New owners appeal for Ludlow hotel memorabilia
The new owners of Shropshire's Feathers Hotel are appealing for any items associated with it that visitors may have obtained over the past 400 years.
Crest Hotel bought the historic hotel in Ludlow late last year and has begun an ambitious renovation project. They are asking former guests or hotel workers and their families for any memorabilia they can recount which can give an insight into the hotel’s rich history and heritage to mark its anniversary year.
The request comes as the hotel is currently undergoing a £1million refurbishment project and, when work is complete, the hotel is due to open in late Autumn. Hotel management are keen to see any photographs and hear stories that people may have of holidays, weddings or times simply spent at the hotel or receipts and menus from meals and activities carried out within the vicinity, whether it be from five, 15 or 50 years ago.
Any memorabilia that is received will be displayed professionally in an exhibition within the 40-bedroom hotel and people are being encouraged to get in touch with information.
Jon Hawkins, general manager at The Feathers Hotel, said: “The Feathers Hotel has been an important part of the Ludlow landscape for over four hundred years and is an iconic building for not only locals but visitors as well and so we’re sure that there must be some great artefacts around from bygone times.
“As the hotel is nearing its opening we want to celebrate the heritage of the building and Ludlow itself and want to commemorate the new and positive chapter that is about to start when the doors re-open later this year.”
Imposing
Its imposing half-timbered frontage was constructed in 1619, over an earlier core, for a local lawyer, Rees Jones. The building which stands on The Bullring, has been described as a "prodigy" of Tudor architecture and it is noted for its Jacobean furnishings including panelling, wall paintings, ceiling beams and diamond panelled windows. The facade has motifs of Prince of Wales's feathers, from which the hotel's name derives
Among the other features noted in the hotel is the lock plate with inscriptions of the name of Rees Jones and the lintels of the doors have fine carvings. When it was converted to an inn in 1670 alterations made included a balcony which was added for “electioneering.”
It drew guests from far and wide and an article in The New York Times reportedly named it the "most handsome inn in the world".
Readers may offer their memorabilia and stories for inclusion in the exhibition by contacting the hotel directly on office@feathersatludlow.co.uk and those that donate items will be invited to a special afternoon tea event within the hotel’s new tea room to see and celebrate the exhibition.
Crest Hotels completed the purchase of The Feathers last December. The firm is investing more than £1million on renovating the 40-bedroom property, which includes a makeover to public areas, bedrooms and the function suite, as well as complete new plumbing throughout.
The hotel was forced to close and then went bankrupt following the death of a guest who contracted Legionnaire's Disease.
