Ludlow: Plea to uncover 'posh' town's poorer side
An historian is shedding light on a side to Ludlow rarely seen by outsiders, and is calling for the help of local families.
The town is known for its high-class food and grand historical buildings, but historian Dr Derek Beattie is putting the finishing touches to a book on the lives and homes of the town's working classes, from Victorian times to the middle of the 20th century.
Dr Beattie, who lives in Ludlow and has written two books covering life in the town during both world wars, said plenty had been written on the grander parts of Ludlow's history, with its medieval castle, church and beautifully preserved timber-framed streets, while the poorer areas had been neglected.
To this day, he said, many think of Ludlow as prosperous and posh, but some of the town's working class families have been in the area for generations and, with an influx of new people to the town in recent decades, thought of themselves as the "real" Ludlow people.
"It's a side to Ludlow that often gets overlooked," he said, adding that the contrast of rich and poor remained in the town to this day. "The first draft of my book is completed and there are just a few loose ends to tie up. The priority now, however, is to obtain illustrations," he said.
His book will look at working class people and buildings from 1850 to 1960, but he is hoping to find more period pictures and is calling for anyone with historical photographs to get in touch.
He said an example of the kind he is after is one showing the back door of a house in St John's Road, taken in the 1950s but showing living conditions more typical of the turn of the century.
He said: "This property, along with its neighbours, was condemned as unfit for human habitation before the First World War but stood until demolished in the 1970s.
"It's typical of the type of housing that many in Ludlow still lived in at that time.
"It still had a shared outside lavatory and water tap and the only lighting was gas downstairs.
"Hanging on either side of the door can be seen the tin baths that were used on wash days and once a week for bathing in front of the fire."
He said he would love to see and take copies of any similar pictures, and is also looking for help in naming many of the now long-gone yards and courts that littered the town.
Anyone able To help should contact Dr Beattie on (01584) 877361, or drop off pictures at Poyner's clothes shop in Broad Street, Ludlow.
