About Us and Our Community
We are the Parish Church of Ludlow dedicated to St Laurence. We belong to the Diocese of Hereford within the Church of England. We are first and foremost a worshipping community welcoming all to join us in our services and maintaining a tradition of public worship in this place stretching back more than 800 years.
We would probably be described as a relatively ‘high’ church with a traditional liturgy and an established high quality choir and musical background.
In addition to its use as a place of worship by its regular congregations at both midweek and Sunday services, St Laurence’s serves the community in many varied ways.
Life Events
St Laurence’s is a venue of choice for baptisms, marriages and funerals for many people, some from Ludlow and some from further afield.
Civic and Community Services
Being the major church of the area, there is a wide range of civic and community services that include the Mayor’s civic service and Remembrance Sunday and this large church is often very full at these and many festival services.
Links with other Organisations
We have a close relationship with our local educational establishments – St Laurence’s Church of England Primary School, Ludlow CE School (Secondary), Ludlow College (Sixth Form) and Lucton School (Independent) who have a number of their school services in the Church.
Part of our ministry is supporting those in Ludlow Community Hospital along with those in local residential and care homes.
The 'Cathedral of the Marches'
Although we are not a cathedral, we are the largest parish church in the Shropshire part of the diocese of Hereford. As such we belong to the Major Churches Group – a national family of major parish churches distinguished by size, architectural significance, number of visitors and ministries reaching beyond parish boundaries.
Open to Visitors
We are open to visitors 364 days of the year and often over 60,000 people are welcomed by our volunteers each year – visiting the church shop, climbing the tower to see the spectacular views, experiencing the wonders and treasures of our incredible heritage sometimes enhanced by our augmented reality app. We can also arrange organised visits for groups of people.
The Space
The removal of the pews from the nave has enabled St Laurence’s to be a very flexible space to host many community events including concerts, organ recitals, plays, lectures and exhibitions. We are the venue for concerts by Ludlow Choral Society and Ludlow Orchestra.
Our Bells and Carillon
The bells and carillon that were immortalised by AE Housman in ‘A Shropshire Lad’ are enjoyed by visitors from across the world as well as being familiar and much-loved sounds to Ludlow residents.
