'You can feel the history in this grade-II listed townhouse, with its half-timbered walls, sloping floors, beams and uneven staircase,' write our inspectors of this medieval-cum-Tudor building next to the evocative ruins of Ludlow Castle. It has undergone a years-long, multi-million-pound makeover for software entrepreneur Ben Tagg 'but the result has been worth the wait'. Seven ‘beautifully and meticulously designed’ suites, with ‘generous kitchens’ draw inspiration from past Ludlow and royal notables. Ancient blends seamlessly with modern. The two-bedroom Henry VIII suite had a television concealed in a cabinet, a cupboard lined with wallpaper illustrating the Field of the Cloth of Gold. ‘I particularly liked the Captain’s suite, designed around an 18th-century ships’ master. The Catherine of Aragon suite was also stunning.’ But ‘beautiful as the rooms are, Harry Bullock’s food is the main attraction, served in a candlelit, wood-panelled dining room beneath an ornate plaster ceiling. It’s bistro style and oh-so-tasty. My son couldn’t stop rhapsodising about his mussel and saffron tagliatelle.’ Then, if you’re woken by the market setting up on the Square below, rise and shine, for breakfast, too, is ‘a feast’, including local apple juice and ‘superb’ mushrooms on sourdough.