Ludlow Castle, Shropshire is a 1778 landscape painting by the British artist William Hodges.Roe p.167 It portrays the gateway to Ludlow Castle in Shropshire not far from the border with Wales. The painting was part of the growing demand for paintings depicting romanticised historic ruins in Britain.
Hodges is best known for accompanying the second voyage of James Cook, producing many views of the Pacific. After his return to England he made a tour of Wales and the Borders, notably also producing Ruins of Llanthony Abbey which is similar in composition.Quilley & Bonehill p.192 The painting was displayed at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1778 held at Pall Mall. Today it is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington, having been purchased in 1880.
References
Bibliography Quilley, Geoff & Bonehill, Jane (ed.) William Hodges 1744-1797: The Art of Exploration. Yale University Press, 2004. Roe, Sonia. Oil Paintings in Public Ownership in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Public Catalogue Foundation, 2008.