Hereford (/ˈhɛrɪfərd/ⓘHERR-if-ərd) is acathedral city and thecounty town of the ceremonial county ofHerefordshire, England. It is on the banks of theRiver Wye and lies 16 miles (26 km) east of the border withWales, 23 miles (37 km) north-west ofGloucester and 24 miles (39 km) south-west ofWorcester. With a population of 61,900 in 2024, it is the largest settlement in Herefordshire.
An early town charter from 1189, granted byRichard I of England, describes it as "Herefordin Wales".[2] Hereford has been recognised as a city sincetime immemorial, with the status being reconfirmed in October 2000.[3][4] Hereford has been acivil parish since 2000.[5]
The Herefordshire edition ofCambridge 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 theAnglo-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 theWye. TheWelsh name for Hereford isHenffordd, meaning "old road", and probably refers to theRoman road and Roman settlement at nearbyStretton Sugwas.
Hereford became the seat ofPutta,Bishop of Hereford, some time between 676 and 688 AD, after which the settlement continued to grow due to its proximity to the border betweenMercia andWales, becoming theSaxon capital of WestMercia by the beginning of the 8th century.[6]
Hostilities between the Anglo-Saxons and theWelsh came to a head with theBattle 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 theAnglo-Saxon KingEdward the Confessor in 1056 when, supported byViking 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 theSevern in the reign ofAthelstan (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 importantJewish community until 1290, when Jews wereexpelled from England byEdward I. Jews fromWorcester andGloucester 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, andRichard Swinefield, who tried to stop social contact between Christians and Jews.[11][12]
The city gave its name (translated to French) to two suburbs ofParis:Maisons-Alfort (population 54,600) andAlfortville (population 36,232), due to a manor built there byPeter of Aigueblanche, Bishop of Hereford, in the middle of the 13th century.
A base for successive holders of the titleEarl of Hereford, the city was once the site ofHereford Castle, which rivalled that ofWindsor in size and scale. This was a base for repelling Welsh attacks and a secure stronghold for English kings, such asKing Henry IV when on campaign in theWelsh Marches againstOwain Glyndŵr. The castle was dismantled in the 18th century and landscaped into Castle Green.
After theBattle of Mortimer's Cross in 1461, during theWars of the Roses, the defeated Lancastrian leaderOwen Tudor (grandfather of the futureHenry 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 sonJasper.
The Old House, High Town. This timber-framed Jacobean building, built in 1621, is now a museum
During theEnglish Civil War, the city changed hands several times. On 30 September 1642,Parliamentarians led bySir Robert Harley andHenry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford occupied the city without opposition. In December they withdrew toGloucester because of the presence in the area of aRoyalist army under Lord Herbert. The city was again occupied briefly from 23 April to 18 May 1643 by Parliamentarians commanded bySir William Waller, but it was in 1645 that the city saw mostaction. On 31 July 1645, aScottish army of 14,000 underAlexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Levenbesieged the city but met stiff resistance from itsgarrison and inhabitants. They withdrew on 1 September when they received news that a force led byKing Charles was approaching. The city was finally taken forParliament on 18 December 1645 byColonel Birch andColonel 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 ofRichard I of England, ten ScottishSaltires 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 theCity of London.[13]
Nell Gwynne, actress and mistress of KingCharles II, is said to have been born in Hereford in 1650 (although other towns and cities, notablyOxford, claim her as their own); Gwynn Street is named after her.[14] Another famous actor born in Hereford isDavid Garrick (1717–1779).[15]
The Bishop's Palace next to the cathedral was built in 1204 and is still in use today.[16][17] Hereford Cathedral School is one of the oldest schools in England. TheHarold Street Barracks were completed in 1856.[18]
Historically, Hereford has been the county town of Herefordshire. In 1974, Herefordshire was merged withWorcestershire to become part of the county ofHereford and Worcester and Hereford became adistrict of the new county.[21] Nosuccessor parish was formed, so the former borough becameunparished. Hereford had formed a historic borough and was reformed by theMunicipal Corporations Act 1835.[22] On 1 April 1998, the county of Hereford and Worcester was abolished; Herefordshire and Worcestershire were re-established as separate counties.[23]
the former district in Hereford and Worcester
However, the new Herefordshire was aunitary 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 acivil parish council could be set up, which happened on 1 April 2000 when the unparished area was parished as Hereford andBelmont Rural, part also went to the existing parish ofClehonger.[24] Hereford is one of only eightcivil parishes in England which have city status. It is based atHereford Town Hall.[25]
As with all of the UK, Hereford experiences amaritime climate, with limited seasonal temperature ranges, and generally moderate rainfall throughout the year. The nearestMet Office weather station, for which 30-year averages are available, isCredenhill weather station, about 4 miles (6 km) north west of the city centre. Before 2001, the weather station atPreston Wynne (7 miles, 11 km to the north-east) provided the data.[26]
Since 2001, extremes at Hereford Credenhill have ranged from 33.6 °C (92.5 °F)[27] during July 2006, to as low as −15.8 °C (3.6 °F) during December 2010.[28]
In February 2020, many houses in Hereford were evacuated due to floods.[29]
Climate data for Hereford, elevation: 75 m (246 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1970–1979)
In 2021 the built-up area had a population of 60,475,[32] the urban area had a population of 61,014,[33] the agglomeration had a population of 63,346[34] and the parish had a population of 53,112.
The following statistics were recorded for the parish of Hereford at the2021 Census:
Hereford, as an ancient crossing over the River Wye, has long been important within the regional and national transport network. Today, the city is served by several major routes, including the A49, A438, A465 and A4103. The nearest motorway is the M50 , which passes to the south of Ledbury.
Along the northern rim of the city, the A4103 is namedRoman Road, running in a straight line from east to west. Only one major routecrosses the River Wye: the A49/Victoria Street, which is carried by Greyfriars Bridge.
The Hereford Link Road was completed in December 2017,[36] costing around £34,000,000 to build.[37]
In 2017, Hereford was namedBritain'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.[38]
Following completion of the Hereford Link Road in December 2017, there are plans to add new homes, a university building and a transport hub to this area.[39]
Plans for a north–south bypass were scrapped in February 2021.[40]
Since the decision ofFirst Midland Red to pull out of the city in 2015, the majority of local bus routes have been operated by Hereford bus and coach operatorYeomans Travel. Longer routes include:[46]
In 2023, Hereford City Council introduced a free, electric, inter-city bus service.[47] As of 2025 the service is set to be axed by Hereford City Council, owing to the rising costs of the service.[48]
An unbrokenshared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians runs along the western rim of the city, from Newton Farm toHolmer. The Great Western Way route crosses the River Wye using Hunderton Bridge and follows the route of a disused railway line.[49]
National Cycle Route 46 runs southbound from Hereford to Swansea. The route is signposted and unbroken; the next destination from Hereford en route isKilpeck Castle. The route passes through Abergavenny and theHeads of the Valleys as it enters Wales. As of summer 2020, Sustrans proposes an extension to Route 46 running eastbound from Hereford toWorcester.[50]
In 1999, the British ArmySpecial Air Service (SAS) moved from their base at Stirling Lines (formerly Bradbury Lines) in Hereford, their home since 1960, to a formerRoyal Air Force baseRAF Credenhill inCredenhill that had been redeveloped and was designated asStirling Lines in 2000. The clock tower on which the names of deceased SAS soldiers are inscribed was relocated.[51]
The Anglican church of St Martin[52] 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,[53] and a sculpture and stained glass window dedicated to the SAS.[54]
On 17 October 2017,Ascension, a new sculpture and window honouring the Special Air Service Regiment inHereford Cathedral, was dedicated by the thenBishop of Hereford.[55]
Special Metals Wiggin Ltd – Manufacturers ofnickel alloys[58]
Avara Foods (formerlyCargill and Sun Valley) – Manufacturers and suppliers of food products for retailers and foodservice operators[59]
Painter Brothers – Manufacturers of galvanized steel towers including theSkylon at the Festival of Britain[60]
Herefordshire is a centre forcider production as it contains many acres of orchards; many breweries and associated organisations exist here, along with other heavy and light industries.[61]
Many of the schools in Hereford have been rebuilt and improved.[62] TheHerefordshire and Ludlow College has also been rebuilt to a 21st-century standard.[63] In September 2021 a new higher education institution NMITE (New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering)[64] welcomed its first students who are undertaking an MEng Integrated Engineering.
Hereford benefitted from thePFI 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 three hospitals: the General, the Eye Hospital, and the County Hospital. The newHereford County Hospital was the single largest investment in Herefordshire at that point. In 2015, further funds for more improvements at the hospital were granted.
A major regeneration project is taking place in Hereford city centre, formerly known as theEdgar 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,[65] 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 disusedHerefordshire 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.[66]
A proposedbypass has been drawn up to circle the city, which suffers from rush-hour traffic,[67] with potential routes either to the east or west of the city. Both routes would connect with the recently completed Rotherwas Access Road, connecting the RotherwasIndustrial Estate to theA49. Rotherwas itself has recently been awardedEnterprise Zone status by the government; this is expected to boost the economy and bring in thousands of new jobs.[68]
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 theRegional Spatial Strategy.[69]
Hereford Rugby Club announced plans in 2012 for a £6 million move to a new home.[70] Also based at the Rugby club are Hereford Stampede, who are anAmerican football team who play in theBAFA 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 theWest Hockey Association.[71]
The city is home toHereford Racecourse, a traditionalNational 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.[72]
Hereford's public leisure facilities are managed by the not-for-profit trust HALO Leisure, which runs the HerefordLeisure Centre (which includes sports halls,gymnasium, squash courts, golf course and an outdoorathletics facility), and the HerefordLeisure Pool (which includes a gymnasium, full size swimming pool, leisure pool, diving pool, and learners' pool).
The Hereford Rowing Club (along with the Kayak Club) uses theRiver Wye. The stretch of river is also used for other water sports.Hereford has a nine pinskittle league, formed on 24 October 1902, and today consists of five divisions.[73]
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.[74] It is envisioned as a seed institution for a future University of Hereford within a decade.
Hereford College of Arts – a publicly funded art school on Folly Lane, with aHigher 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.
Holme Lacy College – an agricultural college that was part of the Pershore Group of Colleges (nowWarwickshire College), but currently belongs to Herefordshire and Ludlow College (HLC).[77][78]
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'.[82] 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.[83]
Hereford Cathedral School – A co-educationalindependent school and sixth form, and a member of theHeadmasters' 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 Mary's 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 in a rural location close to the River Lugg, a few miles to the east of the City of Hereford in the village of Lugwardine.[84]
Whitecross Hereford High School – Aspecialistsports college, which moved to a brand newPFI 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.[85]
Primary schools in the city includeHereford Cathedral Junior School, a co-educationalindependent 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.
Farming has played a major part in the history of the county of Herefordshire. For many years, the City of Hereford was the epicentre, playing host to the CattleMarket, a major market site.[87]
With the 2001foot-and-mouth outbreak, the market suffered with reduced trade. Established byAct of Parliament, the market had to be provided and so a Bill was introduced in 2003[88] 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;[89] it has already proved so successful that trading and business is up on the previous site's record.[90]
The annualThree 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 are Gloucester and Worcester.
The hymn "Hereford" was written bySamuel 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'.[91]
Composer SirEdward 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 theCathedral Close. One of hisEnigma 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 Elgar, despite not being a city council member, was 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.[92]
Hereford is home to the Hereford Police Male Voice Choir who competed on the BBC TV show "Last Choir Standing",[93] 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.[95] Many places usually closed to the public are opened during this week, such as the Bishop's Palace at the cathedral.
Polish-born sculptorWalenty 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 byBrian Alabaster ARBS in front of The Old House.[96]
The local radio stations includeHits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire (formerly known asWyvern), which broadcasts on 97.6 MHz, 96.7 MHz and 102.8 MHz FM,Sunshine Radio on 106.2 MHz FM andBBC Hereford and Worcester, which broadcasts on 94.7 MHz FM. Hereford FC has its own on-line radio station, RadioHerefordFC, which covers all matches home and away.
TheHereford Times is the city's only remaining weekly local newspaper, as theHereford Journal ceased publication on 11 June 2014 and theHereford admag followed suit in September 2018.
ThehighwaymanWilliam Spiggot (1691–1721) declared, before his execution to the Ordinary's Accounts ofNewgate Prison in London, that he was the son of an innkeeper from Hereford.[103]
Major-GeneralStringer Lawrence (1698–1775), first commander-in-chief of British troops in India, under whose commandRobert Clive (1725–1774) served, was born in Hereford.[104]
The composer SirEdward Elgar (1857–1934) lived in Hereford 1904–1911, when he was offered but declined the city mayoralty.[92]
BroadcasterGilbert Harding (1907–1960) was born there when his father was master of the local workhouse, as was contemporary actressBeryl Reid OBE (1919–1996).
Pianist, composer and radio broadcasterAusten Herbert Croom-Johnson (1909–1964) was born in Hereford. He made his later career and life in the US.[107]
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.
Simon Carroll (1964–2009), studio potter, was born in Hereford.
The original lineup ofThe Pretenders (formed 1978), with the exception of lead singerChrissie Hynde, were from Hereford, as were the rock bandMott 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.[110]
The rugby union player and sports broadcasterTeddy Wakelam (1893–1963) was born in Hereford.
Stewart Phillips (born 1961) is an English former footballer who spent most of his career at Hereford United. He has scored more goals for Hereford in the Football League than any other player. During his youth Phillips played for Hereford Lads Club. In 1979, nine years before joining West Bromwich Albion, he played in a benefit match for Len Cantello, that saw a team of white players play against a team of black players at The Hawthorns.
The cathedral is home to the Hereford Mappa Mundi, a map of the known world from the late 13th century
Hereford Cathedral dates from 1079 and contains theMappa Mundi, amedieval map of the world dating from the 13th century, which was restored in the late 20th century. It also has achained library.[113]
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 theJacobean era of the 1600s when it was built.
TheMuseum 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 ofLong 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 byJohn Scudamore in the 1500s. It has played host to famous historical figures in its time.[114]
^"Archived copy".www.archenfield.com. Archived fromthe original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved15 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
^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, andThe Three Choirs Festival by Graham J. Roberts.
