The Angel Inn – Broad St, Ludlow Originally built in the 1500s with a top story added as late as the 1700s, The Angel operated as an inn from as early as 1555.
The term “black and white village” refers to several old English villages in the counties of Herefordshire and Shropshire in the West Midlands of England.
These villages are known for their timbered and half-timbered houses, some dating to medieval times. The framework of the houses was made from unseasoned green oak, which darkened over time; painting the beams black was a relatively recent innovation. The panels between the beams were covered with plaster – or sometimes with brick – and painted with lime wash.
Ludlow, a thriving medieval market town in the Shropshire Hills with top class restaurants and around 500 heritage listed buildings, is a particularly finest example of a “black and white village”.
Every Town has a Grain Store Walking into the town centre from the train station is like walking into the past… Apparently, this old warehouse has been converted into flats. Who would know?
Walking Street Are these “brownstones”? As in: buildings made of brown Triassic-Jurassic sandstone bricks? I don’t know – but there is a real sense of stately permanence on Corve Street, Ludlow, as one walks past the Richard C Swift Ltd – “Quality family bakers since 1863” – shopfront.
The Famous Feathers The Feathers Hotel is one of about 500 heritage-listed buildings in Ludlow – and one of its best known and most-photographed. Built in 1619 by local lawyer Rees Jones, it is a Tudor-style half-timbered building.
Inside the Feathers Probably the finest old timber-fronted black-and-white house in Ludlow, the Feathers Inn is known for its beautiful Tudor architecture and elegant Jacobean refurbishment.
The Barista The young man who had made and delivered my coffee saw that I was taking an interest in the marvellous old building. He offered to take me upstairs for a look at some of the other rooms.
Ornate Plaster Ceilings The story my young guide told me was that some years ago, this ceiling collapsed because an upstairs guest had let a bathtub overflow. The artisan commissioned with the repairs was a nationally-recognised elder-relative of my young man – who was justifiably proud of his ancestor.
Fading Tapestry The corridors and stairwells are richly decorated with old paintings, furniture, and tapestries – this one dated from 1318.
Lead Windows Cast diamond glazing keeps old glass looking new – and the oak frames have also withstood time.
Stationary Shop Plenty of charming shops in keeping with the town’s medieval facade line the streets.
A Bicycle and a Post Box How quintessentially British! A stone wall, a bicycle, and a pillar box.
The Bull Hotel The 15th century medieval coach-inn, the Bull Hotel on the Bull Ring, predates the Feathers Inn across the road by some years.
King Street Historic buildings can be spotted along every curving roadway. The Buttercross, with its clock tower, sits at the top of King Street.
The Buttercross It is a beautiful, sunny, winter day as I head into the Buttercross (built 1743-46): the official centre of town.
College Street
St Laurence’s Church With Norman foundations dating back to the 11th century, St Laurence’s Parish Church in the centre of town was rebuilt in 1199 – with major expansions between 1433 and 1471. It is considered one of England’s outstanding medieval town churches.
Stained Glass Windows – St Laurence’s Parish Church
Chaplain Barry and the Misericords One of the church chaplains tells visitors to the church about the small folding seats, or ‘misericords’, designed to provide some comfort to people standing for long periods of prayer in the medieval choir stall.
Cautionary Tales The fold-down seats (mercy seats) are richly carved with cautionary tales: this one depicts a dishonest ale-wife being carried to hell by demons.
In the Bell Tower Ludlow is famous for its church bells, which are housed in an imposing 41-metre (135 feet) high tower immortalised by the poet A E Housman in “A Shropshire Lad”.
Atop the Bell Tower The 550-year-old tower is weathered …
View over Ludlow … but affords magnificent 360° views over the town and countryside.
Graveyard behind the Church
The Buildings of Broad Street Running a short distance from the Buttercross to the town-wall gatehouse, Broad Street is one of the finest stretches of “black and white” houses in England, with some excellent examples of medieval and Tudor-style half-timbered buildings.
Quality Square Ludlow is known for it’s food, and corners of town are given over to fine restaurants and boutique shops.
Another Bicycle – Harp Lane The coffee shops and markets are also a delight.
Ludlow Castle Ludlow Castle was founded around 1075 and was one of the first stone castles to be built in England. It is credited to Walter de Lacy (d. 1085), a Norman nobleman who was given extensive lands in Herefordshire and Shropshire by King William I of England.
Sir Mortimer and Lady Grey Roger Mortimer acquired the castle in 1301 and the family held it for over a century. Today, the castle is owned by John Herbert, current Earl of Powis, and is managed as a private tourist attraction.
Ludlow Castle Canon “English Heritage” lists Ludlow as “one of England’s finest castle sites”.
Dinham Road Ludlow was known as “Dinham” in its early years, and the road just south of the castle still bears this name.
Ludlow is a delightful place to visit: not the least because I had a superb lunch and bought some fine china at market prices.
It just goes to show: you can preserve your heritage and still attract visitors to a modern, thriving, market town.
[…] that houses the Black Lion Pub. The Midlands is “Black and White” country (see: Medieval Ludlow), and a few of these distinctive buildings survive in Hereford […]ReplyCancel
Sally M Edwardes -February 7, 2024 - 9:44 am
The photographs are wonderful: crisp images and nicely composed.
I have stayed in Ludlow and so it is good to see the sights again.ReplyCancel
Tomatoes Fresh and juicy – in all their shades of yellow-to-red – tomatoes have become central to cooking world over.
Tomatoes.
Salad, salsa, pasta sauce, creamy curry, pizza, ratatouille, juice, gazpacho… the list goes on.
Tomatoes have become central to cooking world over. In season, I keep them planted in my garden, and I always have plenty – large ones for cooking and sandwiches and small ones for salads – tucked in my fridge. Originally native to western-South America and Central America, and cultivated domestically in Mexico before 500 BC, it’s hard to believe tomatoes were only introduced to Europe and Asia by the Spanish in the early 1500s.
One of the things I love about travelling with photo-tours is that you regularly devote time to places other groups minimise or ignore completely. This gives me more of a real glimpse into “ordinary” everyday life. After all, when was the last time you stopped to spend time in a tomato distribution centre?
I was in Nyaung Shwe on the north shore of Inle Lake in Myanmar, with photographer Karl Grobl, local guide Mr MM, and nine other photography enthusiasts, when I had the opportunity to watch local Burmese at work.
Tomato Boats Tomatoes are grown on the floating farms of Inle Lake, and come into the distribution centre by boat.
Tomato Baskets The colours are fresh and bright in the morning sunlight.
Men Delivering Tomatoes Every step of the food chain is labour intensive.
Tomatoes The produce is bright against the dark canal waters.
Tomato Boat The long, graceful boats laden with full baskets sit low in the water.
Boxed Tomatoes
The Warehouse Inside, it is dark and cool.
Sorting Tomatoes Women sort through tomatoes of all colours from the pile on the bamboo platform.
Sorting Tomatoes Tomatoes fly into the baskets.
Portrait Workers chat and laugh as they perform their work.
In the Corner Light slants through the woven walls as tomatoes fly towards a lone basket.
Tomatoes in Baskets
Red Glow Light through the walls bounces off the ripe fruit.
Heavy Lifting
Movement
Light and Lines
The Bookkeeper All the baskets of tomatoes moving in and out of the storehouse are recorded in a notebook.
Tomatoes Warm and rich smelling, the baskets of tomatoes sit in the sun.
I loved the smell and the colour and the shape of tomatoes.
Clearly, a lot of work has gone into getting these ones to market ~
According to Google Maps, it takes 4 hours and 42 minutes to drive the 309 kilometres through the heart of Stro gateway to Namibia’s northern border regions.
Google Maps doesn’t tell you that most of this distance is on what “Maps of Namibia” calls “Main-Gravel Roads”: dusty, corrugated, white-gravel, roads with potholes that leap out without notice and where on-coming or overtaking vehicles envelope you in blinding clouds of opaque dust.
I can’t even begin to imagine what these roads are like in summer! It was August – mid-winter – when we (photographer Ben McRae, Pedro Ferrão Patrício from Photoburst, Namibian guide Morne Griffiths, myself, and four other photography enthusiasts) traversed them. Even so, it was well over 30°C outside by mid-morning, and much hotter inside the truck. Mirages danced on the roads ahead as the heat pulsated all around. The wind from open truck-windows let in the dust and sucked all the moisture out of one’s body.
As they say, “It’s a dry heat.”
We passed miles apon miles of dry, rolling veld, covered in rocks and dry grass punctuated by thorn trees. Dust devils raced across the horizon and boys in donkey carts trotted along the verges. There were horses, goats, and herds of fat cattle; clearly the sere desert grasses provide more nutrients than you would think from looking at them. The odd homestead sat well back from the dusty roadside.
We were warned: in the towns, there were to be strictly no photos taken out of the truck windows. If we took pictures without prior negotiation, the tour company could be charged an exorbitant fee. So, the houses and shops and markets we passed went by unrecorded. I felt like I was watching the cast of characters from the “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency”: professionally dressed women with elaborately braided hair and over-sized glasses teetering across uneven sidewalks in their colourful high heels; “traditionally built” women in head cloths and wildly patterned dresses sashaying through the streets; men in dark suits and shiny, pointy shoes gathering on corners; men, woman and children in bangles and beads all jostling at shop fronts.
When we stopped for supplies in one of the towns, we were warned again: don’t buy anything from the Vambo (Aawambo or Ambo) people who were bound to crowd around us begging or trying to sell gems or bangles; if we engaged with them we’d never escape.
A simple trip to the supermarket was like walking into another world: shoppers in all manner of tribal dress – including Himba woman wearing only ochre paint and leather skirts – were gathering their groceries amid aisles of products I didn’t recognise. Although the uniformed shop-workers spoke English, Afrikaans and tribal languages flowed all around like a river of Babel.
After what seemed like hours of sensory over-load, it was a relief to stop at the more relaxed roadside souvenir-stands run by Herero women. The Herero have a reputation as skilled seamstresses, and the stalls they run contain colourful patchwork cloth products. Many of the women still dress in a distinctively African adaptation of the Victorian costume foisted upon them by Germanmissionaries in the early 20th century: a voluminous floor-length dress that might comprise up to seven layers of cloth. The unique head-dress represents the horns of a cow, a particular status symbol in a culture where your wealth is measured by how many cows you own.
I admired the handiwork, made a few small purchases, and paid a small fee – well worth it to spend time making pictures and chatting with these lovely women.
Herero Woman in Blue Up until the end of the 19th century, Herero people dressed in traditional tribal fashion. However, during the days of German colonial rule, missionaries introduced Victorian style dress because they didn’t liked Herero women to be naked. Herero men started wearing German uniforms they took from soldiers killed during the conflict in the early 20th century, and may still wear uniforms on special occasions. From the time they are married, women were expected to make their own multi-layered dresses.
Woman with Herero Dolls Today, some women chose more “modern” Western dress.
Girl with Doll I loved how this girl’s balding doll has her hair so neatly braided.
Herero Dolls Herero dolls are painstaking handmade, with wire arms and hands and painted faces.
Herero Sisters Sisters in casual dress, were keen to be photographed: I could only oblige.
Smiling Woman in an Orange Headdress
Herero Woman in Brown This articulate young woman has just finished her Namibian tourism certificate, and hopes to become an official guide.
Young Girl in Black Without any coaching, young girls, like this 13 year old, demonstrate an effortless grace.
Young Herero with Patchwork
Herero Family The women’s elaborated clothes, and the crafts they sell, are carefully sewn using old manual Singer sewing machines and finished by hand.
Waterhole Our next stop, an hour and a half later, was at a small waterhole in the hot, dusty hills. Cattle have come in for a rest and a drink.
African Golden Weaver The thorn trees near the roadside are full of chattering finch and weavers.
Goats in the Dust A man guides a herd of goats though the heat of the afternoon.
We still had miles of hot, bumpy road to travel before we reached our stop for the night.
I had my Herero doll and fond memories of conversations with some interesting and engaging women who have found a way of making their traditions support their futures.
Snake Charmers The Pushkar Camel Fair is a festive affair – and not just about camels. Kalbeliya Gypsy snake-charmers are among the entertainers to be found around the extensive fair grounds.
I’ve been dreaming of camels lately…
That’s probably because the annual five-day Pushkar Camel Festival in Rajasthan, Northern India, finished earlier this week, and a number of my friends – including photographer Karl Grobl and local guide DV Singh – were there.
I couldn’t help but feel a little envious, as it has been two years since I visited India with them and enjoyed the Camel Fair myself.
Still, their return gave me a good excuse to revisit my photo-files from that trip.
Aagman Camp Hostess One of the joys India is how photogenic the people are.
Camel Carriage The Pushkar Fair attracts a fair number of international tourists and photographers in addition to the local traders.
Fair Grounds The Aravalli Mountain Range provides a backdrop for the fun-fair grounds, the livestock, and the camp grounds at Pushkar Fair. (iPhone4S)
Rajasthani Horse and Rider Pushkar Fair is not just about camels: Marwari horses – the distinctive Jodhpur-bred horses with the inward-turning ears – are a prominent feature. Horses with a white blaze and four white socks are considered lucky.
Running the Rajasthani Horse Theses horses were bred from native Indian ponies crossed with Arabian horses.
Putting the Horse through its Paces The Marwari is a natural “pacer”, with a lateral two-beat gait.
Tourists on Camels A Chinese tour group descends from their camels.
Fresh-Roasted Peanuts Food is never far away; a vendor stands ready next to his paper-cones and peanuts.
Rajasthani Colt The Marwari horses are beautiful animals, …
Afternoon Sun … bred since the 12th century for purity and hardiness.
Snake Charmers Entertainers are all around the fair grounds; the Kalbeliya Gypsy snake charmers fall outside the Indian caste system.
[…] from Pushkar’s dusty fair grounds. I have shared some pictures from the fair before (See: Scenes from a Fair and A Gypsy Portrait), but it has been a […]ReplyCancel
[…] some of the images I made there (see: A Gypsy Portrait, Faces at the Camel Fair, and Scenes from a Fair) – I still have a large body of work to […]ReplyCancel
Boats in the Gorge Flying the company flag, the city flag of Stadt Kelheim, and the blue and white Bavarian state flag, a tourist boat cruises up the scenic Danube Gorge.
Bavaria.
When I think of Bavaria, I think of buxom blond women in dirndls (traditional white blouses, laced bodices, full skirts and aprons), and moustached men in lederhosen (leather breeches). I think of medieval castles, charming villages, and beer in copious steins.
But, it is also home to expanses of dark forests that stretch from high up in the Bavarian Alps down to the fertile plains of the legendary Danube.
We were traveling on one of those wonderful, luxurious, floating hotel-rooms: a “Romantic Danube Cruise” from Nuremberg (see: Altered Views of History) to Budapest, and were docked in Regensburg, in the middle of Bavaria.
It was fitting, then, that after a morning of exploring the UNESCO-listed centre of Regensburg, one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval cities (see: Bavarian History and Charm), we set off on an optional afternoon trip to Kelheim, at the southernmost point of the Main-Danube Canal, for a visit to a typical Bavarian beer-garden, before cruising up the magnificent Danube Gorge, through cliffs and forests,to the medieval Weltenburg Abbey.
Children in the Playground In Kelheim, a little town the banks of the Danube, everyday life continues.
Sculpted Faces One of the first things that struck me on my first trip to Germany many years ago, was the quirky nature of the public art. This surreal tower of faces on the verge of a Kelheim street was in that vein.
Mariä Himmelfahrt Church The Assumption of Our Lady Church is one of the elegantly simple buildings on Kelheim’s town square.
Church Diorama A religious diorama is inset into the painted walls of the Mariä Himmelfahrt Church.
Kelheim Streets The town streets are clean and orderly. The Altmühltor (old mill gate) at the bottom of the road marks part of the old city walls.
Ludwig I (1173-1231) A statue of Ludwig Kelheim, who was responsible for many of the town’s monuments, stands in Lugwigsplatz.
Die Weißbierbrauerei Schneider We made a stop at the Schneider Brewery (founded in 1872), reputed to be the oldest brewery in the world. I’m not sure how this claim is supported, as the brewery at Weltenburg Abbey, just up the river and in operation since 1050, is said to be the “oldest monastery brewery in the world.”
Stained Glass Window It is quite lovely inside the Brauhaus, but as it is a beautiful sunny day, we are seated outside.
Inside the Brauhaus The beer is poured into glass beer-mugs …
Serving Beer … to be delivered to the beer garden …
Pretzels … where it is enjoyed with fresh pretzels…
Bavarian Barmaid … and more beer.
Furnace I love the old, elaborate, wood-burning room-heaters that you see all over Europe.
Clock Tower We walk back out into the town, where it is time to make our way to the Danube…
Man in a Bavarian Felt Hat … where we wait with local tourists …
Die Befreiungshalle from the Danube … to board one of the many cruise boats that ferry passengers up and down the Danube River. The round structure at the top of the hill is the Befreiungshalle (Liberty Hall), built between 1842 and 1863 by Ludwig I of Bavaria to commemorate the victory over Napoleon in the War for Liberation (1813-15).
Danube Gorge The imposing Befreiungshalle tower, sitting high on Mount Michelsberg, affords visitors views over Kelheim and the Danube River.
Danube Gorge Villages and churches are tucked between the chalk cliffs of the Gorge and the slow-moving river.
“Weltenburg Narrows” We are not the only boat travelling between Kelheim and the Weltenburg Abbey.
People in the Gorge Dwarfed by the cliffs – which rise as much as 122 metres (400 feet) around them – people use the gorge area for recreation.
Abbey in the Gorge As we round a bend in the river, the Weltenburg Abbey church, built between 1716 and 1739 on a peninsula in the “Weltenburg Narrows”, comes into view.
Weltenburg Abbey Church A monastery was established on this site by Irish or Scottish or of St. Columbanus in about 620, although the Baroque buildings around the perimeter are much more recent. As I said earlier, the monks have been brewing beer here since 1050, and today there are nine regular Weltenburger Beer varieties, plus seasonal specialties.
St George : Weltenburg Abbey The ornately baroque abbey church is dedicated to Saint George, patron saint of the monastery. The lofty columns are carved from local Weltenburg marble.
Guide Lisa Admission into the church is with a guided group. The guides are well versed in the church’s art and history.
St George and the Dragon At the front of the church is a full size marble and gold depiction of St. George killing the dragon and saving the king’s daughter.
Pipe Organ The church’s west niche contains an ornately decorated organ built in 1728 by Konrad Brandenstein, believed to be the only one of its kind surviving.
“Heavenly Jerusalem” In a cupola flooded with light, an oval painting in elaborate baroque style draws the eyes from the dark church and up to the heavens.
“Quis ut Deus?” The Archangel Michael is one of the gilded stucco relief illustrations encircling the cupola.
Weltenburg Shrine
Chatting with a Monk Only a few Benedictine monks still live at the abbey today.
Leaving Weltenburg Abbey The tour group makes its way back to the buses that will take them back to the boats on the canal.
Beautiful scenery, fascinating architecture, and world-class beer ~
it’s an enjoyable area to visit and one I’d love to go back to.
[…] night, and we spent our days exploring charming cities and historical features (e.g.: Regensburg; Kelheim to Weltenburg; Passau; Melk; and […]ReplyCancel
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
I loved the smell and the colour and the shape of tomatoes.
I hope they can continue to make their own way…
Ursula,
Very nice “overview”!!
Loved the Barista, the Chaplin and Sir Mortimer and Lady Grey are winners.
Ruti
Thanks, Ruti – really nice to have your ‘visit’. 😀
[…] that houses the Black Lion Pub. The Midlands is “Black and White” country (see: Medieval Ludlow), and a few of these distinctive buildings survive in Hereford […]
The photographs are wonderful: crisp images and nicely composed.
I have stayed in Ludlow and so it is good to see the sights again.
Thanks so much for your visit and comment, Sally! I’d love to get back there. 🙂