History Of The Feathers Ludlow

This hotel in the small town of Ludlow is re-known worldwide for its beautiful Jacobean architecture and medieval heritage. Built in 1619 during the reign of King James I the name of the hotel originates from the motifs of ostrich feathers forming part of the timber framed façade which were traditionally the badge of the Prince of Wales who at the time was the future King Charles I and can still be seen today. The small town of Ludlow was popular with the Royals as it remained loyal throughout the English Civil War and this hotel was even thought to be used for the Royalist soldiers. Indeed it was the Captain in the King’s Army who converted it into an inn in around 1670.

Paranormal Activity

With its extensive history much paranormal activity has been recorded over the years. A ghost of an unknown lady haunts room 211 and is known to be picky of who sleeps in the room, often preferring gentlemen guests to women guests. One couple awoke one night to find the female guest’s hair being pulled so violently that she was dragged from her bed whilst her male partner felt an unseen hand gently stroke his face. The female guest returned to her bed but awoke the next morning to find her clothes and sheets soaked with water but the sheets surroundings completely dry. Other reports have included a man in Victorian dress accompanied by a dog walking through room 232 into room 233.

The writing room is home to another male spirit who is searching for someone called Richard and seems to be from the period of James I. In 1974 a Mr. Ainsley was visiting the hotel for a meeting and rushing to meet his appointment he hastily parked his car opposite the hotel and soon realised he had forgotten some papers. Turning back to his car the man was stunned to see a young girl running and passing straight through his vehicle and vanishing but as he entered the hotel to relay his story the barman, he was informed that he was not the first to have seen the young girl. Some believe it was a girl that died in a road accident who was hurrying along to meet or do whatever that once fateful that day.

Source: xmoto.com

Condover Hall is an elegant Grade I listed three story Elizabethan sandstone building, described as the grandest manor house in Shropshire, standing in a conservation area on the outskirts of Condover village, Shropshire, England, four miles south of the county town of Shrewsbury.

A Royal manor in Anglo Saxon times, until the 16th century Condover Manor was in and out of Crown Tenure until, in 1586, Elizabeth I made a grant of the current Manor to Thomas Owen, a Member of Parliament and Recorder of Shrewsbury.

Between August 1942 and June 1945 the hall was commandeered by the War Office and pressed into service as the officers’ mess for nearby RAF Condover.

For the forty years since 1960 the Hall had been run as a residential school, initially for blind children when owned by the RNIB and latterly under private ownership as a school for autistic children, covering boy boarders and coeducational day pupils. The school and college both closed during 2009.

As of April 2010, the site is still on the property market.

Hauntings

“Before heaven I am innocent, though my master’s son swears me guilty. And as I perish an innocent man, may those who follow my murdered lord be cursed.”

These words were spoken by the butler of Condover Hall near Shrewsbury as he met his unjust end. Condemned to death by the testimony of Lord Knyvetts son who had secretly stabbed his father to death and then blamed it on the butler.

Stumbling down the stairs of the basement, Knyvett reached out his bloodied hand leaving an imprint upon the wall that defied any attempts to wash it away. No matter how hard the work, it would simply reappear. Later the hand-print had to finally be chipped out of the brick.

More recently, the sound of footsteps and doors closing have been at night, and a couple dressed in Victorian clothing spotted.

The Dun Cow is one of the oldest public houses in the UK. Built by Roger de Montgomery, First Earl of Shrewsbury circa 1085 as a hostel for the highly skilled masons and master builders bought in to supervise the construction of the St. Peter and St. Paul (later to be known as The Abbey). The Dun Cow was historically a hostelry with its own brewery in 1105 and probably existed before that.

During the late Tudor period The Dun Cow was in need in repair, but by this time the good Shropshire oak which was used in original constuction was at permium. Thus the steward a Mr Dun Fow (an interpretation of whose name later gave the pub its present name) was obliged to purchase spanish oak from Bristol. The oak came from the breakers yard where the Armada galleons routed by Sir Francis Drake had in earlier years been dismantled. The ships timbers were bought to shrewsbury on a sail barge and can now be seen clearly in the walls of the inn.

Prince Rupert chose The Dun Cow as his billet when in Shrewsbury. On one occasion one of the Prince’s stewards a certain Sir Richard was murdered in the inn kitchen by a Dutch army officer. The Netherlander was immediately court marshaled, found guilty and ordered to be hung by the neck until dead. On the scaffold in the stables of The Dun Cow he made a short speech, “it is grossly unfair ” he said ” that I a Dutchman should be executed for killing only one Englishman”.

In 1980 Mrs Hayes, wife of the then land-lord awoke suddenly one night. In the room was a hooded figure, wearing the habit of a monk, though dotted with bright colours. Though the sight of this phantom was chilling enough, the long dead monk was bent over the cot of the land-lady’s infant daughter.

Disturbed, the phantom father disappeared, but later visited the child, now aged two, again. She awoke frightened and screaming at the mysterious man in her room. Mr Hayes, the land-lord also saw the apparition and guests have seen shadowy figures in the night disappearing though walls.

A ghost wearing the uniform of a Dutch cavalry officer of the time has been seen on the permises, the last recorded sighting being as recent as 2003.

Dun Cow Shrewsbury Website

The Globe Inn Ludlow is reputedly haunted by Edward Dobson, a Tudor soldier garrisoned at Ludlow Castle. He died in a pub brawl circa 1553 and his ghost now appears hovering over the spot where he fell. The apparition is described as wearing a cloak and a wig.

A Birmingham business man staying at the Globe Inn also met a figure on the second story around 2.00am. He wished the figure goodnight. The next day he discovered that no other guests were staying at the Inn and nobody knew who this figure was.