A LUDLOW history forum has proven a success, with dozens of people gathering at a recent meeting.

Following a reprint of the sold-out book ‘The People and History of Lower Corve Street and St. Mary’s Lane’ by Jonathan and Rosemary Wood, the Ludlow Civic Society staged an open forum entitled ‘Lower Corve Street - Then and Now’ to discuss the recent history of this industrial, northern quarter of the town.

On Wednesday, September 13, nearly 80 people gathered in the parish room of St. Peter’s Church in Ludlow to learn more about some of the men and women who lived and worked in the industrial, northern quarter of lower Corve Street, who made their mark as successful entrepreneurs, and whose descendants still live in the town.

Roy Thwaites, a passionate collector of antique Reynolds of Ludlow furniture invited Garth Reynolds to share memories of his father, the founder of Reynolds, and Garth’s life in St. Mary’s Lane, where he renovated a dilapidated barn which would later become The Ludlow Society of Quaker Friends’ Meeting House.

Simon Bolton, Paul Sayers, and Skye Whitney of Rooftop Theatre performed a short play, written by Simon specially for the forum, commemorating the men and boys living in lower Corve Street and St. Mary’s Lane who left Ludlow to fight in WWI.

The audience was invited to sing ‘pack up your troubles’ and ‘it’s a long way to Tipperary”, and was apparently near to tears when the story ended with bugler, Paul Kemp, playing “Last Post”, commemorating those who died.

The forum concluded with a lunch of locally sourced bread and cheese, prepared and served by members of Ludlow Civic Society.