The almshouses in Ledbury were founded in 1232 by Bishop Foliot, but no part of original building remains.
Now there is a central low stone tower above 4-centred arch gateway with wings on either side. South wing was rebuilt in 1822 after designs of Sir Robert Smirke, with three stone gables with dripmoulds to windows. The North wing was rebuilt in 1866 also with three gables and imitation timber framing and 3-light stone mullion windows. There are all leaded-pane casements with slate and tiled roofs. Ledbury is a Herefordshire market town, lying east of Hereford, and west of the Malvern Hills. It has many timber-framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of the most outstanding is the Market House, built in 1617, located in the town centre. Other notable buildings include the parish church of St. Michael and All Angels, the Painted Room (containing sixteenth-century frescoes), the Old Grammar School, the Barrett-Browning memorial clock tower (designed by Brightwen Binyon and opened in 1896 to house the library until 2015) and the St. Katherine's Hospital site. Founded , this is a rare surviving example of a hospital complex, with hall, chapel, a Master's House (fully restored and opened in March 2015 to house the Library), almshouses and a timber-framed barn. Ledbury’s origins date to around 690 AD. the Domesday Book record it as Liedeberge. The Feathers Hotel was a famous 16th century drovers' inn. It was not until the reign of Queen Elizabeth I that his 'poor town' became prosperous thanks mainly to three families of clothier merchants, Skynner, Skyppe, and Elton. No less than four battles were fought during the English civil wars, during which it was a bastion of royalism. Following the civil war the arrival of the Martin and Biddulph aristocratic families signalled a financial sea-change for the town; Biddulph was later ennobled.
Size: 6000px × 4000px
Location: Ledbury, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © Philip Chapman / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: almshouse, bishop, cenotaph, centre, foliot, herefordshire, ledbury, liedeberge, market, memorial, plaque, stone, tiled, town
