Visit Powis Estates

With its earliest remains dating back to the 11th century, the imposing Medieval ruins of Ludlow Castle tower over the bustling market town of Ludlow. Ludlow Castle offers a fantastic day out for all the family and an ideal place to stop off after taking in the town’s impressive Tudor buildings and independent stores.

The sheer grandeur of the Castle’s remains echo the splendour that once existed here, and it’s easy to imagine why it became home to royalty in the late 15th century and remained one throughout the 15th and 16th centuries. In the late 15th Century, Ludlow Castle also became the centre of power for the council of Wales and the Marches and it remained so until the late 1680s. Throughout its time both as a Royal Castle and the administrative capital for Wales and the Marches the castle was extended numerous times to accommodate its different functions. But when the Council of Marches dissolved in 1689, Ludlow Castle was abandoned and was left to fall into ruin. It wasn’t until 1772 when Henry Arthur Herbert, the first Earl of Powis, second creation, leased the castle from the crown and began work to preserve what remained as a ‘Romantic Ruin’, playing a key role in a local tourism movement. In 1811, the then Edward, Earl of Powis went on to purchase the castle from the crown.

Over 900 years after its original construction, this magnificent Castle is still owned and maintained by Powis Estates and continues to be open to the public as a tourist attraction. Each year it attracts around 100,000 visitors and is also home to major festivals in the town that draw in tourists from all over the UK.

Castle House, a mansion constructed by Edward, Earl of Powis in 1812 still stands within the outer bailey walls and was reacquired by the Estate in the mid 2000s. After an extensive restoration project it was awarded a RICS Conservation Project of the Year award in 2009. Castle House now offers a fantastic venue for weddings and along with self-catered accommodation, a café and the Castle Gallery retail shop offer a truly unique opportunity to stay within the walls of a Medieval castle.

Perched on a steep crag overlooking the picturesque town of Montgomery, the breathtaking panoramic views over the Welsh border were what once made this the perfect spot for a stronghold. On the orders of King Henry III, Montgomery Castle was built here to fortify the site from attacks by the Welsh Prince, Llywelyn the Great.

Featuring a stone inner ward, well and deep defensive ditches with drawbridges, the stone castle withstood attacks from Llywelyn in 1228 and 1231, as well as Llywelyn’s son Dafydd in 1245. As a time of peace fell over the land, the castle began to fall into disrepair until it was refurbished by Roger Mortimer after 1359, after which it again proved its strength following an attack by Owain Glyndwr in the early 1400s.

The Herbert family have been based at Montgomery Castle since the early 1500s, and in the early 1600s, Sir Edward Herbert began the construction of a timber-framed mansion within the outer ward. However, the castle eventually met its end following the First English Civil War that took place in England and Wales between 1642 and 1646. After being surrendered to the Parliamentarians in 1644, it was demolished in 1649 along with the mansion.

Nowadays, the castle ruins are under the care of Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, which leases the site from Powis Estates and is free to visit.

Open daily with free admission, why not also head down to the Old Bell Museum in the Town, while you’re there to see models of what the castle would have once looked like during its heyday?

Check out BBC’s most recent article about one of the most fought-over castles in Welsh History.