Hereford (/ˈhɛrɪfərd/ⓘHERR-if-ərd) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is situated on the banks of the River Wye and lies 16 miles (26 km) east of the border with Wales, 23 miles (37 km) north-west of Gloucester and 24 miles (39 km) south-west of Worcester. With a population of 53,112 in 2021, it is the largest settlement in Herefordshire.
An early town charter from 1189, granted by Richard I of England, describes it as "Hereford in Wales".[2] Hereford has been recognised as a city since time immemorial, with the status being reconfirmed in October 2000.[3][4] Hereford has been a civil parish since 2000.[5]
The Herefordshire edition of Cambridge County Geographies states "a Welsh derivation of Hereford is more probable than a Saxon one" but the name "Hereford" is also said to come from the Anglo-Saxon "here", an army or formation of soldiers, and the "ford", a place for crossing a river (cf. Herford, Westphalia, with the same Saxon etymology). If this is the origin it suggests that Hereford was a place where a body of armed men forded or crossed the Wye. The Welsh name for Hereford is Henffordd, meaning "old road", and probably refers to the Roman road and Roman settlement at nearby Stretton Sugwas. Some historical documents refer to "Hereford in Wales".
Hereford became the seat of Putta, Bishop of Hereford, some time between 676 and 688 AD, after which the settlement continued to grow due to its proximity to the border between Mercia and Wales, becoming the Saxon capital of West Mercia by the beginning of the 8th century.[6]
Hostilities between the Anglo-Saxons and the Welsh came to a head with the Battle of Hereford in 760, in which the Britons freed themselves from the influence of the English.[7] Hereford was again targeted by the Welsh during their conflict with the Anglo-Saxon King Edward the Confessor in 1056 when, supported by Viking allies, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Gwynedd and Powys, marched on the town and put it to the torch before returning home in triumph.[8] Hereford had the only mint west of the Severn in the reign of Athelstan (924–939), and it was to Hereford, then a border town, that Athelstan summoned the leading Welsh princes.[9]
Hereford was home to a small but relatively important Jewish community until 1290, when Jews were expelled from England by Edward I. Jews from Worcester and Gloucester moved to Hereford after their expulsion in January 1275 by the Queen mother, Eleanor of Provence. The Bishops of Hereford campaigned against the presence of the community, including Cantilupe, and Richard Swinefield, who tried to stop social contact between Christians and Jews.[11][12]
Hereford, a base for successive holders of the title Earl of Hereford, was once the site of a castle, Hereford Castle, which rivalled that of Windsor in size and scale. This was a base for repelling Welsh attacks and a secure stronghold for English kings such as King Henry IV when on campaign in the Welsh Marches against Owain Glyndŵr. The castle was dismantled in the 18th century and landscaped into Castle Green.
After the Battle of Mortimer's Cross in 1461, during the Wars of the Roses, the defeated Lancastrian leader Owen Tudor (grandfather of the future Henry VII of England) was taken to Hereford by Sir Roger Vaughan and executed in High Town. A plaque now marks the spot of the execution. Vaughan was later himself executed, under a flag of truce, by Owen's son Jasper.
The Old House, High Town. This timber-framed Jacobean building, built in 1621, is now a museum.
During the English Civil War, the city changed hands several times. On 30 September 1642 Parliamentarians led by Sir Robert Harley and Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford occupied the city without opposition. In December they withdrew to Gloucester because of the presence in the area of a Royalist army under Lord Herbert. The city was again occupied briefly from 23 April to 18 May 1643 by Parliamentarians commanded by Sir William Waller but it was in 1645 that the city saw most action. On 31 July 1645 a Scottish army of 14,000 under Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Levenbesieged the city but met stiff resistance from its garrison and inhabitants. They withdrew on 1 September when they received news that a force led by King Charles was approaching. The city was finally taken for Parliament on 18 December 1645 by Colonel Birch and Colonel Morgan. King Charles showed his gratitude to the city of Hereford on 16 September 1645 by augmenting the city's coat of arms with the three lions of Richard I of England, ten Scottish Saltires signifying the ten defeated Scottish regiments, a very rare lion crest on top of the coat of arms signifying "defender of the faith" and the even rarer gold-barred peer's helm, found only on the arms of one other municipal authority: those of the City of London.[13]
Nell Gwynne, actress and mistress of King Charles II, is said to have been born in Hereford in 1650 (although other towns and cities, notably Oxford, claim her as their own); Gwynn Street is named after her.[14] Another famous actor born in Hereford is David Garrick (1717–1779).[15]
The Bishop's Palace next to the cathedral was built in 1204 and is continually used to the present day.[16][17] Hereford Cathedral School is one of the oldest schools in England. The Harold Street Barracks were completed in 1856.[18]
Historically Hereford has been the county town of Herefordshire. In 1974 Herefordshire was merged with Worcestershire to become part of the county of Hereford and Worcester, and Hereford became a district of the new county. Hereford had formed a historic borough and was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835.[20] On 1 April 1998 the County of Hereford and Worcester was abolished, and Herefordshire and Worcestershire were re-established as separate counties.[21]
However the new Herefordshire was a unitary authority without any districts, and so Hereford lost its district status (although, confusingly, the authority's full legal name is the County of Herefordshire District Council). Charter Trustees were appointed to preserve mayoral traditions until a civil parish council could be set up, which happened in 2000. Hereford is one of only eight civil parishes in England which have city status. It is based at Hereford Town Hall.[22]
As with all of the UK, Hereford experiences a maritime climate, with limited seasonal temperature ranges, and generally moderate rainfall throughout the year. The nearest Met Office weather station for which 30-year averages are available is Credenhill weather station, about 4 miles (6 km) north west of the city centre. Before 2001, the weather station at Preston Wynne (7 miles, 11 km to the north-east) provided the data.[23]
Since 2001, extremes at Hereford Credenhill have ranged from 33.6 °C (92.5 °F)[24] during July 2006, to as low as −15.8 °C (3.6 °F) during December 2010.[25]
In February 2020 many houses in Hereford were evacuated due to floods.[26]
Climate data for Hereford, elevation: 75 m (246 ft), 1981–2010 normals
Hereford, as an ancient crossing over the River Wye, has long been important within the regional and national transport network. Today, the town is served by several major routes, including:
The nearest motorway is the M50 , which passes to the south of Ledbury.
Along the northern rim of the city, the A4103 is named Roman Road, running in a straight line from east to west.
Only one of these major routes crosses the River Wye, the A49/Victoria Street, which is carried by Greyfriars Bridge.
In 2017, Hereford was named Britain's second slowest city, with an average traffic speed of 14.09 mph. Cambridge topped the list, whilst London came third with vehicles travelling at an average 14.59 mph.[29]
Future
There have been plans for many years for a north–south bypass[30] and currently the plan is for a nine-mile (14 km) dual carriageway; however, HM Government as yet has refused to grant permission or supply funds. However, the Hereford Link Road was completed in December 2017,[31] costing around £34,000,000 to build.[32] There are plans to add new homes, a university building and a transport hub to this area.[33]
Plans for the north–south bypass were scrapped in February 2021.[34]
An unbroken shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians runs along the western rim of the city, from Newton Farm to Holmer. The Great Western Way route crosses the River Wye using Hunderton Bridge.[37]
National Cycle Route 46 runs southbound from Hereford to Swansea. The route is signposted and unbroken, and the next destination from Hereford en route is Kilpeck Castle. The route passes through Abergavenny and the Heads of the Valleys as it enters Wales. As of Summer 2020, Sustrans proposes an extension to Route 46 running eastbound from Hereford to Worcester.[38]
In 1999, the British Army Special Air Service (SAS) moved from their base at Stirling Lines (formerly Bradbury Lines) in Hereford, their home since 1960, to a former Royal Air Force base RAF Credenhill in Credenhill that had been redeveloped and was designated as Stirling Lines in 2000. The clock tower on which the names of deceased SAS soldiers are inscribed was re-located.[41]
The local Anglican church of St Martin's[42] has part of its graveyard set aside as an SAS memorial, over twenty SAS soldiers are buried there. There is also a Wall of Remembrance displaying memorial plaques to some who could not be buried, including the 18 SAS men who lost their lives in the Sea King helicopter crash during the Falklands Campaign on 19 May 1982[43] and a sculpture and stained glass window dedicated to the SAS.[44]
On 17 October 2017 Ascension, a new sculpture and window honouring the Special Air Service Regiment in Hereford Cathedral, was dedicated by the then Bishop of Hereford.[45]
Economy
High Town, Hereford: pedestrianised shopping area
The main public service employers in Hereford include:[citation needed]
Special Metals Wiggin Ltd – Manufacturers of nickel alloys[48]
Cargill Meats Europe (formerly Sun Valley) – Manufacturers and suppliers of food products for retailers and foodservice operators[49]
Painter Brothers – Manufacturers of galvanized steel towers including The Skylon[50]
Herefordshire is a centre for cider production as it supports many acres of orchards, so many breweries and associated organisations exist here, along with other heavy and light industries.[51] Within the city, many are based at the Rotherwas Industrial Estate.
Regeneration
Many of the schools in Hereford have been rebuilt and improved.[52] The Herefordshire and Ludlow College has also been rebuilt to a 21st-century standard.[53] In September 2021 a new higher education institution NMITE (New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering)[54] welcomed its first students who are undertaking an MEng Integrated Engineering. There have been a number of improvements at Hereford Sixth Form College, where a new business block extension was completed in 2013 and a new reception area was completed in 2015.
Hereford benefitted from the PFI reconstruction schemes for NHS hospitals, with the former County Hospital site having £60 million spent on a brand new, one-site hospital to replace the former 3 hospitals: the General, the Eye Hospital, and the County Hospital. The new Hereford County Hospital was the single largest investment in Herefordshire at that point. In 2015, further funds for more improvements at the hospital were granted.
Current and future projects
A major regeneration project is taking place in Hereford city centre, formerly known as the Edgar Street Grid. This covers an area of around 100 acres (0.40 km2) just north of the old city walls. Work started on 8 October 2012,[55] and should take around 15 years to complete the whole project. The regeneration includes the rebuilding of the canal basin at the end of the currently disused Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal. The £80 million phase 1 includes a supermarket, department store, multiplex cinema, shops, restaurants, and other facilities and opened in late Spring 2014.[56]
The Butter Market is due for refurbishment and proposals are being examined.[citation needed]
A proposed bypass has been drawn-up to circle the city, which suffers from rush-hour traffic,[57] with potential routes either to the east or west of the city. Both routes would connect with the Rotherwas Access Road which was recently completed, connecting the Rotherwas Industrial Estate to the A49. Rotherwas itself has recently been awarded an Enterprise Zone status by the government which is expected to boost the economy and bring in thousands of new jobs.[58]
A second railway station for Hereford has been discussed, which would be situated in Rotherwas as part of the Enterprise Zone.
Hereford is due to receive half of the 20,600 new homes expected to be built in the county by 2026 as part of the Regional Spatial Strategy.[59]
Hereford Rugby Club announced plans in 2012 for a £6 million move to a new home.[60] Also based at the Rugby club are Hereford Stampede who are an American football team who play in the BAFA National Leagues and made their full League debut in 2021.
Hereford Hockey Club is based at the Hereford City Sports Club, with teams entered into leagues in the West Hockey Association.[61]
The city is home to Hereford Racecourse, a traditional National Hunt course to the north of the city centre which hosted around twenty meetings a year. The company who leased the site decided in 2012 that the site was not viable. What many thought to be the last meeting was held on 16 December 2012, however the course reopened for racing in October 2016.[62]
Golf courses surround the city at Wormsley (Herefordshire GC), Kington, Burghill and Brockington. The racecourse surrounds a golf course in Holmer.
Public leisure
Hereford's public leisure facilities are managed by a not-for-profit trust HALO Leisure, which runs the Hereford Leisure Centre (that includes sports halls, gymnasium, squash courts, golf course and an outdoor athletics facility), and the Hereford Leisure Pool (which includes a gymnasium, full size swimming pool, leisure pool, diving pool, and learners pool).
Clubs and societies
The Hereford Rowing Club (along with the Kayak Club) uses the River Wye. The stretch of river is also used for other water sports.
Hereford has a nine pin skittle league, formed on 24 October 1902, and today consists of five divisions.[63]
Hereford has other clubs and societies including the Railway Club, Welsh Club, Military Club, Richmond Place Club and the Whitecross Squash & Lawn Tennis Club.
Hereford has several music clubs/societies such as Herefordshire Youth Orchestra, a group for those up to the age of 21.
Education
University
A new higher education institution, the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE), has been created in Hereford, which had its first intake of students in September 2021.[64] It is envisioned as a seed institution for a future University of Hereford within a decade.
Colleges
Hereford is home to five colleges, including:
Hereford College of Arts – a publicly funded art school located on Folly Lane, with a Higher Education centre on College Road in the former main buildings of the Royal National College for the Blind. The University of Wales Trinity St Davids co-operate to provide degree qualifications.
The Royal National College for the Blind – One of the top colleges in Europe for blind and visually impaired students, and one of only two in Britain.[citation needed] The college occupies the former Hereford College of Education campus. The college often plays host to major blind sporting competitions like the Blind World Cup 2010 and Euro 2015 Blind Football Championships, and currently hosts the England Blind Football squad training camps.
Holme Lacy College – An agricultural college that was part of the Pershore Group of Colleges (now Warwickshire College), but currently belongs to Herefordshire and Ludlow College (HLC).[67][68]
The Hereford Academy – A high school for pupils aged between 11 and 19. It was known as Haywood High School in the late seventies until 2006, when it was renamed as Wyebridge Sports College. As of 1 September 2009 it was renamed The 'Hereford Academy'.[72] It has been, like Whitecross High School, re-classified as a 'Sports College'. The academy's new building opened in September 2011, and the demolition of the old school site, making way for new playing fields to be laid out, was completed in Spring 2012.[73]
Hereford Cathedral School – A co-educational independent school and sixth form, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The earliest existing records date from 1384 though it is likely that a school was associated with the cathedral from its foundation in the late 7th century. HCS, together with HCJS (see below) educates the choristers for Hereford Cathedral Choir.
St Marys RC High School – A Roman Catholic Comprehensive School for boys and girls aged 11–16. The school primarily serves the Catholic Communities of Herefordshire and is situated in a very attractive rural location close to the River Lugg, a few miles to the east of the City of Hereford in the village of Lugwardine.[74]
Whitecross Hereford High School – A specialistSports College, which moved to a brand new PFI building in June 2006. The college for pupils aged between 11 and 16 aims to use the new facility to provide the best high school education for its pupils in the topic of Sports & Fitness.[75]
Primary schools in the city include Hereford Cathedral Junior School, a co-educational independent school. Hereford Cathedral Junior School is, with Hereford Cathedral School, part of the ancient Hereford Cathedral Foundation dating back to 676. The Junior School was founded as an independent school in 1898. The city's other primary schools are: Lord Scudamore Academy, St James C of E, St Francis Xavier R.C, Trinity, Holmer C of E, Marlbrook, Riverside, St Martin's, Broadlands, Riverside, Hampton Dene and St Paul's C of E.
A private national firm operates a hospital in Hereford, and the city is well-populated with council-funded, private and charity based nursing, residential and other elderly care homes and facilities.
Society and culture
Agriculture
Farming has played a major part in the history of the county of Herefordshire, and for many years the City of Hereford was the epicentre, playing host to the Cattle Market; a major market site.[77]
With the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak the market suffered with trade reduced. Established by Act of Parliament, the market had to be provided, and so a Bill was introduced in 2003[78] to move the site to the outskirts of the city. The inner city site would then be available for redevelopment, a process that has now finished.
The new Hereford Cattle Market opened its doors in August 2011 on the site just outside the city[79] and has already proved so successful that trading and business is up on the previous site's record.[80]
The annual Three Choirs Festival, originating in the 18th century and one of the oldest music festivals in the British Isles, is held in Hereford every third year, the other venues being Gloucester and Worcester.
The hymn tune 'Hereford' was written by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810–1876). He was an organist at Hereford Cathedral (1832–1835). This tune is often sung to the words 'O Thou who camest from above'.[81]
Composer Sir Edward Elgar lived at Plas Gwyn, Eign Hill, in Hereford between 1904 and 1911, writing some of his most famous works during that time. He is commemorated with a statue on the Cathedral Close. One of his Enigma Variations was inspired by a bulldog named Dan falling into the River Wye at Hereford, and the dog is similarly honoured with a wooden statue beside the river. Not long after moving into the city he was (despite not being a city council member) offered but declined the office of mayor of the city. He visited the city as a conductor at the Three Choirs Festival, the last occasion in 1933 prior to his death.[82]
Hereford is home to the Hereford Police Male Voice Choir who competed on the BBC TV show "Last Choir Standing",[83] and the Railway Choir.
H.Art, or Herefordshire Art Week, is an annual county-wide exhibition held in September, displaying the work of local artists.[85] Many places usually closed to the public are opened during this week, such as the Bishop's Palace at the cathedral.
Polish-born sculptor Walenty Pytel has had studios in Hereford since 1963 after training at Hereford College of Art.
There is a statue of a Bronze Hereford bull designed by Brian Alabaster ARBS in front of The Old House.[86]
Literature
The troops of the fictional commando squad Rainbow were based at RAF Hereford, as detailed in the novel Rainbow Six.
Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series of supernatural and mystery novels is set in and around Hereford.[88]
Comedy writer Aaron Gillies began writing using Twitter while working as a sound technician at The Courtyard.[89]
Media
The local radio stations include Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire (formerly known as Wyvern) which broadcasts on 97.6–96.7–102.8 FM, Sunshine Radio on 106.2 FM, and BBC Hereford and Worcester which broadcasts on 94.7FM. Hereford FC has its own online Radio station, RadioHerefordFC covering all its matches Home and Away. It has a 24/7 eclectic music output.
The Hereford Times is the city's only remaining weekly local newspaper as the 'Hereford Journal' ceased publication on 11 June 2014 and the 'Hereford admag' ceased publication in September 2018.
The highwaymanWilliam Spiggot (1691–1721) declared before his execution to the Ordinary's Accounts of Newgate Prison in London that he was the son of an innkeeper from Hereford.[94]
Major-General Stringer Lawrence (1698–1775), first commander-in-chief of British troops in India, under whose command Robert Clive (1725–1774) served, was born in Hereford.[95]
The composer Sir Edward Elgar (1857–1934) lived in Hereford 1904–1911, during which time he was offered but declined the city mayoralty.[82]
The rugby union player and sports broadcaster Teddy Wakelam (1893–1963), was born in Hereford.
Broadcaster Gilbert Harding (1907–1960) was born there when his father was master of the local workhouse, as was contemporary actress Beryl Reid OBE (1919–1996).
Al Vandenberg (1932–2012), American photographer, worked and died in Hereford.
John Williamson (1937–2021), international economist and author of "What Washington Means by Policy Reform" was born in Hereford.
Mike Osborne (1941–2007), notable jazz saxophonist active from 1966 to 1981, was born and spent the last decades of his life in Hereford suffering from mental illness.
Frank Oz (born 1944), puppeteer for The Muppets and Yoda of Star Wars was born in Hereford and lived there for the first five years of his life.[98]
Simon Carroll (1964–2009), studio potter was born in Hereford.
The original lineup of The Pretenders (formed 1978), with the exception of lead singer Chrissie Hynde, were from Hereford, as were the rock band Mott the Hoople (formed 1966).
Ellie Goulding (born 1986), pop singer and songwriter was born in Hereford.
Lucy Letby (born 1990), serial killer grew up in Hereford.[99]
The Old House, Hereford is an historic black and white house in the centre of High Town in Hereford. It is now a museum about life in the Jacobean era of the 1600s when it was built.
The Museum of Cider is in the city, with a shop, and an interactive guide to producing the drink. It is a registered Charity Trust founded in the early 1970s by people who wanted to record the past, and the disappearing traditional art of cider making that had been practised for generations on the farms in the "Cider Counties". Situated in an old cider factory, it opened in 1980 and 1981.[which?] In the spring/summer a cider festival is held, started in the mid-1980s, by the Friends of the Museum with the advice of Long Ashton Research station near Bristol. It has a display of named cider apples, and the apples are pressed in the old way. The Museum holds in its Pomological Archive a number of records pertaining to apples and cider.
Holme Lacy House, now a hotel for a national chain, was built near the city by John Scudamore in the 1500s. It has played host to famous historical figures in its time.[103]
Festivals
Several festivals are hosted in Hereford including the Beer on the Wye festival, the Hereford Food Festival, and the Three Choirs Festival.
^"Archived copy". www.archenfield.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^J. Hillaby, Bishop Richard de Capella and the foundation of Herefordshire's market towns, in Woolhope Naturalists Field Club,Essays in honour of Jim and Muriel Tonkin, 2011
^Hillaby, Joe; Hillaby, Caroline (2013). The Palgrave Dictionary of Medieval Anglo-Jewish History. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 141–43, 157–67. ISBN9780230278165. OL28086241M.
^ abHereford 800, A Celebration. Revelstone Publishing Ltd. 1989. pp. 44–45, 47. ISBN1-871817-20-X.Articles, Edward Elgar's Hereford by Jacob O'Callaghan, and The Three Choirs Festival by Graham J. Roberts.
