St Laurence's Church, Ludlow

Original Norman traces were found beneath the south porch, indicating some extant foundations exist from the 11th century AD. After its initial construction the church was expanded and rebuilt in 1199 to accommodate a growing town population. In the late Middle Ages considerable wealth accrued to the town based upon the wool trade. Correspondingly the church underwent several further additions in that era. The major works occurred between 1433 and 1471 with a virtual re-building of the nave, tower and chancel elements. The tower took on a Perpendicular style which was the preferred style of the late 15th century in England. The Saint John's Chapel on the north side was the chapel of the…

]] The dominant exterior feature is the square bell tower, which houses the historic and famed bells of the church. The chancel contains the medieval choir stalls adorned with numerous misericords. Many of these fine wood carvings are of heraldry and others are genre scenes of common life. Typical sizes of the misericords and upper bench carvings are 25 centimetres wide by 12 centimetres high; the carvings have very deep relief (up to two centimetres). Some of the elements of the carving are repeated on roof adornments. The chancel has a number of monuments, most of which mark the graves of people involved with Ludlow Castle's Council of Wales and the Marches. Other than the large east…