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Herefordshire

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Overview

Wikivoyage guide · 25 sections

▸Introduction375 chars

Herefordshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England, along the border with Wales. Herefordshire is a largely rural county, the most densely wooded in the West Midlands, with but a few small towns. It is part of the Welsh Marches, a region where the border was fluid for hundreds of years. Most interest is focused on Hereford, the cathedral city and county town.

▸City163 chars

1 Hereford – cathedral city and county town. Hereford enjoys city status by virtue of its royal charter. It has a cathedral, which was built between 1079 and 1250.

▸Towns543 chars

In 2014, these five market towns relinquished their traditional markets, which were devolved to a purpose-built livestock market, to the west of Hereford's centre.

2 Bromyard – There is a moated Tudor manor house on the Brockhampton Estate.

3 Kington – Closest town with accommodation to Offa's Dyke.

4 Leominster – Its 17th century community-owned Grange Court is worth visiting.

5 Ledbury – Best base camp for visiting the Malvern Hills and Eastnor Castle.

6 Ross-on-Wye – The sylvan delights of the Forest of Dean are 5 miles (8 km) south.

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage

Media

From Wikipedia3,932 words

Introduction

County of England Not to be confused with Hertfordshire. This article is about the ceremonial county. For other uses, see Herefordshire (disambiguation). Ceremonial county in EnglandHerefordshireCeremonial countyThe River Wye at Hereford, with Hereford Cathedral on the left; the Norman south door of Kilpeck Church; and Hereford cattleCoordinates: 52°05′N 2°45′W / 52.083°N 2.750°W / 52.083; -2.750Sovereign stateUnited KingdomConstituent countryEnglandRegionWest MidlandsEstablished1 April 1998Established byLocal Government Commission for EnglandPreceded byHereford and WorcesterOriginAncientTime zoneUTC+0 (GMT) • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)UK ParliamentList of MPsPoliceWest Mercia PoliceCeremonial countyLord LieutenantEdward HarleyHigh SheriffTamsin Sczerina CliveArea2,180 km2 (840 sq mi) • Rank26th of 48Population (2024)191,047 • Rank45th of 48 • Density88/km2 (230/sq mi)Unitary authorityCouncilHerefordshire CouncilControlNo overall controlAdmin HQHerefordArea2,180 km2 (840 sq mi) • Rank12th of 296Population (2024)191,047 • Rank108th of 296 • Density88/km2 (230/sq mi)ISO 3166-2GB-HEFGSS codeE06000019ITLUKG11Websiteherefordshire.gov.uk Herefordshire (/ˈhɛrɪfərdʃɪər, -ʃər/ HERR-if-ərd-sheer, -⁠shər) is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire and Powys to the west. The city of Hereford is the largest settlement. The county is rural, with an area of 2,180 square kilometres (840 sq mi) and an estimated population of 191,047 in 2024. Hereford is near the centre of the county, and other settlements include Leominster in the north, Ledbury in the east, and Ross-on-Wye in the south. For local government purposes Herefordshire is a unitary authority area. The centre of Herefordshire is lowland which is crossed by the River Wye and its tributary, the Lugg. To the east are the Malvern Hills, a national landscape, which straddle the boundary with Worcestershire. The south of the county contains the northern part of the Wye Valley, also a national landscape, which stretches into Wales. In the west, the ground rises to the Black Mountains range; this contains the Black Mountain (Twyn Llech), which lies on the Powys border and is the highest point in the county, at 703.6 metres (2,308 ft). The county is in the historic Welsh Marches. The land use is mostly agricultural, and the county is known for its fruit and cider production, and for the Hereford cattle breed.

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1 Bishops Frome (pronounced 'Froom') – 14th-century church of St Mary.

2 Bridge Sollers – Norman church of St Andrew.

3 Brinsop – Well-preserved 14th-century manor house, used as billeting during the civil war.

4 Eardisley – Some of this village's 15th-century timber-framed houses still retain traceried bargeboards.

5 Fownhope – Attractive 'linear' village with hill connection to Capler Camp. Best Wye viewing point after Symonds Yat.

6 Hoarwithy (name means 'winter frost') – Unusual arcaded Italianate church, executed entirely in Old Devonian red sandstone.

7 Kilpeck – Its tiny Norman church is renowned for its primitive sandstone carvings, probably executed freehand by local stonemasons.

8 Kinnersley – Part-Elizabethan manor house in which Nazi sympathiser Lord Brocket was interned during World War II.

9 Leintwardine (pronounced 'Lentwardine') – Remains of 10 acre (4 ha) Roman settlement of Bravinium.

10 Moccas – Georgian mansion, now owned by the founder of the LK Bennett fashion empire.

11 Monnington-on-Wye – 17th-century church "uncommonly complete in structure and furnishings" (Pevsner)

12 Pembridge – Its Grade I-listed church has its bell-house on the ground, instead of on top of the church.

13 Shobdon – Grade I-listed w:St John's Church, Shobdon is a former priory church with spectacular Rococo interior.

14 Richards Castle – Remains of castle connected with the Mortimer dynasty.

15 Weobley (pronounced 'Webley') – Has many well-preserved 'black-and-white' houses.

▸History2,094 chars

For centuries, the region was a hotly-contested territory between the adjoining countries of Wales and England, never more so that during the reign of the 8th-century King Offa. In 794, Offa is reputed to have ordered the assassination of the 14-year-old East Anglian King Ethelbert, who had been lured to Herefordshire with the offer of marriage to the Mercian warlord’s daughter Alfreda, and the promise of territorial expansion. There's a shrine to Ethelbert (later canonised) close to the Lady Chapel in Hereford Cathedral. Hereford is one of the five administrative burhs which Offa is credited with creating, during his 39-year reign.

The introduction to Sir Nikolaus Pevsner’s 1963 volume on Herefordshire, in his Buildings of England series, begins: "There are not many counties in England of which it can be said that, wherever one goes, there will not be a mile that is not rewarding".

The Battle of the Three Suns

In 1461, at dawn on the morning of the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, the opposing Yorkist and Lancastrian forces were drawn up in the Lugg valley at the extreme north of the county. A heavy mist, rising from the river, caused the refraction of the sun, which appeared to the frightened troops of both sides as three suns. The Yorkists’ leader Edward of March reassured his followers that this was a Biblical sign, depicting the Holy Trinity, and led them to victory. Four thousand died people in the battle.

Hunt the Green Man

As well as the famous Kilpeck carving, references to this curious pagan icon crop up in the strangest places across the county. A Green Man is to be found modelled into the Jacobean relief plasterwork of a ceiling at Kinnersley Castle, at Much Marcle's church of St Bartholomew and he is also hiding in the interiors of Hereford Cathedral, Leominster Priory and Dore Abbey. When it was a much rowdier event lasting more than a week, many revellers at the city's May Fair would sport Jack-in-the-Green emblems.

Dating back to 1533, Hereford Bowling Club and Green in Bewell Street is the country's oldest bowls club still on its original site.

▸By plane857 chars

Herefordshire has no commercial airport, but the county is accessible from Birmingham International, Bristol, Cardiff and London Heathrow.

1 Heathrow Airport (LHR IATA) is 130 mi (210 km) by car and takes about 3 hr, depending on traffic. To reach Hereford by train, you'll need to travel via London Paddington; journey times are slightly less than 4 hr.

2 Birmingham Airport (BHX IATA) is 64 mi (103 km) away with a driving time of about 1 hr 40 min. By train, a journey via Birmingham New Street takes just over 2 hr.

3 Cardiff Airport (CWL IATA) is 70 mi (110 km) away with a driving time of 1 hr 20 min. By train, a journey via Cardiff Central takes around 2 hr.

4 Bristol Airport (BRS IATA) is 70 mi (110 km) away with a driving time of 1 hr 40 min. Don't use Bristol if you're not hiring a car, as the journey by bus and train to Hereford takes 3 hr.

▸By bus1,124 chars

Confusingly, Hereford has three bus termini: one (urban routes) is behind the Tesco supermarket in Bewell Street; one on St Peter’s Square (rural routes); and one behind the former Odeon cinema in Commercial Road (inter-city). Weather protection is barely adequate (no heated waiting rooms) and none have real-time displays.

For the Herefordshire towns of Bromyard, Kington and Ross-on-Wye and smaller villages and places to visit, there are buses. Buses towards Leominster, Ludlow, Kington, Llandrindod Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Brecon and Monmouth leave from outside the Hereford railway station and also stop at the Country Bus Station. Services towards Abergavenny, Merthyr Tydfil, Cardiff, Ross-on-Wye, Ledbury, Bromyard and Worcester and most villages leave from the "County Bus Station" (behind the cinema on Commercial road - about 3 minutes walk from the station).

Visitors to the region would be well advised to carry the number of the regional Traveline bus information service (☏ +44 871 200 2233) on their phones. The county council has been talking about building a multi-modal transport hub for more than five years.

▸See3,261 chars

Arthur’s Stone at Dorstone, South of Kington, is a Neolithic dolmen burial chamber on a hill.

Yat Rock, near Ross-on-Wye, is a 120-m-high natural rock escarpment with an awesome panoramic view. A forested park area has trails to a high viewpoint with picturesque views of the river.

There are five Iron Age hill forts inside the county; two most significant are at Capler near Fownhope, and Dinedor south of Hereford. In 2008, contractors building a new road unearthed a 60-m-long Neolithic ceremonial ‘burial path’ linking the Dinedor hill fort with a bank of the River Wye.

Explore the castles. Herefordshire was, until the late Middle Ages, a battle ground between the Welsh and the English. There are 12 extant castles listed in the county. Eastnor Castle near Ledbury is a mock Tudor castle with lovely grounds, a deer park, and plenty to see amongst the Malvern Hills.

Visit the museums. Across the county there are 13 museums devoted to local history. Five of them are in Hereford, including the Museum Resource Centre, which holds around 1000 works — oils, watercolours and sketches — by the local artist Brian Hatton (1887-1916). There are also the National Trust’s Berrington Hall near Leominster; Bromyard Local History Centre; Hereford Archive & Resource Centre, Rotherwas; the Butcher Row Museum, Hellens Jacobean House, and Ledbury Heritage Centre in ; and the Leominster Museum. Five miles northwest of Hereford is Credenhill, headquarters of the British Army's 22 Special Air Service regiment, based at Stirling Lines, named after the regiment’s creator, Colonel David Stirling. In 1980 one of its most famous exploits was the ending of the siege of the Iranian Embassy in London.

Brobury House terraced Victorian gardens, Bredwardine, The National Trust’s Weir Garden. Swainshill, Hergest Croft Gardens, Kington, Holme Lacy House and gardens, and Brockhampton Park, near Bromyard, are all popular destinations for visitors.

The county is home to some beautiful religious buildings. It's predominantly Anglican, with the two most popular Roman Catholic places of worship being Belmont Abbey (whose Grade II*-listed Abbey Church was designed by E. W. Pugin, son of A. W. N. Pugin, and consecrated in 1860) and St Francis Xavier. Remains of the 13th-century Blackfriars Dominican Monastery survive in Widemarsh Street; the 14th-century Church of All Saints is unique in Britain in having an integral galleried cafeteria. On one of the walls of this church is a rare 17th-century bread shelf, which provided seven free loaves to be taken by seven of the poorest people of the parish, every Sunday. The county’s churches are rich in diverse architectural styles. To the southeast is the 12th-century Cistercian Dore Abbey. In the north of the county, the interior of the Church of St John’s at Shobdon has been described as a Rococo masterpiece by the architectural historian Simon Jenkins.

Dovecotes — impressive structures built to raise birds for the dining table — are hard to spot as they are often tucked away on private estates (doubtless to deter poachers). An especially unusual one, clearly visible from the road, is in the village of Wellington (eight miles north of Hereford): octagonal, with ventilation slots inset into the brickwork.

▸Do2,067 chars

Offa's Dyke is an impressive 5th-century linear earthwork, partially exploiting natural contours but almost certainly constructed by enforced labour. It courses south to north, beginning at Sedbury, near Chepstow in Monmouthshire and terminating at Prestatyn in North Wales. Nearly 50 mi (80 km) of this 177 mi (285 km) scenic path traverses Herefordshire. Walkers wanting to plan ahead, in terms of overnight accommodation alongside the Dyke, should check the website. It would take an average walker 12 days to walk its entire length.

Canine-friendly walks: Castle Green and Churchill Gardens (in the city); Hough Woods, Fownhope and Queenswood Country Park, Dinmore Hill (countryside).

Canoeing: Except in winter, the non-tidal River Wye is easily navigable as there are no weirs or waterfalls (but respect the swans!). There are three canoe hire centres, the oldest being Wye Valley Canoe and Kayak Centre at Glasbury, near Hay-on-Wye. All the centres offer basic safety training and instruction and will rent you waterproofs, life jackets and helmets. The company estimates that armed with camping equipment it would take about six days to paddle down the Wye (aided by the gentle current) to reach Monmouth. By arrangement they will collect you and your canoe and return you to Glasbury.

Gliding: The Black Mountains (immortalised in Bruce Chatwin's novel On the Black Hill) dominates the Wye Valley's landscape and on days of good visibility can be seen from Hereford, 25 miles away. The best way to get a bird's eye view of this mountain range is to visit the Black Mountains Gliding Club at Talgarth, west of Hay-on-Wye, which offers gliding experience flights.

Arts: The county’s three principal arts venues are Bromyard Arts Centre, Ross-on-Wye’s Phoenix Theatre and Hereford’s Courtyard Arts Centre.

Cricket: Herefordshire CCC play in the National Counties Cricket Championship, the tier formerly known as "Minor Counties" below the first class competitions. They don't have a permanent ground but matches are usually at Brockhampton, Colwall or Eastnor.

▸Events1,028 chars

From flowers and cattle to books and films, Herefordshire’s stand-out annual events include the Borderlines Festival (Britain’s largest non-metropolitan film festival), H-Art supported by more than 400 local artists, the Three Counties Agricultural Show, the Three Counties Music Festival (Europe's longest-running annual classical music festival), the Ledbury Poetry Festival, the Ross-on-Wye Beer Festival and Hereford's Food Festival. Each September Kington organises a 4-day Walking Festival. Just over the Welsh border, Hay-on-Wye hosts an annual literary festival, which attracts up to 500,000 visitors. Oldest of all the region's annual festivals is the May Fair, which dates back to 1121. It begins on the first Tuesday of the month, when Hereford's High Town and four adjoining streets are closed to traffic for three days (much to the chagrin of local shopkeepers) to accommodate over 100 food vending stalls, dodgems, mechanical rides and - usually set directly in front of the cathedral - a huge carousel (galloper).

▸Eat1,367 chars

After tourism, Herefordshire's economy is centred on agriculture and fruit growing. Gastronomically, Herefordshire is not in the Premier League. This is a sad state of affairs, given the many outstanding culinary ingredients which are produced throughout the region (Spring asparagus, raspberries, cherries and Monkland's Little Hereford hard cows milk cheese). The Hereford bull is a British breed of beef cattle that originated in the county, with its present form and markings being established at the end of the 18th century. First exported in 1817, the distinctive white-faced bull can now be found worldwide.

Four eateries which deserve mention are Jules Restaurant at Weobley (open Tu-Sa; ☏ +44 1544 318206), the Moody Cow, Upton Bishop, the Michelin-starred Stagg Inn at Titley, and the Michelin-starred The Butchers Arms at Woolhope west of Ledbury. In Hereford, The Bookshop Restaurant in Aubrey Street and the Italian Cotto on Broad Street are both outstanding.

Many Herefordshire pubs offer a carvery, a traditional English self-service roast lunch with portions of unlimited size. As this form of Sunday eating-out is much favoured by Herefordian trenchermen, pre-booking is advised. The Bunch of Carrots at Hampton Bishop has an excellent carvery and a riverside setting, offering after-lunch walks along the Wye for more than a mile in each direction.

History

[edit] Main article: History of Herefordshire Hand-drawn map of Herefordshire by Christopher Saxton in 1576 Herefordshire is one of the 39 historic counties of England. Herefordshire County Council was created in 1889. In 1974, the administrative county formed in 1889 was merged with that of neighbouring Worcestershire to form Hereford and Worcester. Within this, Herefordshire was covered by the local government districts of South Herefordshire, Hereford, and part of Malvern Hills and Leominster districts. However, the county was dissolved in 1998, resulting in the return of Herefordshire and Worcestershire as counties. The county and unitary authority created in 1998 has almost identical borders to the pre-1974 county; a small area at Park Wood had been transferred from Mathon to West Malvern in 1986 and so went to Worcestershire rather than Herefordshire in 1998, but otherwise the re-established border between the two counties was identical to the pre-1974 boundary.

Constitution

[edit] From 1974 to 1998, Herefordshire was part of the former non-metropolitan county of Hereford and Worcester. Herefordshire was reconstituted both as a new district as "County of Herefordshire" and as a new county (coextensive with the area of the aforementioned district) (effective 1 April 1998) by Statutory Instrument as defined in The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996. This Order established Herefordshire as a unitary authority on 1 April 1998, combining county and district functions into a single council. Herefordshire is also commonly called a unitary district, but this is not official nomenclature. Herefordshire is officially known as a unitary authority for local government purposes. It is governed by Herefordshire Council which was created in 1998 with the new unitary district that absorbed the previous administrative areas of Hereford City Council, South Herefordshire District Council, most of Leominster District Council, and part of Malvern Hills District Council, all within the previous non-metropolitan county of Hereford and Worcester, whose functions the new authority inherited within its area. The remainder of Malvern Hills district absorbed the Worcestershire part of Leominster district (the area around Tenbury Wells) and continued to constitute a (smaller) district within the new two-tier county of Worcestershire. The Lieutenancies Act 1997 made Herefordshire a ceremonial county, covering the exact area of the unitary district. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG11) and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region.

Demographics

[edit] In Herefordshire, the population size has increased by 2.0%, from around 183,500 in 2011 to 187,100 in 2021. This is lower than the overall increase for England (6.6%), where the population grew by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800. As of the 2021 census, 91.1% of the population identified as 'White British', and 5.1% as 'White Other'. The 'White Other' group is largely made up of migrants from central and Eastern Europe who began moving into the county in the early 2000s, initially for agricultural work, but more recently to work in other sectors such as health care, catering and hospitality. Poland and Romania are the two most common non-UK countries of birth for foreign born people in Herefordshire. Travellers[edit] Gypsies and Travellers have historically been Herefordshire's largest minority ethnic group. They are made up of three main groups: Romanichal or Romani Irish Travellers New Travellers or New Age Travellers As of the 2021 census, they number 600 people, at around 0.2% of the county's population. Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers fall within the definition of a minority ethnic group under the Race Relations Amendment Act (2000). There were approximately 400 people (0.2%) within this minority group in the county at the 2011 Census.

Economy

[edit] Bulmers Cider in Hereford is the world's largest cider factory, and has the world's largest vat (for Strongbow), built in 1975. Painter Brothers (part of Balfour Beatty) in the north of Hereford, is the UK's largest manufacturer of electricity pylons (transmission towers), broadcasting masts, the Callender-Hamilton bridge, and rail electrification structures. Special Metals Wiggin, part of Special Metals Corporation, based at Hereford was the main producer of nickel alloys in Europe, with a large site directly north of Painter Brothers. Cargill Meats Europe (formerly Sun Valley) have a large poultry meat processing facility, processing chickens from around Herefordshire. Cadbury (Mondelēz International) make milk chocolate crumb near Marlbrook (near Leominster). Weston's Cider is in Much Marcle, who also make Stowford Press. Wye Fruit Ltd is in the north of Ledbury on the B4214 and is a large site of Amcor, and further west is Universal Beverages (UBL), owned by Heineken since 2007 where it cans cider. The site of Ledbury Preserves of RHM made Robertson's jam, mincemeat and marmalade and closed in 2008 when production moved to Cambridgeshire. Holden Aluminium Technologies are a sports car chassis manufacturer at Linton. Kingspan Insulation is based at Pembridge. BT's Madley Communications Centre, claims to be the world's largest earth station. Tyrrells Potato Crisps are at Dilwyn west of Leominster. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Herefordshire at current basic prices published by the Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling. Year Regional Gross Value Added Agriculture Industry Services 1995 1,622 218 567 836 2000 1,885 155 643 1,087 2003 2,216 185 708 1,323 ^ includes hunting and forestry ^ includes energy and construction ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding Many well-known cider producers are based in Herefordshire. These include Weston's cider of Much Marcle, and Bulmer's cider, from Hereford, which produces the UK market leader Strongbow.

Politics

[edit] Westminster Parliamentary[edit] Main article: List of Parliamentary constituencies in Herefordshire and Worcestershire There are two parliamentary constituencies in Herefordshire. As of July 2024[update], Ellie Chowns, a member of the Green Party, represents North Herefordshire and Jesse Norman, a member of the Conservative Party, represents Hereford and South Herefordshire. Council[edit] Main article: Herefordshire Council The coat of arms of Herefordshire County Council The council operates a cabinet-style council and has been independently controlled since 2019. The chairman is Sebastian Bowen and the leader of the council is David Hitchiner. The cabinet leader is appointed yearly by the full council of 53 councillors. The cabinet leader then picks their deputy and up to eight other councillors to form the executive cabinet. Each cabinet member makes the decisions about the portfolio that they are allocated. Elections to the council are held every four years. Elections are conducted under the FPTP system with the 53 wards returning one councillor each. Elections have been held in 2000, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019, 2023, with the next election to be held in 2027. In the 2019 election, the Conservatives lost control of Herefordshire Council. This remained true for the 2023 local elections in Herefordshire.

Agriculture

[edit] The agricultural economy has changed greatly in recent years[when?] within the county. The county is on the western edge of England which has been historically pastoral as opposed to the east which was more arable.[citation needed] Beef[edit] Main article: Hereford cattle Probably Hereford's most famous export is its Hereford beef cattle. Herefords are docile but extremely hardy creatures and these attributes have led to their proliferation across the world, particularly the US, Canada, South America and Australia. The breed is so gentle that a Hereford bull was used as the mascot for Hereford United Football Club for many years, led around the club's Edgar Street ground before major matches. Fruit[edit] An illustration from the Herefordshire Pomona, a record of the apple and pear varieties grown in the county in the nineteenth century. The county is famous for its apple and pear orchards, and its cider. There are many orchards around the county but not as many as there once were. In the last few years, soft fruits such as strawberries have become a new and rapidly expanding area of the agricultural economy of the county. One of the main reasons for this was the introduction of the polytunnel or French tunnel. This allows the strawberries to be grown for a far longer season and with a higher quality (with no blemishes from the rain). The strawberries are mainly picked by Eastern European workers who come over for the season and often earn more money than they could working in their own country and with the bonus, for many of them, of learning or improving their English. The polytunnels have been a major issue in the county, as some people see them as a "blot on the landscape". Although some polytunnel sites are illegal, Herefordshire Council has turned a blind eye in the belief that agriculture must be allowed to innovate; otherwise it will stagnate and the county will suffer. Dairy[edit] Previously, most farms in the county had dairy cattle. Due to the cost of investing in new equipment, long hours,[clarification needed] BSE, foot-and-mouth disease and mainly falling milk prices, the county's milk production has drastically reduced, with only a few farms still in dairy farming.[citation needed] Potatoes[edit] The county is historically pastoral. The soils are mostly clay, meaning that large scale potato production was very difficult, as tractors were not powerful enough to pull the large machinery required to harvest the crop. Around the early 1990s new technology and more powerful machines overcame this problem. Potato production started to increase, fuelled by a few other key factors: The previously pastoral soils had not had potatoes grown in them; consequently they were not infected with eelworm (Heterodera rostochiensis and Heterodera pallida), which in the east of England had to be sprayed against weekly (a large cost). Also, the clay soil produced an unblemished potato of the highest grade.[citation needed] The intensive nature of the crop meant that potatoes could be grown viably on a given field in only one of every five years. Because potato growers always needed more land than they owned, they rented extra. This demand for rental fields came at a time when the rest of the industry was struggling and in serious decline. The potato farmers' rents of £300–500 per acre (as opposed to normally £80 per acre) were very helpful to many farmers in a difficult period.[citation needed]

Emblems

[edit] The flag of the historic county of Herefordshire Coat of arms[edit] Herefordshire County Council was granted a coat of arms on 28 February 1946. The arms became obsolete in 1974 on the abolition of the council, but were transferred to the present Herefordshire Council by Order in Council in 1997. The arms are blazoned as follows: Gules on a fesse wavy between in chief a lion passant guardant argent and in base a Herefordshire bull's head caboshed proper, a bar wavy azure; and for a Crest on a wreath of the colours a demi lion rampant gules holding in the sinister claw a fleece or; and for Supporters, on the dexter side a lion guardant or gorged with a wreath of hops fructed proper and on the sinister a talbot argent gorged with a collar or charged with three apples proper. The red colouring ("gules") of the shield is taken from the arms of the City of Hereford. The red colour also represents the red earth of Herefordshire. The silver and blue wave across the centre of the shield represents the River Wye. The lions that form parts of the arms, crest and supporters are also taken from Hereford's arms. The agricultural produce of Herefordshire is represented by the bull's head, fleece, hops and apples. The talbot dog comes from the heraldry of the Talbot family, Marcher Lords of Shrewsbury and also from that of Viscount Hereford. The Latin motto is: Pulchra terra Dei donum ("This fair land is the gift of God"). County flower[edit] As part of a competition organised by the charity Plantlife to raise awareness of conservation issues, the public were asked to vote for "county flowers" that they felt best represented their county. Mistletoe was announced as the winning choice for Herefordshire in 2004. The emblem has no official status and has not been widely adopted. Herefordshire Council uses a logo consisting of a green apple.

Sport

[edit] Edgar Street is the home ground of Hereford F.C., the successors to Hereford United, the only club from the county to have ever played in The Football League. Perhaps the most famous sporting team in Herefordshire is Hereford United football club, founded in 1924, who were members of the Football League and played at Edgar Street stadium in the city of Hereford. The club then made its way upwards to the Southern Football League, finally gaining election to the Football League in 1972 and defeating Newcastle United in an FA Cup tie. Two successive promotions saw the club reach the Second Division in 1978, but two successive relegations followed and saw the club side back into the Fourth Division. The club was relegated in 1997 to the Football Conference, not regaining its Football League status until 2006. The club then played in Football League Two – the fourth tier of English football – for six years before once again being relegated out of the Football League at the end of the 2011–12 season. The club was wound up in 2014. A new phoenix club, Hereford F.C. was set up competing in the Midland Football League Premier Division (9th tier) for its first season, 2015–16. Cricket is widely played within the county, and Herefordshire County Cricket Club compete in the Minor Counties Championship, having been elected in 1992 to take Durham's place, when that county joined the First-class structure.

Transport

[edit] Road[edit] The M50 motorway near Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye. The M50, one of the first motorways to be built in the United Kingdom, runs through the south of the county and, with the A40 dual carriageway, forms part of the major route linking South Wales with the West Midlands and the north of England. The A49 runs north–south through the county and is a strategic route between North and South Wales as well as catering for local traffic. Railways[edit] The Welsh Marches Line also runs north–south with passenger trains operated by Transport for Wales offering links to Manchester as well as to North and South Wales. Hereford is the western end of the Cotswold Line which runs via Worcester with through services to Oxford and London Paddington (operated by Great Western Railway) and to Birmingham (operated by West Midlands Trains). The rural Heart of Wales Line linking Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in southwest Wales passes through the extreme north west of Herefordshire, with stations at Knighton, Powys (the station is in Shropshire but the township is in Powys) and Bucknell, Shropshire, near the meeting point of the boundaries of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Powys. The majority of passengers between North and South Wales use the Marches line. Former lines which are now closed were the Ledbury and Gloucester Railway; Ross & Monmouth Railway; Hereford to Hay-on-Wye; Pontrilas to Hay-on-Wye; Hay-on-Wye to Brecon; Leominster to New Radnor; Eardisley to Presteigne; and Leominster to Worcester via Bromyard. Part of the Titley Spur is opened annually by enthusiasts and a steam train is run along the track. There has long been talk of a new station at Rotherwas, in the south of Hereford. Arriva Trains Wales service passing the currently closed Pontrilas station on the Welsh Marches Line. Air[edit] There are no airports with scheduled air transport in Herefordshire. Birmingham Airport, Cardiff Airport and Bristol Airport are the nearest. The RailAir RailAir coach operated by First Berkshire & The Thames Valley provides connections to Heathrow Airport via Reading station or passengers can change at Reading station and then go all the way by train via Hayes & Harlington to Heathrow Airport. Shobdon Aerodrome near Leominster is a centre for general aviation and gliding. Hot air ballooning is also popular with Eastnor Castle being one of the favourite launch sites in the area. Waterways[edit] Historically, the rivers Wye, Teme and Lugg were navigable but the wide seasonal variations in water levels mean that few craft larger than canoes and coracles are now used. There are canoe centres at Wye Valley Canoes, Glasbury-on-Wye (in Powys, Wales), the Hereford Youth Service and Kerne Bridge in Ross-on-Wye, as well as rowing clubs in Hereford and Ross-on-Wye. The early 19th century saw the construction of two canals, The Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal and The Leominster & Stourport Canal but these were never successful and there are now few remains to be seen. The Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal is currently the subject a restoration project, which includes the construction of a new canal basin in Hereford city centre as part of the regeneration of the Edgar Street Grid. The project, however, is being undertaken by a small voluntary group and there is no expected date for any part of the canal to re-open for boating.

Notable people

[edit] Classical composer Sir Edward Elgar lived in Hereford from 1904 to 1911. His association with the city is commemorated with this statue. Roman Catholic martyr St. John Kemble's grave in the Herefordshire village of Welsh Newton. Jarrod Bowen, footballer Simon Carr, cyclist Frank Oz, actor and voice actor, producer, director Matthew Hall, writer Dennis Potter, writer Connor Wickham, footballer Fred West, serial killer Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poet Richard Hammond, Top Gear and The Grand Tour presenter Mary Duggan, cricketer Noele Gordon, actress Mike Oldfield, musician Mick Ralphs, Mott the Hoople and Bad Company guitarist Richard Ashcroft, songwriter and lead singer of The Verve Thomas Britten, 19th-century footballer Monty Don, BBC TV presenter Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, favourite of Queen Elizabeth I Bessie Drysdale, activist and writer Conroy Maddox, artist Beryl Reid, actress Jessica Raine, actress Sir Edward Elgar, composer Sir Roy Strong, art historian David Garrick, renowned actor of the 18th century Lady Godiva, wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia Harold Godwinson, Earl of Hereford and last Anglo-Saxon King of England Ellie Goulding, musician Nell Gwynne, mistress of King Charles II of England Terry Jenkins, professional darts player St. John Kemble (martyr) Catholic priest Francis Kilvert, 19th century diarist and Church of England clergyman Henry Stanley Newman, Victorian philanthropist Mark Labbett, one of five Chasers on The Chase as well as its Australian counterpart Albert Lee, guitarist Peter Mandelson, politician and former resident of Foy John Masefield, poet laureate Sidney Nolan, Australian artist John Oldcastle, Lollard leader and basis for Shakespeare's character Falstaff Blanche Parry, lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I Peter Scudamore, jockey James Honeyman-Scott, guitarist the Pretenders Pete Farndon, bass guitarist the Pretenders Martin Chambers, drummer the Pretenders Tom Spring, bare-knuckle boxer, champion of England in the 19th century Thomas Traherne, 17th century poet Alfred Watkins, pioneering archaeologist and photographer Richard Johnson, jockey Sir Walter Roper Lawrence, author Allan Leonard Lewis, posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, died 21 September 1918, commemorated on Vis-En-Artois Memorial, France Richard Hakluyt, Elizabethan writer and geographer who recorded contemporary voyages of exploration and promoted the settlement of North America Ronald Pennell, artist, engraver and sculptor Geoffrey Wood, botanist Lucy Letby, serial killer