Guide on Ludlow medieval landmark released

The new 60-page guide to Reader's House in Ludlow, one of the county's landmark medieval buildings, has just been released thanks to the efforts of volunteer historians in the town.

Michael Page, a retired chartered engineer who moved to Ludlow in 2002, has written the guide, put together from a 240-page technical report he presented to English Heritage in January.

The guide is full of new detailed information on the house, only discovered since new owners started restoration of the building in recent years.

Mr Page, a member of Ludlow Historical Research Group, said: "The group has a history of writing up about buildings in Ludlow, from The Feathers house to what is now Bodenhams clothes shop in Broad Street."

He said the current owners first approached Ludlow Civic Society in 2008 wanting to know more about the timber-framed building, who in turn got in contact with the group.

The house in the churchyard of St Laurence's was built in its present form in 1616. It became known as the Reader's House from 1711. Mr Page said there had been previous articles written on the house, and it was included in histories of Ludlow and Shropshire buildings.

But he said: "There has never been a comprehensive study of the structure of the building and history of its occupancy before."

Since 2008 various studies have been carried out, including a 3D laser study of the house by Birmingham University. "You can go to the research group's website and, with downloaded software, go around a 3D model of the house as it was in 1616," he said.

He said all the new studies fed into the English Heritage report. "The project was probably one of the most comprehensive studies carried out on any house in Shropshire," he said.

The resulting guide is available from Castle Bookshop on High Street, and there are plans to have copies available in the Church of St Laurence and Ludlow Castle gift shop, he said.