Ledbury Heritage Centre

This small museum of local history provides insights into the past of the market town of Ledbury. It occupies the ground floor of a fifteenth century building in Church Lane, a picturesque cobbled alleyway that links the Market House to the Parish Church.

Old photographs record some of the buildings and events of previous centuries, thanks to the photographic record of John Tilley a local commercial photographer.

Local notables are represented in the current displays; John Masefield, poet laureate, grew up in the town, a far cry from the sea which inspired some of his most remembered poems. Elizabeth Barrett-Browning spent her early years in a very distinctive house on a local estate before the family moved onto Wimpole Street in London.

One of the most popular displays is the timber framing puzzle which challenges visitors to build a scaled replica of the far end of the building, with little to help them but the carpenter's marks.

The building itself is of interest with a huge smoking chimney dominating one end and a dried up watercourse snaking along some ten feet below the current floor level. Variously used as a guildhall, school and tenement block local stories suggest it was also a pin factory and a drill hall, though this is hard to believe when low beams challenge some of our visitors.

The building is currently staffed by volunteers from the local community who endeavour to keep it open each day from Easter to October. Our aim is to open from 10.30 to 4.30, but sometimes this is simply not practical, especially at weekends. If you are able to offer us a couple of hours a week and would like to join our team of volunteers please contact the Visitor Service Officer on 01432 260692 or email herefordmuseums@herefordshire.gov.uk

As in all of the Heritage Centres there are workshops for children during the school holidays. Check the events page for details. There are dressing-up clothes and other activities for children in the centre.

Access is on the level and suitable for wheelchairs.

Ledbury Heritage Centre
Church Lane
Ledbury
HR8 1DN
Tel: 01531 635680 (only during opening hours)

If you would like to stage a community exhibition at the Ledbury Heritage Centre, contact Herefordshire Heritage Services
Tel: 01432 260692
E-mail: herefordmuseums@herefordshire.gov.uk

Last Updated: 11 November 08,
Review Date: 20 September 2005