Ledbury A Half-timbered Heaven

The ancient market town of Ledbury is a captivating place~area} to visit. Surrounded by relaxing Herefordshire countryside, it has a wealth of half-timbered structures, a lot of historic associations and fascinating places to look around. With a wide variety of Ledbury Accommodation to hand, why not take advantage of everything this beautiful town has to offer. 

Just off Ledbury’s High Street (adjoining to the car park), you’ll come upon the mediaeval St Katherine’s Hospital site. The complex incorporates was at one time the home of the master of St Katherine’s Almshouses. St Katherine’s Hospital was a refuge of the ill and needy and pilgrims and was presided over by the Dean and Chapter of Hereford Cathedral. It would once have covered an area of over 600 acres, but what is relatively distinctive about doing so ancient hospital site is that it’s such a scarce surviving example.

The clock on the front, which faces out on to the Elevated Street, is one of the country’s oldest working clocks. These days, St Katherine’s Hall is the venue for the regular Antiques & Collectables Flea Markets that are organised here on Tuesdays through the year.

 At Upper Cross (at the junction with the High Street, New Street, and Worcester Road is among Ledbury’s curiosities – the house on stilts. This is among the oldest timber-framed structures in the town and certainly one of the most unusual. The lower storey is thought at one time to have shaped part of a market hall and therefore was open to the street; the house has a projecting upper storey with the pavement of New Street running underneath it. 

Ledbury’s Market House is probably the town’s best-known landmark. Developed by the King’s carpenter in the seventeenth century, it dominates the town centre with its fantastic wooden posts supporting the black and white structure above. Having been a grain or wool store, and council chamber, it now shelters stalls for the normal local markets. 

Across the road from the Market House – and found under the clock tower – is the Barrett Browning Institute. Elizabeth Barrett resided, and began writing poetry, in Ledbury from 1809 to 1832 and the institute houses a collection of her works and some history on her life. It also houses works connected to the Dymock Poets and John Masefield. Ledbury hosts a well-attended poetry festival every single summer time that brings together poets from around the world. 

Visit the interesting Church Lane and as well as quite a few exciting discoveries is the 16th Painted Room. Located in one of Ledbury’s historic timber-framed architectural structures, now town council offices, the wall paintings have been realized in the 1980s through restoration work and are superb illustrations of Elizabethan wall art. The floral fresco designs, based on Elizabethan knot gardens include boxes of religious text. Some assume the room was once utilized to hold prisoners, though there are no records of who originally lived there or of its function. 

Ledbury Accommodation offers the top choices if you would want to stay in an desirable town with plenty of outstanding points to see. 

For more information on Ledbury and the surrounding area please visit http://www.goherefordshire.co.uk/

Welcome , today is Thursday, February 23, 2012