, £10.00.
REVIEWS
Anyone approaching Ludlow from the south descends the hill towards the bridge over the Teme. To their right is a stone wall, some windows, an entrance to a courtyard and four chimneys. This is part of the west range of Ludford House. Three further ranges lie out of sight from the road. Unlike some of Shropshire’s buildings, little had been published about the house’s fabric and history. This has changed now as Ralph Beardmore has written a book, Ludford House: the Story of a Shropshire House and its Occupants. He has had a thirty-year involvement with the property, and, throughout this period, he has studied its past. The book starts with a reproduction of a plan prepared by Arthur Baker, that was published in The Builder magazine in 1902; this plan is used to understand the location of the rooms. Then both the history of the house and the lives of its owners and occupants are chronicled. Ludford was first mentioned in the Doomsday Book where its earliest Lords and the role of St John’s Hospital are described. During the mid 1500s the Foxe family was one of the powerful and influential families in the region. They completed various works at Ludford House including rebuilding of the north, east and west ranges. Around this time it was decided that the assizes for the county of Hereford should be held at Ludford, and this started a tradition lasting many years of holding court within Ludford House. The Charltons took over the estate and carried on the tradition of altering and improving the building. Both these works and the family’s influence in the area are portrayed. Like previous owners, Job Charlton carried out works on all three ranges of Ludford House, and also rebuilt the almshouses next to the churchyard. In 1761, Sir Francis Charlton commissioned Thomas Farnolls Pritchard to repair and improve the east range which was in danger of collapse. He supported the timber framing, replaced some of the walls, built a new staircase and chimney and completed other works. This was by no means the end of the alterations as only fifty years later extensive changes were carried out by Edmund Charlton. This was followed by changes to the road going south from Ludlow, improvements to the access to St Giles’s Church, then in 1988 the Garden House was restored using as much of the original timbers as possible. Ludford House is a large property with a footprint of nearly a quarter of an acre, and over the years there have been many alterations, especially in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The result is a complex building with many phases of additions and alterations. The book details the various owners and their contribution to these changes. There is an appendix with Baker’s plans of the house and an explanatory note on each of the rooms, but the book would benefit from more pictures of the rooms. The author has spent a great deal of time gathering and recording an enormous quantity of information on the topics covered in the book. The result is an interesting study of a little-known property, a useful addition to the libraries of those who collect books on the history of Shropshire’s great houses and their owners.
Michael Page, Reviewed in Heritage News for Ludlow Civic Society
Earlier this year I gave a damning review of another book about the history of a prominent Ludlow building. This book is the exact opposite of the previous one: it is concise, perfectly illustrated, affordable, and most importantly, is based on half a lifetime’s real research rather than a few hours on the internet. In short, one of the best pieces of local history writing I’ve ever read. If like me, you have looked at the multiple huge chimneys on the right as you wait at the traffic lights to cross the bridge into Ludlow, and thought, “what on Earth is that building”, you will love this book.
/www.goodreads.com/boo/show/5997977-ludford-house-ludlow