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| Ross-on-Wye | |
|---|---|
 Town centre, looking north from Market House | |
  Ross-on-Wye Location withinHerefordshire | |
| Population | 10,700 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SO597241 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| 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 | |
| |
Ross-on-Wye is amarket town andcivil parish inHerefordshire, England, near the border withWales. It had a population estimated at 10,978 in 2021.[2] It lies in south-east of the county, on theRiver Wye and on the northern edge of theForest of Dean.
The name "Ross" is derived from theWelsh orCeltic for a "promontory". It was renamed "Ross-on-Wye" in 1931 by theGeneral Post Office, due to confusion with other places of the same or similar name (such asRoss in Scotland).[3]
Ross-on-Wye promotes itself as "the birthplace of Britishtourism".[4] In 1745, the rector,Dr John Egerton, started taking friends on boat trips down the valley from his rectory at Ross. TheWye 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 bookObservations 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 andMonmouth. By 1850, more than 20 visitors had published their own accounts of theWye Tour, and the area was established as a tourist destination.
The 700-year-oldChurch of England parish church,St Mary's,[5] is the town's most prominent landmark. Its tall pointedspire is visible when approaching the town from all directions.[6] The church holds several distinctive tombs, one of which – that ofWilliam Rudhall (who died in 1530) – is one of the last greatalabaster sculptures from the specialist masons of Nottingham, whose work was prized acrossmedieval Europe. Rudhall was responsible for the repair of thealmshouses to the north west of the church, in 1575. Another tomb is ofJohn Kyrle, a prominent figure in 18th-century Ross, whose name has been taken by the town'ssecondary 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 theCorn Exchange in the High Street.[7]
TheMethodist Church in Christ Church in Edde Cross Street has closed permanently.[8] TheUnited 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.
RossBaptist Church is in Broad Street.[10] In 1731 the Baptists built Ryeford Chapel atWeston 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]
ThePlague or Corpse Cross was erected in the churchyard of St Mary's in 1637 as a memorial to 315 townsfolk who died that year ofthe plague and were buried nearby in aplague pit – at night and withoutcoffins.[12]
By 1896, the Plague Cross had fallen into disrepair and the top was missing. It was later restored. Since 1952, it has beenlisted as a Grade II* edifice, and since 1997 it has been ascheduled monument.[13][14]
The Prospect was created by John Kyrle, who rented the land from theMarquess 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, aVE Day Beacon and a War Memorial. It offers a view of the famous horseshoe bend in the Wye and as far west as theBlack Mountains.
The town is known for locally owned shops and a market square with a market hall. Thursday and Saturday markets are held at the redsandstone 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 ofWilton Castle, to the west of the town, have been restored and opened to visitors. The town has a number ofsculptures byWalenty Pytel – the left bank of the Wye shows two of these. Despite the common belief that both depict swans, one in fact shows ducks.
Most local government functions are vested inHerefordshire Council, theunitary 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 theMay 2023 local elections, the town council has a majority ofLiberal Democrats (twelve), with one Conservative and fiveIndependents.
The town is part of theHereford and South Herefordshire parliamentary constituency, currently represented in theHouse of Commons by theConservative MPJesse Norman.
The formerRoss-on-Wye railway station was at ajunction on theHereford, Ross & Gloucester Railway north of the town. It was the terminus of theRoss & Monmouth Railway, which joined the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester just south of the station. Opened on 1 June 1855, the line was merged into theGreat Western Railway on 29 July 1862 and in 1869 converted frombroad gauge tostandard gauge in a five-day period. A line toTewkesbury was authorised byParliament in 1856, but never built.
Under theBeeching 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 inLedbury on theCotswold Line andGloucester on theBirmingham & Gloucester Railway.[24]
Ross-on-Wye is a primary destination onGreat Britain's road network. TheA40 road bypasses the town to its north and is signed westbound towardsMonmouth, as well as eastbound towardsGloucester. It also interchanges with the northboundA49 toHereford and theA449 running northeast toLedbury. To the east is the end of theM50 motorway, sometimes called the Ross Spur or Ross Motorway, which links with theM5.
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 fromLondon on its 445 route.[27]
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC West Midlands andITV Central. Television signals are received from theRidge Hill and the local relay transmitters.[28][29]
Local radio stations areBBC Hereford and Worcester,Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire,Greatest Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire andSunshine Radio.
The town is served by the local newspapersThe Ross Gazette andHereford Times.[30]
Ross-on-Wye experiences a typically Britishmaritime climate, with mild summers and winters. A Met Officeweather station provides long-term climate data for the town. Meteorological readings have been taken in Ross since 1858; theRoss-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) |
| Averageprecipitation 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 monthlysunshine 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] | |||||||||||||
People who were born in Ross, or have lived in the town, include:[citation needed]
Ross-on-Wye has threetwin towns:
Ross-on-Wye travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
