Your History: Old Gate House & Lane’s Asylum

Old Gate House is a four bay medieval building with a half-timbered frame built into the town wall. The bay adjacent to Old Street was part of the Old Street gate, completed in 1296. It consisted of square towers adjoining the wall either side, with D shaped towers extending outwards and a portcullis arch between them.There was a drawbridge over the town ditch, a gate and a portcullis.

On the East wall of Old Gate House are remains of the original guard room entrance, an arrow slit at first floor level, the outlines of the portcullis arch and the brick edging of the outer arch.The building was extended westwards in 1441/2.

During the Civil War the Royalists demolished the portcullis arch to allow cannon to be fired down the street.The portcullis now forms a wall on the first floor.The tower on the other side of Old Street remained standing until 1822.

In 1676, Thomas Lane left his estate to Sir Job Charlton and others for charitable purposes. Instead, they kept it for themselves. The case went to the High Court and eventually Ludlow Corporation inherited Lane’s House, the Tudor half-timbered house next to Old Gate House.

They joined the two buildings together in 1682 to create a ‘Poor House’ and ‘House of Correction’ which survived until 1837 when the new Union Workhouse on Gravel Hill was built. Up to 40 people were housed there.

‘Lane’s Asylum’ then became an alms-house for six widows of the town. It closed in 1966 when it ran out of money. It was sold by the Corporation and is now two private houses. www.mortimerhistorysociety.org.uk www.ludlowhistory.co.uk