Short Breaks
Medieval Shropshire.
Ludlow
Ludlow was a pleasant lunch/dinner stop. Sir John Betjeman famously described Ludlow as “the loveliest town in England,” highlighting its aesthetic appeal and cultural significance. We had lunch at S C Price & Son cafe, a cafe that has its own unique character. With the original family still running the cafe they have retained many of the original features from when it was a bakery that delivered bread to the whole town. Tea was served in bone china cutlery and the bread in the sandwiches is baked by themselves.
Ludlow
Ludlow is steeped in history with abundance of architecture in its churches, Georgian streets, a castle ruin, and a small 700 year old market in its medieval square. The castle was more pleasant to walk around than in – founded around 1075, it was one of the first stone castles built in England.
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is small town to walk around in a day. It is half an hour’s drive from anywhere else. It has managed to retain a lot of its medieval features in the town centre with over 660 listed buildings, some 15th and 16th-century timber-framed houses.
It is the kind of place you can take a left turn up and down side alleys and enjoy the independent shops (one is a Harry Potter grotto). It overplays itself as the birthplace of Charles Darwin. Better to enjoy the castle, prison and a wander around the old Market hold for its cheese.
Ironbridge Gorge
Ironbridge. The dramatic impact of the bridge is what brings it alive. Beyond the history there is little else to it.
This is the World’s First Iron Bridge. Completed in 1779 and opened to traffic in 1781, the Iron Bridge was the first major bridge in the world to be made of cast iron. This then led to a revolution in bridge building around the world.
