Home > Shropshire > Ludlow > The Angel The Angel
Picture source: T C
The Angel Inn  was situated at 8 Broad Street. The grade-II listed building dates from 1555 and is now used as a wine bar and restaurant. This major coaching inn was visited by Vice Admiral Lord Nelson.
This ancient inn is where my Great Great Great Grandfather used to stay when he was on businesss from Bristol in the 1800s. It was in 1840 when he was in Ludlow at the time of a summer fayre and staying at The Angel Inn as usual, when by mistaken identity, a Mr Ludlow from Birmingham, a cattle dealer known to carry a lot of gold for his transactions with farmers, also a regular at The Angel and liked to stay in a particular room. However this time his room had been given to my gt gt grandfather, William Miller Mackreth, who arrived a day earlier and had been given the room as the inn was full that evening and Mr Cooke, the innkeeper, could not afford to hold an empty room. Mr Ludlow had in fact been watched for some time and his reputation as a wealthy butcher in Birmingham was well known. This time he had been followed on his journey via a stay at The Unicorn Inn in Shrewsbury days before. His assailant arrived at the inn at the same time and booked in. That evening he left his own room and entered the room that the housemaid told him by mistake that Mr Ludlow would be sleeping in and hid under the bed. His victim eventually retired for the night and entered the room and went to bed. Many hours later he awoke to fell a hand about his face and struggled to free himself, managing to stand and stagger to the window, feeling someone brush past him. As he did he smashed the window and cried out putting his hand to his face feeling his hand disappear into his mouth. His throat had been pierced and his hand cut. Fortunately a surgeon and doctor was on hand and the culprit was apprehended and later hanged.
Fred Hillberg (March 2021)
Listed building details:
Shop and dwelling, now hotel. Early C17. Timber-frame and plaster; slate roof; brick end stacks. 3-storeys; 2-window range: two C18 bowed oriels with lead roofs and plastered coved underhangs, and three C20 leaded light sashes; in chevron braced box framing, under enriched bressummer. 2 moulded wood mullion and transom casements with leaded lights, on enriched consoles, set between chevron braced panels. Upper studs suggest change in roof pitch; wood modillion eaves. Ground floor has three late C19 plain sashes in moulded cases, and to right, 8-panelled double doors between moulded posts with chamfered lintel, all recessed under deep jetty with chamfered ceiling beams, supported on cast-iron brackets. Passage to rear has exposed ceiling beams and joists; C18, 6/6 sash over. Wing to rear has jettied 2nd floor with enriched consoles, and early C19 round-headed 3/3 sashes with central casements. Further wing (2-storeys and attic) has C20 metal casements, with wood casements to gables. Interior: ground floor front contains some C17 timber-framing; C19 fireplace with moulded 4-centred arch; some exposed timbers to 1st floor.
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Other Photos
Date of photo: 1920s	Picture source: Hania Franek