16th Century Painted Room

In the late 1980s, during major restoration work being carried out to number 1 Church Street in Ledbury, wall paintings were discovered in an upper room at the lower end of the building.

They have been dated to the late 16th century and represent the expensive tapestries and leather wall hangings owned by the aristocracy. The building stands at the junction of the ‘Kings Highway’ with the east/west track, leading from Hereford Cathedral to Ledbury Parish Church, which has undoubtedly been the site of continuous human activity for more than 1000 years. Ring dating carried out in 2007 shows that the lower end of the building dates from 1510. Yet despite having records for Ledbury going back to 1557 and beyond, for this building there is no exact record of either its purpose or its inhabitants. However, Ledbury Parish Church Archives tell us that in the late 15th or early 16th century, there may have been built here a new Booth Hall to replace the early 15th Century one sited where the Feather’s Hotel now stands. Resident in the Booth Hall was the Town Constable who had responsibility for the proper conduct of markets and fairs, market toll gathering, control of vagrants, the distribution of poor law monies, with an upstairs room to be set aside for use as a court of Piepowder. Possibly it was the upper room with the wall paintings that was used for this purpose.

We will be re-opening in March for the 2026 season, using the first door on the left on Church Street as our entrance. Showings take place every 10 minutes, so there may be a short wait before your visit. Advance booking is not generally required, however, to avoid disappointment large groups and coach parties are strongly advised to contact us in advance so that we can accommodate your visit. Please note that coach parties without a pre-booking may be turned away. We also offer our Tudor Activity Days to school parties.

Please contact the Tour Guide Manager at Ledbury Town Council for further information: tourguides.manager@ledburytowncouncil.gov.uk telephone: 01531 632306.

When possible, the tour guides will be opening the Market House for visitors for a couple of hours in the afternoons.

Entrance is free, but a small charge may be made for out of hours bookings, large groups and coach parties. We rely on donations and sales to help keep these heritage buildings open to the public. We can take card payments and cash for donations and sales.

Opening days/times can be found by visiting the Ledbury Town Council website https://www.ledburytowncouncil.gov.uk/engb/what-we-do/16th-century-painted-room

Events this year include: World Book Day in March, Ledbury Community Day in June, and Heritage Open Days in September. Information about all these events will be available on the website.