Castle Lodge, Ludlow

Castle Lodge is a medieval Elizabethan house near Ludlow Castle where scenes from the 1965 film version of Moll Flanders were shot. Castle Lodge has some of the largest collection of oak panelling in England and dates from the early 13th Century, rebuilt in 1580. In Tudor times it was the home of Elizabeth I's Master of Requests and was once used as a prison.

Royal connections

The Castle Lodge along with Ludlow Castle itself is famous for being the residence of Catherine of Aragon whilst she was married to Prince Arthur. She later went on to marry Henry VIII, Arthur's younger brother after his death from tuberculosis and syphilis. Her second marriage to Henry was not a happy one. The couple's first child was, unfortunately, born prematurely and stillborn at the end of January 1510. Almost exactly a year later, however, Catherine gave birth to a baby son. They called him Henry. Sadly, he lived for only two months. Two further children did not survive; but, in February 1516, a baby girl, named Mary, was born. Catherine had three further pregnancies, but only Mary lived to see adulthood. After great failure to provide Henry with an heir to the throne he proceeded to try and divorce her and eventually her marriage was annulled due to her being married to her brother-in-law and she was sent away. After an illness lasting about a month, she finally died in January 1536, at Kimbolton Castle (Huntingdonshire) where she had been confined. It was, of course, rumoured that she had been poisoned, but examination of the embalmer's account indicates that she died of a secondary melanotic sarcoma. [cite web |url=http://www.xmotu.com/shropshire.asp?offset=3 |title=Haunted Places in Shropshire |accessdate=2008-10-07 |publisher=Xmotu - Haunted Places in the UK]

Ownership

Castle Lodge has been privately owned throughout its history and was a hotel up until the Second World War. The Lodge was finally re-opened to the public in 1999. Bill Pearson the current owner has spent over £100,000 of his own money in restoring the building and has struggled to receive funding in the upkeep of the grade listed building so there were plans to convert the building back into a hotel. But Mr Pearson, who plans to leave Ludlow, remains bitter about what he claims is a lack of support for town centre businesses. "If it was anywhere else but Ludlow we would be getting a £1,000 a week grant to do it." Mr Pearson claimed that if his plans for a hotel were rejected, "Castle Lodge will be down the swanee. It will be the end." [cite web |url=http://archive.thisisludlow.co.uk/2002/2/27/6696.html |title=Luxury hotel and restaurant plan for historic lodge |accessdate=2002-02-27 |publisher=thisisludlow.co.uk]

The 21-bedroom town house is now up for sale for £1,600,000 on Rightmove. [cite web |url=http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-21704747.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=buy&mam_disp=true |title=Rightmove - Property for sale in Ludlow|accessdate=2008-10-07]

Paranormal Activity

Visitors at Castle Lodge have reported the apparition of a 15 to 16 year old girl seemingly wearing Tudor costume who likes to walk the attic corridors as well as visit the nursery room. Cold drafts and the feeling of being watched have also been reported. Previous owners say that one adult male visitor was visiting the attic rooms which are open to the public and came rushing downstairs trembling saying he had just seen a young woman approach him and then disappear through a closed door. The spirit is believed to be that of Catherine of Aragon who has returned to the Castle Lodge to where she was once happy. [cite web |url=http://www.xmotu.com/shropshire.asp?offset=3 |title=Haunted Places in Shropshire |accessdate=2008-10-07 |publisher=Xmotu - Haunted Places in the UK]

References