WORK has been completed on a rare and historic part of Ludlow Castle.

The round chapel, one of only five in the United Kingdom, has been saved by the addition of a new roof.

It has now secured its future and the weather proof building is already being booked for functions including weddings and other events.

The structure will be officially reopened by the Earl of Powis on Sunday, May 19.

Special guests have been invited to the event that will start at 11.30am.

The speech and unveiling will be undertaken by the Earl of Powis with the Countess of Powis doing the honours with the scissors and conducting the ribbon cutting.

Ludlow Castle has a long history and played an important role as a border defence between England and Wales.

It was the place where Price Arthur the elder brother of Henry VIII lived with his wife Catherine of Aragon.who went on to marry Henry and become the first of his six wives.

The castle is beleived to have been founded by Walter de Lacy after the Norman conquest and was one of the first stone castles to be built in England. During the civil war of the 12th century the castle changed hands several times between the de Lacys and rival claimants, and was further fortified with a Great Tower and a large outer bailey. In the mid-13th century, Ludlow was passed on to Geoffrey de Geneville who rebuilt part of the inner bailey, and the castle played a part in the Second Barons’ War.

Roger Mortimer acquired the castle in 1301, further extending the internal complex of buildings, and the Mortimer family went on to hold Ludlow for over a century.

Ludlow Castle has a busy programme of events throughout the year and is especially busy during the summer.

It is to host both the Ludlow Spring Food Festival and Marches Transport Festival as well as the main three-day autumn Food Festival over the second weekend of September.