Sir Henry Sidney, the father of the famous Sir Philip Sidney, resided at Ludlow, being President of the Council of Wales.  In the Great Hall, now roofless, Milton’s masque Comus was performed for the first time, and Samuel Butler is said to have written part of Hudibras in a little room over the entrance gateway.

The Parish Church, also situated at the top of the hill, is mainly a fifteenth-century building, although it contains some earlier work.  The fine east window, occupying the whole breadth of the chancel, is filled with very old stained glass, depicting the life of St. Lawrence.  There is a round church in the castle, said to be one of the earliest circular churches in England.  The streets are full of picturesque old houses, the most celebrated being the “Feathers Inn,” a beautiful Jacobean house containing a coffee-room which has a most elaborately decorated plaster ceiling and fine oak-panelled walls.  The appearance of the room is exceedingly rich.  The Grammar School, founded by the Guild of Palmers, claims to be the oldest in England.

[Illustration:  Valentine & Sons, Ltd.

LUDLOW, SHOWING THE PARISH CHURCH.]

SHREWSBURY

=How to get there.=—­Train from Euston.  L. and N.W.  Railway. =Nearest Station.=—­Shrewsbury. =Distance from London.=—­162-3/4 miles. =Average Time.=—­Varies between 3-1/4 to 5 hours.

                     1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=—­Single 24s. 4d. 16s. 3d. 13s. 
          Return 45s. 6d. 28s. 6d. 26s.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=—­“Raven Hotel,” “George Inn,”
  “Lion Inn,” etc.
=Alternative Route.=—­Train from Paddington.  Great Western Rly.

The ancient city of Shrewsbury, surrounded on three sides by the river Severn, is most beautifully situated on a lofty peninsula.  It was a British stronghold before the Conquest, when it was given by William the Conqueror to Roger de Montgomery, who built the castle which stands on the narrow isthmus leading to the town.  Henry IV. stayed in the castle in 1403, before the battle with Harry Hotspur, which was fought at Battlefield, about 3 miles from the town.  Only the keep of the old Norman castle remains, and that is now used as a modern residence.  The quaint streets of Shrewsbury not only retain their old names, such as Wyle Cop and Dogpole, but are filled with half-timbered houses of the fifteenth century.

At the old Grammar School, built in 1630, and now converted into a free library and museum, many distinguished scholars have been educated, among them Sir Philip Sidney and Judge Jeffreys.  Outside this school is erected a statue to Charles Darwin, a former scholar, who was born in the old suburb of Frankwell. (For Darwin’s home at Downe, see Index).  The Elizabethan Market House and the Council House, which was visited by both Charles I. and James II. on different occasions, are two of the numerous fascinating old buildings to be seen in Shrewsbury.