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LUDLOW CASTLE

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Ludlow Castle, situated on its rocky promontory over the river Teme, is one of the great Welsh border castles, and its extensive remains span the entire medieval period. It was begun about 1085 by Roger de Lacy, but the round Norman chapel, one of the earliest chapels in the county, was built in the 1130s by a rival claimant, Sir Joyce de Dinan, who temporarily ousted the Lacy's from their home. The outer defences, including the outer bailey and gatehouse, were constructed about 1180, the round towers added a century later, and most of the other buildings within the enclosure - the great hall, great chamber and service rooms - were built in the 14th century and embellished in the Tudor period. After the Lacy line died out in 1240 the castle was held by Roger Mortimer and five generations of his descendants, becoming royal property in 1461 when one of the line was crowned as Edward IV. The 'Princes' tower is so named because his two young sons lived here before their final imprisonment and death in the Tower of London, and 'Arthur's tower' takes its name from Henry VIII's elder brother, who died here in 1507. The castle then became the residence of the Lords President of the Council of Wales, and extensive rebuilding, including the gatehouse on the north side (1581), was carried out by Sir Henry Sidney. Today the stone rubble castle is a ruin, but an extensive and well-preserved one. Scheduled.

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