St Laurence, Ludlow, Shropshire
Organ Recitals
Ludlow - "The Most Perfect Town in England"
- John Betjeman
Ludlow and its castle are perched on a cliff above the picturesque River Teme: the town breathes history at every turn. The town centre's ordered elegance is evidence of the 900 year old Norman planned town.
St Laurence's, one of England's finest churches, and of cathedral proportions, is a member of the Greater Churches Group. Largely rebuilt in the fifteenth century in the soaring perpendicular style of the day, the church has features of the Norman, Early English and Decorated periods, including the delightful hexagonal south porch. It protects a remarkable collection of artistic treasures, including good medieval and later glass, well carved fifteenth century misericords and bench-ends, a fine series of memorials and a superb Snetzler organ.
The original organ was installed by John Snetzler, a renowned organ builder of the time, in 1764. It has been enlarged and extended since, most recently by Nicholson of Worcester, and is now a magnificent four manual instrument, a fine example of a large English pipe organ.
Each year a series of organ recitals take place, given by distinguished organists from home and abroad.