Henry Tudor was here

 
In Shrewsbury, one of the most ornate tracery carvings (in a town where there are plenty anyway!) is part of a first-floor window, in an ancient  building which lies on a stretch known as Wyle Cop – the street which leads to the ‘English’ Bridge. 

The building is named Henry Tudor House, because, reportedly, Henry of Richmond stayed the night here, on his way to the battle that was to see him become Henry VII, the first Tudor king of England.

The house has been recently lovingly restored by its latest owners, and is now a rather special bar & restaurant.  We were fortunate to gain access to the exclusive dining room, where we saw these splendid casement windows featuring heraldic designs, including a loggerheads.

No one quite knows when the loggerheads window was put in.  In fact the whole window row seems to have been unremarked until it was accidentally discovered during the last century, having been hidden under plaster!
The archaeological description says the house can be dated to the 1420s, but the window itself is extremely unlikely to go back that far...

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