What should become of Buttercross?

Thursday 20th May 2010, 11:58AM BST.

The Buttercross in Ludlow

It could be a wine bar, a restaurant or possibly a private home with a view over one of the finest streets in England – those are just some of the suggested uses for former council offices in Ludlow.

The landmark Buttercross at the top of Broad Street in Ludlow is currently in the middle of an estimated £100,000 refurbishment project.

Work to repair the roof and the cupola that houses the building’s clock is expected to start shortly.

Ludlow Town Council had to move its offices out of the Buttercross towards the end of last year when chunks of plaster fell from the ceiling.

The council later decided to stay permanently in its new offices at the Stable Block on Corve Street.

Suggestions

The council still owns the Buttercross and has asked for ideas of how the building might be put to future use.

It has previously been the town museum and housed a school.

Veronica Calderbank, Ludlow town clerk, told the annual town meeting last night she had currently received five suggestions.

Councillor Martin Taylor-Smith said it would be not possible to turn the premises into a nightclub.

But he did not rule out the possibility that it could be sold.

He said: “It really is a question of what the town wants. It’s a town asset.”

To make a suggestion on the future of the building, contact the town council by telephoning (01584) 838013.


  1. 1
    attica

    a wine bar would be nice, definately prefer something active generating business where you can go in a see it living breathing used building not another dusty museum

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  2. 2
    adam anthony

    knock it down, ludlow needs more car parking

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  3. 3
    salopian sam

    would make an obvious tourist information centre by day and then by night it could host films and community talks and things, look at the old market hall in Shrewsbury for inspiration thats a wonderful example of using an old buidling as a cinema

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  4. 4
    james thomas

    it should NOT be a private home because it should be able for the public to access it, its a former market, so any sort of retail unit would be a good idea in my opinion

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    • george o reiley

      but housing is more profitable that selling it for retail premises, so the council should look to maximise the return on this, its taxpayer funded after all

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  5. 5
    ian macpharland

    for me it would make a cool night club, like the butter market in Shrewsbury, why not? ludlow is so conservative and boring, what about something for the young people?

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  6. 6
    max

    @ 2 you are a philistine, there is ample parking for ludlow and you should use the park and ride to be greener! this wonderful old building is fine architecture, history and culture and must be preserved for future generations through light use such as an art gallery or museum

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  7. 8
    ludlow tim

    a nice wine bar would be very welcome in the town

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  8. 9
    george o reiley

    i would assume if its owned by ludlow town council they could use it for their offices? sell of the other site and use the money for keeping council tax down please, alternatively sell it for maximum value and freeze council tax for a few years instead

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  9. 10
    ted

    sell it

    but with a planning condition you can still control the use of it

    would be nice as a resteraunt

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  10. 11
    rocky russell

    under no circumstances should this historic ludlow building be sold off. where is the late dr david lloyd and the ludlow history society when needed.
    this building is too important to be sold off, but its restoration costs must be recouped. i like the idea of a wine bar, something to add to ludlow,s outstanding fame for food and drink festivals. the open sides downstairs would make an ideal site for a small restaurant and wine bar, in addition to similar use for the upstairs. a place to sit and watch the world go by
    no more coffee bars for ludlow please. come on mr mayor and council find an entrepreneur to run this famouse old building. we lost the angel to property developers please let us avoid this route for our old buttercross’

    rocky russell old ludlovian 1954-1958

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  11. 12
    jimmy choo

    resteraunt

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  12. 13
    a

    anything is better than nothing, we must make all old buildings better used, i hate to see lovely old farm buildings too when we have a house crisis, lets cut the conservationists well intentioned but problematic red tape so more old buildigns get restored for proper every day uses like houses and shops not just preserved as relics

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  13. 14
    jack miller

    it should be transfered to the private sector as a bar or what ever but lets not have the whole of ludlows economy in the public sector and charity shops etc, we need real money making businesses and resteraunts and bars are great to employ lots of young people and enliven the town a bit

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  14. 15
    spencer

    Turn it into a transfer centre for illegal immigrants, That will teach that idiot from Lulow running for the B N P in my town. He can then promote racism on his own doorstep and not mine..

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  15. 16
    edward simpson

    no way, we must not let foreigners into ludlow, fortify it i say so we can keep the welsh out and defend the border!

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  16. 17
    Phil Knutsac

    What are these resteraunts? Is it somewhere you send an aging female relative to put her feet up and have a cup of tea?

    I believe the word you are looking for is restaurant.

    If it’s going to be sold as a private dwelling let me know, I’d like it. Slap in some pvc replacement windows and some stone cladding, have it looking great in no time.

    Love.

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  17. 18
    harlescott joe

    it looks beautiful but perhaps some soft planting & hanging baskets infront would help?

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  18. 19
    ursula de beers

    maybe a pet shop to give out gold fish!

    (see the other article)

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  19. 20
    flatroofstephen

    Can I have it?

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  20. 21
    ashley clouder

    there is a housing crisis, so why not divide it up into luxury flats?

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  21. 22
    atcham jack

    i suggest it is used as the house of parliament, as england only needs 50 mp’s for a country our size. an elected house of lords can be put in the assembly rooms. let us have parliament in the heart of england in ludlow, formerly the seat of government for wales, and we can have 2 large aquariums of pat collins goldfish!

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