Castle Lodge, Ludlow
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Castle Lodge is a medieval Tudor and Elizabethan architectural transition period house in Ludlow, Shropshire, situated close to Ludlow Castle. Scenes from the 1965 film version of Moll Flanders were shot here. Castle Lodge has some of the largest collection of oak panelling in England and dates from the early 13th century, rebuilt in 1580. In Tudor times it was the home of Elizabeth I's Master of Requests and was once used as a prison.
Royal connections
The Castle Lodge along with Ludlow Castle itself is famous for being the residence of Catherine of Aragon whilst she was married to Prince Arthur. She later went on to marry Henry VIII, Arthur's younger brother after his death from tuberculosis.[1]
Ownership
Castle Lodge has been privately owned throughout its history and was a hotel up until the Second World War. The Lodge was finally re-opened to the public in 1999. Over £100,000 has been spent on the restoration of the building by current owner Bill Pearson. Pearson struggled to find public or private funding for the upkeep of the building, and created plans to convert Castle Lodge into a hotel once again. Nevertheless these plans never reached fruition, a failure which Pearson attributes to the lack of support from local businesses, stating that "if it [Castle Lodge] was anywhere else but Ludlow we would be getting a £1,000 a week grant to do it". Pearson claimed that if his plans for a hotel were rejected, "Castle Lodge will be down the swanee. It will be the end."[2] Pearson has repeatedly attempted to sell the Lodge in recent years.
Reported hauntings
Visitors at Castle Lodge have reported the apparition of a 15- to 16-year-old girl seemingly wearing Tudor costume who likes to walk the attic corridors as well as visit the nursery room. Cold drafts and the feeling of being watched have also been reported. Previous owners say that one adult male visitor was visiting the attic rooms which are open to the public and came rushing downstairs trembling saying he had just seen a young woman approach him and then disappear through a closed door. The spirit is believed to be that of Catherine of Aragon who has returned to the Castle Lodge to where she was once happy.[3]
