Owners seek clues to history of Ludlow grotto

It has been hidden from public view and overgrown with ivy for decades, but now a small grotto on the banks of the River Teme running through Ludlow has been fully restored.

The hut, which lies on the banks at the end of the garden of Tony and Jayne Cant on the Ludford side of the river, has been decorated inside with 1,712 oyster and scallop shells after a restoration project which has taken about five months to complete.

The shells were provided by the Fish House in Ludlow's Bull Ring and a party attended by more than 100 people was held by the couple on Sunday to celebrate the end of the project.

The hut is now visible from the Ludlow side of the river from the foot of Lower Broad Street and Ludford Bridge Service Station.

Despite their painstaking work the couple have still not discovered why the hut was originally built, even after consulting history enthusiasts in the town.

Mr Cant said the grotto was at least 100 years old and it had always been half-lined with shells which over time had been washed away due to flooding.