LUDLOW Museum at the Buttercross had a record year for the number of visitors during 2022.

Staff welcomed almost 7,000 visitors to the bright, two-roomed Museum, which is full to the brim of local history.

The Museum closed for an extended Christmas break to allow for some much-needed deep cleaning and repainting work, reopening for 2023 on Friday, January 6 at 10am.

As part of the work the flooring was given some much-needed treatment, and issues such as lighting in the cabinet of the Bitterley Hoard were resolved.

“Our Museum is going from strength to strength and our excellent visitor numbers for the last year are a testament to the layout and exhibits of the Museum, alongside a very warm welcome from our staff,” said Mayor of Ludlow, Cllr Glenn Ginger.

“We would like to go encourage locals and visitors alike to visit the Museum to learn more about our historic town.”

Within the Museum there is a temporary exhibition cabinet whose contents are changed four times a year. Exhibitions planned for 2023 include the 1934 Pageant Comus held in Ludlow Castle.

The Buttercross has been part of Ludlow’s history for hundreds of years.

As the name suggests, it was originally the buttermarket for the town.

More recently the Buttercross was the home of Ludlow Town Council – until the ceiling collapsed and they had to move out. It then became the town’s museum in the town centre after a short period in which the museum was based in the Assembly Rooms on the ground floor of the building.

The museum had to close during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

The Museum is open 10am-4pm Friday to Sunday every week; adult entry is £1.10 per person, and child entry is free as it is subsidised by the Friends of Ludlow Museum.

For more information take a look at our new website www.ludlowmuseum.co.uk.