The Feathers Hotel, Ludlow

Once declared to be 'probably the loveliest town in England' by famed poet laureate Sir John Betjeman, the charming medieval market town of Ludlow sits just outside the southern edge of the wonderfully scenic Shropshire Hills National Landscape.

With over 500 heritage-listed structures, Ludlow has no shortage of buildings for visitors to admire. One of the most notable is the Tudor-style facade of the historic Feathers Hotel. Deriving its name from the carved wooden motifs of the Prince of Wales’ three feathers emblem, the Feathers was built over a pre-existing core in 1619 by an attorney named Rees Jones who hailed from Pembrokeshire in Wales.

The Feathers has welcomed guests ever since Rees Jones's grandson converted the building into a hotel in 1669. With many of its original traits still present, the hotel's intricately carved, half-timbered facade is comprised of numerous wood motifs, mullioned windows, and gabled rooftops, once leading The New Yorker magazine to dub the hotel 'the world's most handsome inn'.

In 1970, a much-needed restoration of the exterior wooden paneling was painstakingly undertaken, leading to the hotel being bestowed with the UK Civic Trust award for excellence in renovation. After the hotel was sold to new owners, another careful restoration of the facade and the Jacobean interior was undertaken in 2018.

Over 400 years after its construction, the Feathers continues to be a point of pride for Ludlow's residents. It also remains a massive drawcard for visitors to this characterful town set amongst the stunning hills straddling the Anglo-Welsh border.