This post features Hereford, Leominster, Ledbury and Ross on Wye…
Hereford
The Cathedral:
Hereford Cathedral from the River WyeThe traditional date for the founding of Hereford Cathedral is 696. In 794, Ethelbert, King of the East Angles, came to ask for the hand in marriage of the daughter of King Offa of Mercia. This didn’t go as well as it might as Ethelbert was murdered on the order of Offa. Ethelbert’s remains are interred in the Cathedral, which is dedicated to him jointly with the Blessed Virgin Mary… Between 1020-40, Athelstan, 25th Bishop of Hereford rebuilt the Saxon cathedral but in 1055 a rebel Welsh army destroyed Athelstan’s cathedral – Ethelbert’s shrine and many other treasures were lost…It was another fifty years before rebuilding began – between 1107-48 – and this is the earliest part of the cathedral that can still be seen… Hereford Cathedral wasn’t attached to a monastery and so didn’t suffer any damage during the dissolution but as Hereford was a Royalist stronghold, it suffered significant damage during the civil war…The central aisle dates from the 12th century, while the side aisles date from the 14th century…The exquisite Stanbury Chapel…The cathedral’s earliest and most important book is the 8th-century Hereford Gospels; it is one of 229 medieval manuscripts which now occupy two bays of the Chained Library. The chaining of books was the most widespread and effective security system in European libraries from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, and Hereford Cathedral’s 17th-century Chained Library is the largest to survive with all its chains, rods and locks intact.The Chained Library contains 3 books printed by William Caxton – the collection was saved by a donation from the American philanthropist John Paul Getty…The Mappa Mundi dates from around 1300 – it is believed to have been commissioned by Bishop Richard Swinfield, who had previously been Bishop of Lincoln and is a copy of the Lincoln mappa mundi, which is now lost. This map was due to be sold in the 1980’s to raise funds for repairs to the Cathedral. No one at Hereford had any idea of its value or importance until advised by the auction house in London. Saved for the nation by a donation from John Paul Getty… https://www.herefordcathedral.org/mappa-mundiThe Hereford Breviary is slightly older than the Mappa Mundi, dating from around 1270 – for more information on the cathedral, see: https://www.herefordcathedral.org/our-history
Other Churches:
St Peter’s Church is a joint church with St James’, with which it shares services – it is only open for the few services held here…All Saints is still a church, as well as a café and stalls selling various objets d’arts – the church as we see it today dates from around 1330…The church has some lovely stained glass windows and some delicate murals…The café – the church is also infamous for a naughty wood carving, hidden up high in the rafters…
The River Wye:
City Walls:
The Black and White House:
The Black and White House dates from 1621. It was given to the city by Lloyds Bank in 1928, restored and opened as a museum in 1929 – one of the options, however, was to take it to pieces, ship it to the USA and rebuild it. The thinking was that Americans would appreciate it more than the good folk of Hereford…It turned out to be incredibly popular when it opened as a museum…For further information on Hereford’s heritage, see: https://www.herefordianhistorian.co.uk/
The Market Square:
The Market SquareThe entrance to the Butter Market dates from 1860…
Other City Gems:
The glorious Town Hall opened in 1904…The opening ceremony of the Hereford Free Library and Museum was held on Thursday 8th October 1874, and all the shops and businesses in Hereford closed for the day to join in the celebrations…The Orange Tree, a Black Country Brewery pub, is unusual in Hereford in having a blue plaque giving some history. The 17th century building was the former rectory of the nearby church of St Nicholas, since demolished…The Castle House Hotel, where I stayed…Known as Castle Pool, this is the last remnant of the moat around Hereford Castle…This house, called The Fosse, was built in 1825 during the reign of William IV…Castle GreenTypical 1960s architecture…
Wall Art:
Leominster
The Church:
The church has some fine Sequoia – there are around 500,000 Sequoia in the UK. Most of these were planted in the Victorian era and so, at around 150 years old, they are youngsters as Sequoia can live thousands of years. The UK figure includes the three varieties of “redwoods”: Giant Sequoia, Coast Redwood and Dawn Redwood. It is estimated that there are only about 75-80, 000 Giant Sequoia left in California and around 1.6 million Coast Redwoods. See: https://redwoodtrees.co.uk/understanding-the-recent-uk-redwood-numbers-story/
