Things to do in Ledbury, Herefordshire
Located 14 miles east of Hereford, it is one of the most delightful English towns to visit.
Ledbury probably took its name from the River Leadon that runs through the town and the word "burg" which means "fortified site".
The borough dates back to 690AD and was well established by the time of the Domesday Book in 1086.
This lovely area of East Herefordshire obviously inspired writers and poets. Elizabeth Barrett Browning grew up at Hope End and wrote many of her poems there.
Poet Laureate, John Masefield, was born in Ledbury and William Wordsworth wrote about Ledbury in his sonnet St. Catherine of Ledbury.
The town trades included cloth making, leather tanning and glove making. It also produced hops and orchards for beer and cider.
In 1798 the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal opened and served the wharves on Bye Street.
This railway closed in 1964 and it is now a footpath and cycleway known as the Town Trail, but Ledbury is still served by the Cotswold Line with trains to Hereford, Birmingham and London Paddington.
The traditional station building and wooden ticket office are worth seeing.
Present Day Ledbury
The historic buildings of Ledbury can be found along High Street and Church Lane. Look for the Market House on its raised oak pillars.
Built around 1653, it has a meeting room on the first floor and space for the market beneath.
It has a Collegiate Cross in the North Porch with bullet marks from the English Civil War.
Ledbury Park is one of England's finest examples of timber-framed buildings and was constructed in 1590 for the Biddulph family.
The Town Offices include 16th-century frescoes in the lovely Painted Room.
However, Ledbury's oldest building is the St. Katharine's Hospital complex, founded around 1231.
It has an almshouse, hall, barn, chapel and the Master's House.
Originally Robertson's jam factory employed locals but was taken over by Universal Beverages and now produces Bulmer's cider.
Things to Do in Ledbury
Eastnor Castle is a grand mediaeval castle at first glance, but it is actually a mock castle with watchtowers and a keep.
It was built in 1812 on the Cocks estate as a stately home by 1st Earl Somers.
Visit the Folk Museum in the Butcher Row House, which was once part of a row of houses, long since demolished.
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Days Out in Ledbury
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Eastnor Castle (2 Miles)*
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Little Malvern Court (5 Miles)*
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How Caple Court Gardens (7 Miles)*
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International Centre for Birds of Prey (8 Miles)*
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Wye Valley Shipley Gardens (9 Miles)*
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Brockhampton Estate (11 Miles)*
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Croome Park (11 Miles)*
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Hereford Cathedral (12 Miles)*
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Hereford Cider Museum (12 Miles)*
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Worcester Cathedral (13 Miles)*
Places to Visit near Ledbury
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Malvern (6 Miles)*
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Newent (7 Miles)*
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Upton upon Severn (9 Miles)*
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Ocle Pychard (9 Miles)*
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Ross-on-wye (10 Miles)*
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Bromyard (10 Miles)*
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Tewkesbury (12 Miles)*
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Hereford (12 Miles)*
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Worcester (13 Miles)*
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Gloucester (14 Miles)*
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