September 2009 saw us celebrate our 13th Wedding Anniversary and we wanted to choose somewhere quiet, relaxing and truly romantic.....

...............we found Walford Court

for more details visit their website at www.romanticbreak.com click on the rose below  to go there

For 500 years Walford Court has been sitting nestled amongst 20 acres of stream bordered Herefordshire countryside, and apart from the dismantling of the old castle on top of the motte, whose ancient stones are incorporated in the old barn and outbuildings, not too much has changed.

Walford Court is Grade 2 listed and was mentioned in Pevsner. Within its grounds stands an ancient motte and bailey believed to be sited on a Neanderthal burial mound. On top of the motte once stood Walford Castle – a small stone fortress which would have kept intruders at bay, the medieval stone now forms part of the old barn a 100 metres or so away.

It is thought that a chapel once stood on the front lawn between 2 ancient yew trees, and indeed Debbie & Craig, the owners, unearthed the odd piece of gothic stonework!

The house is believed to have once been a court house, and contains many clues as to its importance - there is a medieval frieze which stretches across one internal wall, which is reported to depict the arrival of the newlyweds Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon to Ludlow castle, before his untimely death, and her subsequent marriage to the infamous Henry VIII, and a 12th century capitol showing a crowned lions head adorns another wall.

Clearly several carpenters were involved in building Walford Court, as you climb the old oak staircase to the first floor you can clearly see carved circles and arrows used for both construction and superstition, while in the deep beams in the other rooms the carpenters marks change to notches, lines and circles.

The wonderful cute and cosy "Courthouse suite", our lovely room for the next few days. There was so much character and we had so much space.  Our own little sitting area overlooked the stunning gardens. Cosy, comfortable & romantic, what more could we ask for..........

Jess & George the 2 cats gave us our daily cat fix while we were missing ours at home :)

Our 13th Wedding Anniversary

We visited the magnificent Ludlow Castle which is one of the best castles we have been to ever!