Castle Lodge is a medieval Tudor and

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...

architectural transition period house in

Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

, situated close to

Ludlow Castle Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the Ludlow, town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy (died 1085), Wal ...

. Scenes from the 1965 film version of

Moll Flanders ''Moll Flanders'' is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1722. It purports to be the true account of the life of the eponymous Moll, detailing her exploits from birth until old age. By 1721, Defoe had become a recognised novelist, wit ...

were shot here. Castle Lodge has one of the largest collections 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.

Supposed royal connections

There is no documentary evidence for the widely held opinion of Castle Lodge being the residence of

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...

whilst she was married to Prince Arthur or when widowed. The building was not constructed until the 1570s, 60 years later than any possible occupation by Catherine, with the top floor being added in the early 17th century. The couple lived in apartments adjacent to the Great Hall in Ludlow Castle. In 1509 she married

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, Arthur's younger brother after Arthur's death from

sweating sickness Sweating sickness, also known as the sweats, English sweating sickness, English sweat or ''sudor anglicus'' in Latin, was a mysterious and contagious disease that struck England and later continental Europe in a series of epidemics beginning i ...

in 1502. Between these events Catherine lived in Durham House in London.

Ownership

Castle Lodge has been privately owned throughout its history and was a hotel up until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Lodge was re-opened to the public in 1999, after which time over £100,000 was spent on the restoration of the building by 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 astle Lodgewas 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." In October 2019 it was announced the property had new owners who had begun to undertake the necessary consent process with a view to converting Castle Lodge into a boutique hotel. As of February 2020 Castle Lodge is closed to the public while restoration and refurbishment takes place.

Use in film

A 1965 film adaptation titled ''

The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders ''The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders'' is a 1965 British historical comedy film directed by Terence Young and starring Kim Novak, Richard Johnson, and Angela Lansbury. It is based on the 1722 novel ''Moll Flanders'' by Daniel Defoe. Plo ...

'' starred

Kim Novak Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American retired actress and painter. Her contributions to cinema have been honored with two Golden Globe Awards, an Honorary Golden Bear, a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, and a s ...

as Moll Flanders and

Richard Johnson Richard or Dick Johnson may refer to: Academics * Dick Johnson (academic) (1929–2019), Australian academic * Richard C. Johnson (1930–2003), professor of electrical engineering * Richard A. Johnson, artist and professor at the University of ...

as Jemmy with

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American actress, producer, and singer. In a career spanning 80 years, she played various roles on stage and screen. Among her numerous accolades wer ...

as Lady Blystone, with

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous charac ...

as the banker, and

Lilli Palmer Lilli Palmer (; born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Glob ...

as Dutchy had some of its scenes shot in Castle Lodge.

References

{{Reflist Country houses in Shropshire Tudor architecture Elizabethan architecture Buildings and structures in Ludlow Catherine of Aragon

Supposed royal connections

Ownership

Use in film

See also

References