Ross-on-Wye

Ross-on-Wye
Town centre, looking north from Market House
Ross-on-Wye Location within Herefordshire
Population	10,700 (2011)[1]
OS grid reference	SO597241
Unitary authority	Herefordshire
Ceremonial county	Herefordshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ROSS-ON-WYE
Postcode district	HR9
Dialling code	01989
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Hereford and South Herefordshire

Ross-on-Wye is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, near the border with Wales. It had a population estimated at 10,978 in 2021.^[2] It lies in south-east of the county, on the River Wye and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean.

History

The Market House in 1890 (photochrom)

The name "Ross" is derived from the Welsh or Celtic for a "promontory". It was renamed "Ross-on-Wye" in 1931 by the General Post Office, due to confusion with other places of the same or similar name (such as Ross in Scotland).^[3]

Ross-on-Wye promotes itself as "the birthplace of British tourism".^[4] In 1745, the rector, Dr John Egerton, started taking friends on boat trips down the valley from his rectory at Ross. The Wye Valley's attraction was its river scenery, its precipitous landscapes, and its castles and abbeys, which were accessible to seekers of the "picturesque". In 1782, William Gilpin's book Observations on the River Wye was published, the first illustrated tour guide to be published in Britain. Once it had appeared, demand grew so much that by 1808 there were eight boats making regular excursions along the Wye, most of them hired from inns in Ross and Monmouth. By 1850, more than 20 visitors had published their own accounts of the Wye Tour, and the area was established as a tourist destination.

Parish church

St Mary's Church, seen from the north-east

The 700-year-old Church of England parish church, St Mary's,^[5] is the town's most prominent landmark. Its tall pointed spire is visible when approaching the town from all directions.^[6] The church holds several distinctive tombs, one of which – that of William Rudhall (who died in 1530) – is one of the last great alabaster sculptures from the specialist masons of Nottingham, whose work was prized across medieval Europe. Rudhall was responsible for the repair of the almshouses to the north west of the church, in 1575. Another tomb is of John Kyrle, a prominent figure in 18th-century Ross, whose name has been taken by the town's secondary school. He is also recalled in one of the town's notable inns, The Man Of Ross, and there is a fine painting of him, by an unknown artist, in the Corn Exchange in the High Street.^[7]

United Reformed, Methodist and Baptist churches

The Methodist Church in Christ Church in Edde Cross Street has closed permanently.^[8] The United Reformed Church congregation, part of the Herefordshire Group, likewise was at Christ Church.^[9] The former United Reformed Church in Gloucester Road has now been converted into housing.

Ross Baptist Church is in Broad Street.^[10] In 1731 the Baptists built Ryeford Chapel at Weston under Penyard, but in 1817 worshippers from Ross decided to separate. They purchased the site on Broad Street and constructed a chapel with an attached graveyard. The original chapel was replaced in 1879, with much of the funding from Thomas Blake, a local philanthropist. In 2017, the current Baptist church in Ross marked its 200th anniversary.^[11]

Plague Cross

The Plague Cross

The Plague or Corpse Cross was erected in the churchyard of St Mary's in 1637 as a memorial to 315 townsfolk who died that year of the plague and were buried nearby in a plague pit – at night and without coffins.^[12]

By 1896, the Plague Cross had fallen into disrepair and the top was missing. It was later restored. Since 1952, it has been listed as a Grade II* edifice, and since 1997 it has been a scheduled monument.^[13][14]

The Prospect

The Prospect was created by John Kyrle, who rented the land from the Marquess of Bath in 1696 and turned it into a garden and walkway.^[15] In 2008, heavy rain uncovered Roman remains that were excavated under the site.^[16]

The Prospect provides a public garden opposite the church, containing trees dedicated to local people, a VE Day Beacon and a War Memorial. It offers a view of the famous horseshoe bend in the Wye and as far west as the Black Mountains.

Present day

The Market House

The town is known for locally owned shops and a market square with a market hall. Thursday and Saturday markets are held at the red sandstone Market House building in the town centre.^[17][18] This was built between 1650 and 1654 to replace a probably wooden Booth Hall. The upper storey now houses an arts and crafts centre.

The town's small theatre, The Phoenix, shows films once a month, along with plays and other arts events.^[19]

The ruins of Wilton Castle, to the west of the town, have been restored and opened to visitors. The town has a number of sculptures by Walenty Pytel – the left bank of the Wye shows two of these. Despite the common belief that both depict swans, one in fact shows ducks.

Politics and representation

Most local government functions are vested in Herefordshire Council, the unitary authority covering the county. Ross Town Council, with 18 councillors, six each from the Ross North, West and East wards, has the powers of a parish council.^[20] The Mayor is Councillor Louis Stark. Ross Rural was merged into the civil parish on 1 April 2015.^[21] Since the May 2023 local elections, the town council has a majority of Liberal Democrats (twelve), with one Conservative and five Independents.

The town is part of the Hereford and South Herefordshire parliamentary constituency, currently represented in the House of Commons by the Conservative MP Jesse Norman.

Transport

Ross-on-Wye station, with Hereford – Gloucester train in 1958

The former Ross-on-Wye railway station was at a junction on the Hereford, Ross & Gloucester Railway north of the town. It was the terminus of the Ross & Monmouth Railway, which joined the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester just south of the station. Opened on 1 June 1855, the line was merged into the Great Western Railway on 29 July 1862 and in 1869 converted from broad gauge to standard gauge in a five-day period. A line to Tewkesbury was authorised by Parliament in 1856, but never built.

Under the Beeching cuts, the lines to Ross closed in stages up to 1964.^[22] The brick station has been demolished and the site redeveloped into an industrial estate, on which the brick goods and engine sheds still stand.^[23]

The nearest railway stations are in Ledbury on the Cotswold Line and Gloucester on the Birmingham & Gloucester Railway.^[24]

Ross-on-Wye is a primary destination on Great Britain's road network. The A40 road bypasses the town to its north and is signed westbound towards Monmouth, as well as eastbound towards Gloucester. It also interchanges with the northbound A49 to Hereford and the A449 running northeast to Ledbury. To the east is the end of the M50 motorway, sometimes called the Ross Spur or Ross Motorway, which links with the M5.

Stagecoach West and Nick Maddy Coaches provide regular bus services. Stagecoach West operates hourly route 33 through Ross between Gloucester and Hereford,^[25] while Nick Maddy Coaches operates hourly route 40 serving residential streets across town.^[26] National Express also operate a twice daily service to and from London on its 445 route.^[27]

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central. Television signals are received from the Ridge Hill and the local relay transmitters.^[28][29]

Local radio stations are BBC Hereford and Worcester, Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Greatest Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire and Sunshine Radio.

The town is served by the local newspapers The Ross Gazette and Hereford Times.^[30]

Climate

Ross-on-Wye experiences a typically British maritime climate, with mild summers and winters. A Met Office weather station provides long-term climate data for the town. Meteorological readings have been taken in Ross since 1858; the Ross-on-Wye weather station holds some national records.^[31]

Climate data for Ross-on-Wye 41m asl, 1991-2020
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	8.0 (46.4)	8.7 (47.7)	11.2 (52.2)	14.2 (57.6)	17.5 (63.5)	20.3 (68.5)	22.3 (72.1)	21.7 (71.1)	19.1 (66.4)	14.8 (58.6)	10.9 (51.6)	8.3 (46.9)	14.8 (58.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	2.2 (36.0)	2.2 (36.0)	3.3 (37.9)	5.0 (41.0)	7.8 (46.0)	10.7 (51.3)	12.7 (54.9)	12.5 (54.5)	10.3 (50.5)	7.7 (45.9)	4.6 (40.3)	2.4 (36.3)	6.8 (44.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	75.9 (2.99)	55.3 (2.18)	53.0 (2.09)	51.9 (2.04)	56.8 (2.24)	56.0 (2.20)	51.4 (2.02)	64.1 (2.52)	56.5 (2.22)	83.7 (3.30)	79.6 (3.13)	80.1 (3.15)	764.3 (30.08)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	54.6	77.1	119.1	166.0	203.7	200.5	210.5	189.4	143.7	103.6	63.0	47.1	1,578.3
Source: Met Office[32]

Notable people

People who were born in Ross, or have lived in the town, include:^{[citation needed]}

• John Kyrle (1637–1724), philanthropist known as "the Man of Ross"^[33]
• James Cowles Prichard (1786–1848), scientist prominent in anthropology and psychiatry^[34]
• Frederick Gordon (1835–1904), hotelier^[35]
• William Partridge (1858–1930), soldier prominent in the 1879 Zulu war^[36]
• Arthur Pugh (1870–1955), President of the Trades Union Congress^[37]
• William Henry Squire (1871–1963), Royal Academy of Music member, cellist, composer and music professor^[38]
• Frank Andrews (1886–1944), international rugby union (Wales) and professional rugby league player^{[citation needed]}
• Frederick Burrows (1887–1973), Governor of Bengal^[39]
• Juxon Barton (1891–1980), Governor of Fiji^{[citation needed]}
• Noele Gordon (1919–1985), actress^[40]
• Yvonne Littlewood (1927–2023), television producer^[41]
• Dennis Potter (1935–1994), dramatist^[42]
• Roger Whittaker (1936–2023), singer-songwriter^[43]
• Pete Overend Watts (1947–2017), member of the Mott the Hoople band^[44]
• Dale Griffin (1948–2016), member of Mott the Hoople^[38]

Twin towns

Ross-on-Wye has three twin towns:

• Betzdorf, Germany
• Condé-sur-Noireau, France (since 1978)
• Namutumba, Uganda^[45]

Gallery

• 
  The Man Of Ross inn
• 
  The Market House from the west
• 
  St Mary's Church spire
• 
  View of the town from the banks of the River Wye
• 
  Interior of St Mary’s, the parish church

See also

• Archenfield
• John Kyrle High School
• Ross Rowing Club
• The Chase Hotel, Ross-On-Wye (now closed)

References

1. "Town population 2011". Retrieved 20 November 2015.
2. City Population. Retrieved 2 January 2022
3. Ross-on-Wye: History, Ross-on-Wye.com. Retrieved 23 November 2019
4. "Birthplace of British Tourism". wyevalleyaonb.org.uk.
5. St Mary Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire:: OS grid SO5924 :: Geograph British Isles – photograph every grid square!
6. Ross-on-Wye from the Bypass:: OS grid SO5924 :: Geograph British Isles – photograph every grid square!
7. "John Kyrle (1637–1724), The Man of Ross". Art UK. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
8. "Christ Church". Herefordshiremethodists.org.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
9. Group churches
10. "Ross Baptist Church; Find us". Retrieved 21 January 2020.
11. Ross Gazette
12. "Local Monuments". Ross-on-Wye.com. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
13. Historic England. "Cross in Churchyard of St Mary the Virgin (1098721)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
14. Historic England. "Churchyard cross in St Mary the Virgin's churchyard (1016128)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
15. "The Prospect – The Garden". Ross-on-Wye. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
16. "Ross-on-Wye Development – Prospect – Summary". Ross-on-wye.com. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
17. Ross on Wye, Market hall:: OS grid SO5924:: Geograph British Isles – photograph every grid square!
18. Market House, Ross-on-Wye:: OS grid SO5924 :: Geograph British Isles – photograph every grid square!
19. (no title). "HOME - The Phoenix Theatre Ross-on-Wye Herefordshire". Phoenix-theatre.org.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
20. Council powers
21. "The County of Herefordshire District Council (Reorganisation of Community Governance) (Ross-on-Wye) (No. 2) Order 2014" (PDF). Lgbce. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
22. "Herefordshire Through Time – Welcome". Smr.herefordshire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 23 January 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
23. "The Railway in Ross – The Station". Ross-on-Wye. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
24. Herefordshire transport
25. https://www.stagecoachbus.com/routes/west/33/hereford-ross-on-wye/xseo033.i ^{[bare URL]}
26. "40 - Ross on Wye - Greytree".
27. "445 - London - Hereford".
28. "Full Freeview on the Ridge Hill (County of Herefordshire, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
29. "Freeview Light on the Ross on Wye (County of Herefordshire, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
30. "The Ross Gazette". British Papers. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
31. "Ross-on-Wye - Weather Station". www.ross-on-wye.com.
32. "Ross-on-Wye 1991-2020 averages". UKMO. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
33. "Herefordshire Through Time - Welcome". Herefordshire Council. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
34. "James Cowles Prichard | Artist". Royal Academy of Arts. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
35. Board, The Stanmore Tourist. "Frederick Gordon". Stanmore Tourist Board. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
36. Gardens (en), Parks and. "Bishopswood House - Ross-on-Wye". Parks & Gardens. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
37. "PUGH, Arthur". The Rowntree Business Lectures and the Interwar British Management Movement. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
38. "Artists and bands from Ross-on-Wye, England". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
39. "Blue plaque tour of the town - Visit Ross On Wye". 29 April 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
40. "Nolly tells story of Wye Valley soap star's rise and fall". The Ross Gazette. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
41. Hayward, Anthony (19 July 2023). "Yvonne Littlewood obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
42. "Obituary: Dennis Potter". The Independent. 7 June 1994. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
43. "Roger Whittaker, giant of easy listening whose wistful ballads included The Last Farewell and Durham Town – obituary". The Telegraph. 18 September 2023. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
44. "Thanksgiving service for a rock star – Pete Overend Watts". The Ross Gazette. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
45. "Twinning". Ross-on-Wye Town Council. Retrieved 25 May 2022.

External links

• Town Council Ross-on-Wye Town Council
• Ross-on-Wye travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Littlebury's Directory, 1876–1877 [1]