Ludlow

Photographer's Note

I continue showing B&W photos from my journey to England in 1966. I started in the county of Derbyshire and then moved to Shropshire in the western Midlands, bordering to Wales.

I had seen photos of several towns and castles in Shropshire and wanted to see them with my own eyes. From a catalogue of farmhouses offering bed and breakfast I had selected a place in a small village called Munslow. I needed two free rides, four bus journeys and some walking to reach my new destination, which turned out to be the home of a very friendly family living in a house they claimed was built in about the 14th or 15th century.

(The house was so lopsided that I had to walk uphill from my bed to the sink. I was convinced it was very old.)

Today's photos were taken in a picturesque town called Ludlow, which I visited the day after my arrival in Shropshire. Ludlow is a medieval market town, founded in the late 11th century, and has a wonderfully well maintained central area which to me looked almost like a large open air museum. This town with a population of only about 11.000 has nearly 500 "listed" buildings (legally protected from being demolished, extended or altered without special permission from the local planning authority). There is also a magnificent ruined castle built during the decades after the Norman conquest of England.

In my diary I described Ludlow as "very nice, with beautiful old buildings everywhere and a pleasant atmosphere".

I spent the day exploring the town and the castle, including a close inspection of the two most famous pubs, both of them hundreds of years old.

The main photo shows the southern entrance to Ludlow. In the background you see the tower of St. Laurence's parish church, belonging to the Church of England. It was founded in the late 11th century and rebuilt in 1199. Using the coordinates 52.36385 -2.71726 on the Google maps you will reach this spot.

This time, just for once, you can also just click at Map: view in the box to the right.

Here is a larger version.

One WS was taken closer to the same church, another one shows an ordinary corner somewhere in the center of the town.

Strangely enough there were before today only 20 photos on TE from Ludlow, and more than half of them were taken during a TE meeting in 2012.

I liked Ludlow so much that I will remain there for at least two more uploads.

All photos were scanned from Kodak Plus-X negatives.

pajaran, ikeharel, ikeharel, bukitgolfb301, alvaraalto, jean113, pierrefonds, Fis2, PaulVDV, jhm, mcmtanyel, sacimar, macjake, PiotrF, ChrisJ, COSTANTINO, worldcitizen, mehrdad-t, cornejo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

pajaran (115805) 2019-09-22 0:25

Pozdrav.
Lepi pogledi, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Lepa ulica i kuce, lep deo grada.
Dobar rad sa fotografijama u radionici, lepo pokazano sa crno belim fotografijama.
Doibro uradjeno skeniranjem.
Zelim vam lep dan za odmor, sve najbolje.
Paja.

mesutilgim (0) 2019-09-22 0:44

Hello dear Gert,
A wonderfull rememberance to the old good times many many years ago.
Very nice b&w from your archive, not only photographycally but also informative.
I never could find again the taste when starting a long trip with this method all the way from Istanbul untill Vienna or in the late sixties also untill Hamburg.
Staying on the road side and waiting for the nex truck !
TFS and have a nice weekend
MESUT ILGIM

Tue (92312) 2019-09-22 0:44

Hej Gert,
Det er is誡 interessant at se de gamle billeder fra England for mere end 50 蚌 siden og f landets EU-medlemskab, fordi det er jo 蘆enbart det engl誅derne l誅ges tilbage til. ;-) Det er jo ogs� en dejlig by, som vist ikke har 誅dret sig meget heller. Et godt billede med masser af fine detajler langs husv詒gene.
Lars
PS - Der kommer bestemt flere billeder med glast蚌net i Portland, men det bliver fst n蚌 min far er tilbage i Portland med sine billeder.

lousat (139198) 2019-09-22 1:10

Hi Gert,3 beautiful memories of this village very new for me,a great discovery,in fact it's a great show watching your perspectives,a mix of british and french styles very very pleasant to see,i hope that nothing has changed now,good quality of sharpness...i like it! Have a nice Sunday and thanks,Luciano

Silvio1953 (221493) 2019-09-22 2:05

Ciao Gert, fascinating B&W, excellent perspective, good clarity and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

Royaldevon (85862) 2019-09-22 2:33

Hello Gert,

Ludlow is still a very pretty town, full of history, but, from my memory, it doesn't look quite as quaint as this now.
You have chosen some excellent viewpoints, inviting us to travel into the scene to explore further.
Surprisingly, I love the w/s with the cars neatly parked.
It shows so much of the town centre, the lovely old buildings, the period cars neatly parked and the church making a strong b/g presence.

Happy memories!

Have a good day,
Bev :-)

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2019-09-22 3:06

Hi dear Gert

Wow again so precious posting from you.
I am not sure where is this area in UK but this area seems to be so nostalgic. Unbelievable for 53 years ago shot is this. You are so great!

All the best and have a good day! Takero

alvaraalto (42804) 2019-09-22 3:52

Hello Gert,
I remember the place name when we drove from Whales to Oxford in the spring. It strikes me time and again that time stands still in these English towns. Only the black and white and the cars date the photo in the 60s of the last century. Furthermore, I think everything has remained unchanged.
A wonderful nostalgic series.
Have a good Sunday, groet Rob

jean113 (27819) 2019-09-22 4:43

Hello Gert, a sharp shot from 1966; and I notice how comparatively quiet the roads were, I am sure that it wouldn't look like that now.
We visited about 9 years ago, and were impressed by the place.
The old style road signs mark the way. I guess that you took this shot from the bridge?
I like the additional shots too. It is good to see the cars from 50 years ago.
Regards Jean.

pierrefonds (114371) 2019-09-22 5:01

Hi Gert,

The presence of the moving car and of the persons is animating the scene. The point of view is showing the details of the houses and of the buildings. The black and white is giving a good contrast to the picture. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Gerrit (62042) 2019-09-22 6:15

Hello Gert,
good view into this charming town with a lot of old houses and a typical Brittish atmosphere.
Thanks and regards,
Gerrit

Fis2 (170669) 2019-09-22 7:18

Witaj Gert!
Next interesting photo from Your archive.
Curious view from street.
Good framing and composition.
Nice sunday afternoon.
Krzysztof

PaulVDV (62846) 2019-09-22 9:06

Hello Gert,
I think that the beautiful architecture is better shown on the photos in the WS.
The main picture, however, gives a good general overview of Ludlow.
I see a sign indicating the direction for Shrewsbury. I remember I've been there once one day but I cannot remember anything of my visit. I didn't take notes.
A true adventure to walk from your bed to the sink :)
Best regards, Paul

jhm (211736) 2019-09-22 9:38

Hello Gert,

Wonderful scan Gert, so sharp and clear.
Also, you two additional pictures, be of high quality.
1966 already five year married!.
Nice depth and perspective too.
You show us a nice and sharp picture.
An excellent picture.
Good presentation, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

GyurMaster (24818) 2019-09-22 11:54

Dear Gert,

Together with the rich notes it constitutes and interesting photo-diary. I like the historic atmosphere of this photo. Though I understand you wanted to show us the characteristics of the city with the 'slope-slides' I find WS2 as fitting better into your nothing special category with the man standing the the shadow, looking at the other street with the cyclist.

Best Wishes,
Gy

Miguel82 (47110) 2019-09-22 12:57

Gert, it looks a calm little town with its brick houses. A value archive dating from 1966. The half timbered houses displayed in the workshop remind the ones existing in Alsace. The vintage cars evidence a past period in the car industry. Good image quality, absorbing photo note, regards.

mcmtanyel (68421) 2019-09-22 20:20

Hello Gert,
Three nice photos from the distant past. You may have said this before, but what camera were you using? 👍🏻👍🏻
Regards,
MT

rychem (72187) 2019-09-22 21:17

It is touching to see these old cars on the streets of the town, and there are only a few of them! Very nice picture from your archive
regards Ryszard

Nicou (193806) 2019-09-22 21:23

Hello

Superbe vue et compo de tes archives avec cette mont馥 de rue quelle vue ces maison la blanche en d饕ut le petit pont cet 馘ifices en fond avec ces tours et clochers qui ressortent quel rendu sur le fa軋de et les anciennes voitures fantastique
Bravo et amiti�
Nicou

ifege (47993) 2019-09-22 23:55

Hi Gert
A good period photo with all the 50s and 60s vehicles. Good scan again.
Cheers
Ian

ChrisJ (171818) 2019-09-23 1:59

Hello Gert,

This urban landscape looks post industrial when such terrace houses were purposely built for factory workers to reside in. The bg Anglican cathedral anchors the shot and provides place and context. Good sharpness and tonal range. Tfs!

sacimar (38173) 2019-09-23 6:18

Hello Gert,

interesting series of photos of 1966, this is a well preserved image, I like the point of view showing the street with the tower in the back, well done!

Best regards,

Sergio

macjake (98408) 2019-09-23 9:29

Hi Gert
I think this is m favorite of the 3 you've posted so far, although that leaning/bend tower is pretty darn funny!
It must have been so different travelling back then, today we can just look online to see photos of the city/destination. and I wonder how much more simple your travels would have been if you owned or rented a car. seems like you did a lot of hitchhiking and to me, that increases the anxiety level of not even knowing if you'll get to your destination as you've planned, so much uncertainty. I'll have to look at those other TE meeting shots you mentioned. this is a fine view, that cement block in the fg is a bit of an eye sore, but i'll just ignore that. love seeing the old cars. quiet atmosphere, and I have to say I also wonder how it looks in colour! cheers
Craig

PiotrF (54572) 2019-09-23 15:32

Hello Gert
Another ineresting picture from your archive.
Thank you for informative and interesting note.
Fine presentation
Regards
Piotr

emka (158058) 2019-09-24 1:05

hello Gert, Wonderful photos taken more than half of a century ago. As I suppose, you stood on the stone bridge. I looked in Google and the view with the gate (like in WS) is more known.
These small English towns are delightful but not easy to reach without a car. I was in the UK in 2011 and I found it very difficult to travel around. The buses were scarce and not reliable (for instance, I had a ticket but the bus passed without stopping), the trains very expensive and very large difference (three times!) in price when booked in advance and at the stations. I wanted to see Cotswold that is famous for the beauty of small villages, but it was impossible to go around there. And in Scotland, it was even worse. Sometimes I didn't know if I would return from the day trip. Finally, I SAW many places but maybe it was the most difficul of all my travels. I wonder if there are people hitchhiking.

Kind regrads MAlgo

COSTANTINO (116405) 2019-09-26 12:27

Hello der Gert and have a nice time
how many years ago!!!!
I am feeling so badly feeling the
time go away too quickly
interesting postcard from your
journey to England in 1966
welldone
regards
Cstantino

saxo042 (38078) 2019-09-27 5:50

Hej Gert,
Hit kom vi aldrig, jag misst舅ker att du 虧te hit f att besa n虍on speciell pub, som fanns angiven i Egon Ronayｴs bok. Intressant att se att s� lite har f舅drats.
H舁sningar
Gunnar

worldcitizen (16048) 2019-09-29 16:33

Hello Gert,
This town is definitely picturesque and seems so quintessentially British. The architecture is beautiful, and I like all the old cars. I almost expect to see the Beatles coming out of one of those pubs and strolling down the street.

kasianowak (17676) 2019-10-02 4:50

Very pleasant-looking street. I fell in love with English heritage and countryside in 1994, then I moved to London and forgot all about it...
I do like the cars, here and in WS.
And I loved reading about the lopsided house where you were staying. :-)
Thank you for sharing!!

jmdias (115072) 2019-10-03 6:54

gert

I suppose this view will be almost the same today, different of my town where there is nothing similar with 1966 when most of the houses were built in timber and now are extinct, our history was gone. nice view with the typical church as a main personage.

take care

jorge

mehrdad-t (4812) 2019-11-02 5:55

Hi,
Very nice place,
I like it.
TFS,
Mehrdad

cornejo (61504) 2019-12-09 3:46

Hi Gerrit, very nice photo of this interesting scene of everyday life in England in 1966, very well captured in this interesting image with good sharpness, depth, light and quality. A great job perfectly done, my congratulations my friend. Thank you for sharing this interesting work.

Good afternoon and happy start of the week.
All the best from southern Spain.
Angel.