Walk 221: Ledbury Town Trail…beautiful!

 The building itself underwent several alterations in the following centuries. It overlooked the old open cattle market. Until relatively recently, it had a wooden seat at the door so that customers could watch the cattle sales. There were also stables attached to the rear of the inn which were demolished, as they typically were elsewhere, in the 1930s

The Seven Stars was almost completely destroyed by a blaze in 2001 that latesd 19 hours, which left only the facade standing intact. Much of the current building is the result of careful rebuilding & restoration work in the years since. A priest’s hole was found at the top of the building during the restoration work, implying some of its earliest residents were secret Catholics during the Stuart period of persecution. A bake oven was also found in the main chimney

6. Cross the road to the pub & turn right to arrive at the wonderful Market House…

The Market House was not built until many centuries after the Market Place was established in 1122. By the late 16th Century the Market Place had been encroached upon by two ramshackle rows of shops. John Phillips, a trader in the town, proposed that they should build a Market House where one of the rows of shops was standing. He collected public subscriptions, bought the Shoppe Row for about £40.00 & had it demolished

Work started on the Market House in 1617 & the available records suggest that it was to be a two storey building, raised on sixteen pillars & having a timber frame with a brick infill, with a number of small shops constructed below, in between the stilts. The upper floor was used as a store room for grain, wool & hops that were brought to the market

Underneath twice weekly markets & frequent community events were held

The whole structure was raised from the stone plinths to allow for repairs to the massive posts

7. Turn left into Church Lane…

…but, instead of heading straight up, take a diversion left up Church Street to find ‘The Painted Room’

The 16th Century Painted Room can be found in No. 1 Church Street, Ledbury, one of the oldest timber-framed houses in the town. The oldest parts of the house date from 1510. It was here, in the upstairs room at the lower end of the house, that a wonderful discovery was made during extensive restoration works being carried out in the late 1980s. The workmen found that the walls had been covered, over the centuries, with layers of paint, plaster & wallpaper. They began to carefully peel back the layers on the fireplace wall, but almost immediately realised that there was paintings hidden beneath

English Heritage was consulted & a company of art restoration experts employed to clean off the accumulated layers. Dated to the 1560s, these are amongst the best surviving examples of the wall painting that was becoming fashionable during the Elizabethan era. In their homes, the merchant gentry began to recreate in paint, the very expensive leather wall hangings & tapestries found in the homes of the aristocracy

8. Return back round the corner to Church Lane which was the original centre of Ledbury. Pop into the Tourist Office on the left as they are so lovely & helpful…

As you walk up look down at the cobbles…can you spot the straight lines? This was where work stopped for the day during the construction

9. On the right’s Butcher Row House Museum which once stood in a row of shops in the centre of the High Street. It was moved here in 1979 & opened as a museum

Further up on the left side’s the old 16th Century Grammar School…

10. Next to it is the Old Magistrates House built in the 18th century Georgian style. In the 18th century it became the police station, with the magistrates court & cells behind

Opposite is Church House, a late 16th century house…

…& then Abbot’s Lodge which was once the Vicarage & dates back to 1480

11. Pass the lovely park on the left & enter the churchyard of Ledbury’s remarkable parish church…there’s lots to see here

Although it was built on the site of an earlier church, the current one dates back to the 12th century. Note the separate Bell Tower, one of seven in the County (& rare elsewhere) is dated 1230. The spire was added in 1723

12. Enter the church which is stunning…

On the left as you enter is a massive 12ft painting of the Last Supper probably dating from 1560 to 1580 which is linked to the Venetian artist Titian. It’s understood the picture was begun in about 1560 by Titian, who died before it was completed, so artists in his workshop finished the work. The apostle in the gold robe on the left of the picture is similar to a known portrait of the painter, & was probably done by his son Orazio

Ultra-violet light revealed a faint “TITIANVS” signature on a metal jug. It truly is a magnificent sight

13. Wander around this beautiful church & above the altar you’ll find another painting of the last supper…

It was painted in 1824 by a Ledbury artist, Thomas Ballard, a copy of the copy of Leonardo’s famous Milan fresco owned by the Royal Academy. The painting shows the moment at the Last Supper when Jesus tells his disciples that one of them would betray him. If you look closely at the hills in the picture you may see they appear very similar to some ‘local’ ones just down the road

The striking window is the ‘Heaton Memorial Window’ which dates from 1991 & is an interpretation of “The Benedicite”, a Biblical poem which speaks of all creation praising God

14. Come back out of the church & bear round to the right pasing the Memorial Garden. Look for the tombstone of the local blacksmith Thomas Russell & the lovely inscription…

“My Sledge and Hammer lie reclined,
My Bellows too have lost their wind.
My Fire’s extinct, my Forge decayed,
And in the dust my Vice is laid.
My Coal is spent, my Iron gone,
My firedried Corpse now lies at rest,
My Soul smoke-like is soaring to be blest”

15. Bear right along the sone-walled Cabbage Lane…

At the end on the left’s the Police Station, but turn right past Masefield Solicitors who have practiced here since 1840 & are relatives of Poet Laureate John Masefield

16. Just before the traffic lights turn right & then left down the gravel drive…

Follow it around & down Tilley’s Alley to arrive at the High Street once more…

17. Across the road to the right is the Feathers Hotel, which was initially built as two houses, built around 1560

Turn left & head back to the crossroads. The building on the left’s Ledbury Park which was apparently built around 1590 on the site of the former palace of the Bishops of Hereford, & set in a large park. The builder Edward Skynner was part of a large, local, wealthy family & was responsible for helping bring a water supply to the town

18. Opposite’s the ‘House on Stilts’…

Cross over & walk past it down New Street to arrive at The Talbot on the left. This is another 16th century coaching inn. Apparently a Civil War bullet is lodged in the panelling of the Dining Room

19. Cross over the road & pass through the arch into the old stables area of The Feathers Hotel…

Walk down the narrow alley at the side of the hotel to arrive at the High Street once more

20. Turn left along the High Street. Many properties were built in the late 16th / early 17th centuries. From here you can see the front of the Almshouses & the War Memorial…

Wander across the road to see a Ledbury institution Tinsmiths homeware store…

What most people come to see is the ‘Armadillo’ workshop which is down the alley on the left side

The unique design allows plenty of light to come in to help with curtain making etc

21. Cross the High Street again & walk down beside St Katherine’s Chapel which was part of St Katherine’s Hospital, founded in 1232 to provide for the poor, elderly & sick

Note the clock on the wall – it’s the 10th oldest in the country

To finish walk down the side of the Chapel to arrive back at the Master’s House & car park once more

So that’s our look at beautiful & interesting Ledbury. If you’re spending time in the area then it’s most definitely worth visiting the town. There are also numerous walks from the town into the nearby woods

Go Walk!