Hereford ( ) is a

cathedral city City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the the Crown, monarch of the United Kingdom to specific centres of population, which might or might not meet the generally accepted definition of city, cities. , there are List of cities in the Un ...

and the

county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...

of the ceremonial county of

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

, England. It is on the banks of the

River Wye The River Wye (; ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river forms part of Wales-England bor ...

and lies east of the border with

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, north-west of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

and south-west of

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

. With a population of 61,900 in 2024, it is the largest settlement in Herefordshire. An early town charter from 1189, granted by

Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...

, describes it as "Hereford in Wales". Hereford has been recognised as a city since

time immemorial Time immemorial () is a phrase meaning time extending beyond the reach of memory, record, or tradition, indefinitely ancient, "ancient beyond memory or record". The phrase is used in legally significant contexts as well as in common parlance. ...

, with the status being reconfirmed in October 2000. Hereford has been a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

since 2000. Products from Hereford include

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

goods,

nickel Nickel is a chemical element; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slo ...

alloys,

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, Eggs as food, eggs or feathers. The practice of animal husbandry, raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typ ...

chemical A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...

s and

sausage rolls A sausage roll is a savoury dish, popular in current and former Commonwealth nations, consisting of sausage meat wrapped in puff pastry. Although variations are known throughout Europe and in other regions, the sausage roll is most closely assoc ...

, as well as the Hereford breed of cattle.

Toponymy

The Herefordshire edition of

Cambridge County Geographies Cambridge County Geographies is a book series published by Cambridge University Press. Volumes *Aberdeenshire by Mackie, Alexander *Argyllshire and Buteshire by MacNair, Peter (s:Author:Peter Macnair, wikisource) *Ayrshire by Foster, John *Banffsh ...

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 The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

"''here''", an army or formation of soldiers, and the "

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

", a place for crossing a river (cf.

Herford Herford (; ) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is situated in the cultural region of Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) and the Detmold (administrat ...

, 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 Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

name for Hereford is ''Henffordd'', meaning "old road", and probably refers to the

Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

and Roman settlement at nearby

Stretton Sugwas Stretton Sugwas ( ) is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, about northwest of Hereford. The parish also includes the hamlet of Swainshill. The population of this Civil Parish at the 2011 census was 505. In 1087 the village w ...

History

Hereford became the seat of

Putta Putta (died Wiktionary:circa, c. 688) was a medieval Bishop of Rochester and probably the first Bishop of Hereford. Some modern historians say that the two Puttas were separate individuals.Sims-Williams "Putta (d. c.688)" ''Oxford Dictionary of N ...

Bishop of Hereford The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. Until 1534, the Diocese of Hereford was in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and two of its bishop ...

, some time between 676 and 688 AD, after which the settlement continued to grow due to its proximity to the border between

Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...

and

, becoming the

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

capital of West

by the beginning of the 8th century. Hostilities between the Anglo-Saxons and the

came to a head with the Battle of Hereford in 760, in which the Britons freed themselves from the influence of the English. Hereford was again targeted by the Welsh during their conflict with the

King

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

in 1056 when, supported by

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

allies,

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ( – 5 August 1063) was the first and only Welsh king to unite all of Wales under his rule from 1055 to 1063. He had also previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys from 1039 to 1055. Gruffudd was the son of Llywelyn ap ...

, King of Gwynedd and Powys, marched on the town and put it to the torch before returning home in triumph. Hereford had the only mint west of the

Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

in the reign of Athelstan (924–939), and it was to Hereford, then a border town, that Athelstan summoned the leading Welsh princes. The present

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Hereford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Hereford and the principal church of the diocese of Hereford. The cathedral is a grade I listed building. A place of wors ...

dates from the early 12th century, as does the first bridge across the Wye. Former

Bishops of Hereford The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. Until 1534, the Diocese of Hereford was in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and two of its bishop ...

include Saint Thomas de Cantilupe and Lord High Treasurer of England Thomas Charlton. Hereford was home to a small but relatively important

Jewish community Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

until 1290, when Jews were expelled from England by

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

. Jews from

and

moved to Hereford after their expulsion in January 1275 by the Queen mother,

Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence ( 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a Provence, Provençal noblewoman who became List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III of England, Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served ...

. 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. The city gave its name (translated to French) to two suburbs of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Maisons-Alfort Maisons-Alfort () is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Maisons-Alfort is famous as the location of the National Veterinary School of Alfort. The Fo ...

(population 54,600) and

Alfortville Alfortville () is a Communes of France, commune in the Val-de-Marne Departments of France, department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. It is one of the 13 communes in the interc ...

(population 36,232), due to a manor built there by

Peter of Aigueblanche Peter of Aigueblanche (or Peter of Aquablanca or Peter d’Aigueblanche or Peter de Aquablanca; died 27 November 1268) was a medieval Bishop of Hereford. A nobleman from Savoy, he came to England as part of the party accompanying King Henry I ...

, in the middle of the 13th century. A base for successive holders of the title

Earl of Hereford Earl of Hereford is a title in the ancient feudal nobility of England, encompassing the region of Herefordshire, England. It was created six times. The title is an ancient one. In 1042, Godwin, Earl of Wessex severed the territory of Herefordshir ...

, the city was once the site of

Hereford Castle Hereford Castle is a castle that used to be in the cathedral city of Hereford, the county town of Herefordshire, England (). Founded sometime before 1052, it was one of the earliest castles in England. Hereford Castle was probably destroyed whe ...

, which rivalled that of

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...

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 The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...

against

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...

. The castle was dismantled in the 18th century and landscaped into Castle Green. After the

Battle of Mortimer's Cross The Battle of Mortimer's Cross was fought on 2 February 1461 near Kingsland, Herefordshire (between Leominster and Leintwardine, by the River Lugg), not far from the Welsh border. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing ...

in 1461, during the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...

, the defeated Lancastrian leader

Owen Tudor Sir Owen Tudor (, – 2 February 1461) was a Welsh courtier and the second husband of Queen Catherine of Valois (1401–1437), widow of King Henry V of England. He was the grandfather of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty. Background ...

(grandfather of the future

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509), also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henr ...

) 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 Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. The common red color is due to ...

. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, the city changed hands several times. On 30 September 1642, Parliamentarians led by

Sir Robert Harley ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

and

Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford ( 1599 – 21 August 1673), known as the Lord Grey of Groby from 1614 to 1628, was an English nobleman and military leader. He was the eldest son of Sir John Grey and Elizabeth Nevill. His mother was probabl ...

occupied the city without opposition. In December they withdrew to

because of the presence in the area of a

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

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 Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

. On 31 July 1645, a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

army of 14,000 under

Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (4 April 1661) was a Scottish army officer. Born illegitimate and raised as a foster child, he subsequently advanced to the rank of field marshal in Swedish Army, and in Scotland became Lord General in comma ...

besieged the city but met stiff resistance from its

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

and inhabitants. They withdrew on 1 September when they received news that a force led by

King Charles King Charles may refer to: Kings A number of kings of Albania, Alençon, Anjou, Austria, Bohemia, Croatia, England, France, Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, Ireland, Jerusalem, Naples, Navarre, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sardinia, Scotland, Sicily, S ...

was approaching. The city was finally taken for

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

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

, ten Scottish

Saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...

s 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 The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

Nell Gwynne Eleanor Gwyn (also spelled Gwynn, Gwynne; 2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687) was an English stage actress and celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on t ...

, actress and mistress of King Charles II, is said to have been born in Hereford in 1650 (although other towns and cities, notably

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, claim her as their own); Gwynn Street is named after her. Another famous actor born in Hereford is

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...

(1717–1779). The Bishop's Palace next to the cathedral was built in 1204 and is still in use today. Hereford Cathedral School is one of the oldest schools in England. The Harold Street Barracks were completed in 1856. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1916, a fire at the Garrick Theatre killed eight young girls who had been performing at a charity concert.

Governance

The main

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

body covering Hereford is

Herefordshire Council Herefordshire Council is the local authority for the county of Herefordshire in England. It is a unitary authority, combining the powers of a district and county council. History Herefordshire was one of the historic counties of England. Elec ...

. Hereford has a city council, a parish council with

city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a monarch, national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose. Historically, ci ...

, and has only limited powers. Historically, Hereford has been the county town of Herefordshire. In 1974, Herefordshire was merged with

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

to become part of the county of

Hereford and Worcester Hereford and Worcester ( ) was an English non-metropolitan county created on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 from the areas of the former administrative county of Herefordshire, most of Worcestershire (except Halesowen, Stourbridg ...

and Hereford became a

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of the new county. No

successor parish Successor parishes are Civil parishes in England, civil parishes with a parish councils in England, parish council, created in England in 1974. They replaced, with the same boundaries, a selected group of Urban district (England and Wales), urban d ...

was formed, so the former borough became unparished. Hereford had formed a historic borough and was reformed by the

Municipal Corporations Act 1835 The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 ( 5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 76), sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales. The le ...

. On 1 April 1998, the county of Hereford and Worcester was abolished; Herefordshire and Worcestershire were re-established as separate counties. However, the new Herefordshire was a

unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

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 In England and Wales, charter trustees are set up to maintain the continuity of a town charter or city charter after a district with the status of a borough or city has been abolished, until such time as a civil parish council or in larger settle ...

were appointed to preserve mayoral traditions until a

council could be set up, which happened on 1 April 2000. Hereford is one of only eight civil parishes in England which have city status. It is based at Hereford Town Hall.

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

was the name of a parliamentary constituency that was centred in the city from 1295 to 2010, when it was renamed Hereford and South Herefordshire. The current Member of Parliament (MP) in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

Jesse Norman Alexander Jesse Norman (born 23 June 1962) is a British politician who has served as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons since November 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hereford and So ...

of the Conservative Party. He has represented the

constituency An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

since May 2010.

Geography

Climate

As with all of the UK, Hereford experiences a

maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring ...

, with limited seasonal temperature ranges, and generally moderate rainfall throughout the year. The nearest

Met Office The Met Office, until November 2000 officially the Meteorological Office, is the United Kingdom's national weather and climate service. It is an executive agency and trading fund of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and ...

weather station, for which 30-year averages are available, is

Credenhill Credenhill is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. The population of this civil parish taken at the 2011 Census was 2,271. History Credenhill village has had military connections since 80 BC, when Iron Age Celts constructed ...

weather station, about 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. Since 2001, extremes at Hereford Credenhill have ranged from during July 2006, to as low as during December 2010. In February 2020, many houses in Hereford were evacuated due to floods.

Demography

The following statistics were recorded for Hereford and its surrounding urban area at the 2021 Census: The religious composition of Hereford at the 2021 Census was recorded as:

Transport

Roads

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 , which passes to the south of Ledbury. Along the northern rim of the city, the A4103 is named ''

Roman Road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

'', running in a straight line from east to west. Only one major route crosses the River Wye: the A49/Victoria Street, which is carried by Greyfriars Bridge. The Hereford Link Road was completed in December 2017, costing around £34,000,000 to build. 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.

Future

Folowing 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. Plans for a north–south bypass were scrapped in February 2021.

Railways

Hereford railway station Hereford railway station serves the city of Hereford, in Herefordshire, England. Managed by Transport for Wales, it lies on the Welsh Marches Line, between Leominster and Abergavenny; it is also the western terminus of the Cotswold Line, for s ...

lies to the north of the city centre. It is a junction of two lines: the western terminus of the

Cotswold Line The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England. History Early years The line between Oxford and Worcester was built under an 1845 Act of Parliament and opened in 1851 as part of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway ...

and a through station on the Welsh Marches Line between and . Services are provided by three

train operating companies In the railway system of Great Britain, a train operating company (TOC) is a railway undertaking operating passenger trains under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways ...

: *

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; ; ) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consisting of itself and its subsidiaries: Trans ...

operates services between , , and ; services continue either to and or to and . *

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

runs regular services to

London Paddington Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London railway station and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great Western Ra ...

, via , and . *

West Midlands Railway West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a British train operating company. It operates passenger trains on the Passenger rail franchising in Great Britain, West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trading names: within t ...

operates services to , via , and . A second station, , served the city between 1854 and 1893.

Buses

Since the decision of

First Midland Red First Midland Red Buses,Companies House extract company no 1556327< ...

to pull out of the city in 2015, the majority of local bus routes have been operated by Hereford bus and coach operator ''Yeomans Travel''. Longer routes include: * 23, which runs to

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

and Newport, run by

Stagecoach South Wales Stagecoach South Wales is a bus operator providing services in South East Wales. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group. It is the largest operator of bus services in Wales. History In January 1991, Cheltenham-based Western Travel purch ...

* 33 to

is operated by

Stagecoach West Stagecoach West is a bus operator providing services in Gloucestershire, Bristol, Swindon, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, North Somerset and Herefordshire, in the West of England, and Monmouthshire in the South-East of Wales. The company is a subsidia ...

* 66 to

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

is run by

Newport Bus Newport Bus (the operating name of Newport Transport Limited) is the main provider of Bus transport in the United Kingdom, bus services in the city of Newport, Wales. A limited company whose shares are wholly owned by Newport City Council, it i ...

* T14 links Hereford station to

Hay-on-Wye Hay-on-Wye, or simply Hay (; or simply ), is a market town and community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as a book town, "town of books"; it is both the National Book Town of Wales and the s ...

and

Brecon Brecon (; ; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Breck ...

, operated by

TrawsCymru TrawsCymru is the brand name for a network of regional bus services in Wales, sponsored by the Welsh Government. It was introduced as a replacement for the TrawsCambria network. History Launch plans In 2010, the Welsh Government, Welsh Assembly ...

Cycling

Cycling infrastructure Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of bicycle pedal, pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the ...

in Hereford is maintained by

and

Sustrans Sustrans ( ) is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United ...

. An unbroken

shared-use path A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is "designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists". Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, Bridle path, bridleways and ra ...

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 and follows the route of a disused railway line.

National Cycle Route 46 National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 46 is a Sustrans National Route that runs from Bromsgrove to Neath. Route Bromsgrove to Worcester Bromsgrove , Droitwich Spa , Worcester The route begins in Bromsgrove town centre on road before opening o ...

runs southbound from Hereford to Swansea. The route is signposted and unbroken; the next destination from Hereford en route is Kilpeck Castle. The route passes through Abergavenny and the

Heads of the Valleys The A465 is a Trunk roads in Wales, trunk road that runs from Bromyard in Herefordshire, England to Llandarcy near Swansea in south Wales. The western half in Wales is known officially as the Neath to Abergavenny Trunk Road, but the section fro ...

as it enters Wales. As of summer 2020, Sustrans proposes an extension to Route 46 running eastbound from Hereford to

National Cycle Route 44 National Cycle Network Route 44, part of the National Cycle Network, is a 31.1 mile cycle route, connecting Shrewsbury, Shropshire with Cinderford, Gloucestershire. The part of the route from Shrewsbury to Bromfield, Shropshire, Bromfield is sign ...

leaves Hereford to the southeast and runs as far as Rotherwas. The route is incomplete; once completed, Route 44 will run to

Ludlow Castle Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the Ludlow, town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy (died 1085), Wal ...

to the north and

Cinderford Cinderford is a town and civil parish on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. The population was 8,777 at the 2021 Census. The town came into existence in the 19th century, following the rapid expansion of the ...

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the Counties of England, county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangle, triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and no ...

to the south. The nearest bike park is the Black Mountain Bike Park.

Taxis

Harry's Taxis Hereford

Military associations

In 1999, the British Army

Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terr ...

(SAS) moved from their base at Stirling Lines (formerly Bradbury Lines) in Hereford, their home since 1960, to a former

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

base

RAF Credenhill RAF Credenhill, also known as RAF Hereford, was a non-flying station of the Royal Air Force situated in the village of Credenhill near Hereford, England, United Kingdom. It was commissioned in 1940 and served as home for a range of training scho ...

that had been redeveloped and was designated as

Stirling Lines Stirling Lines is a British Army garrison in Credenhill, Herefordshire; the headquarters of the Special Air Service, 22 Special Air Service Regiment (22 SAS), Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) and 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment. The site was form ...

in 2000. The clock tower on which the names of deceased SAS soldiers are inscribed was relocated. The Anglican church of St Martin 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, and a sculpture and stained glass window dedicated to the SAS. On 17 October 2017, ''Ascension'', a new sculpture and window honouring the Special Air Service Regiment in

, was dedicated by the then

Economy

In 2005, Hereford was granted Fairtrade City status. Major employers in the city include: *

Bulmers Bulmers cider is one of a number of brands owned by British cider maker H. P. Bulmer of Hereford, a Heineken subsidiary. It is one of the biggest selling British bottled cider brands in the UK with a number of variants including Bulmers Origin ...

, now owned by

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...

–

Cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...

and alcoholic beverages producer. Brands include

Woodpecker Cider Woodpecker Cider is a sweet cider originally made in 1894 by Percy Bulmer in Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropsh ...

, Strongbow and Bulmers Cider * Special Metals Wiggin Ltd – Manufacturers of

alloys *

Cargill Cargill, Incorporated is an American multinational food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865 by William Wallace Cargill, it is the largest privately held c ...

Meats Europe (formerly Sun Valley) – Manufacturers and suppliers of food products for retailers and foodservice operators * Painter Brothers – Manufacturers of galvanized steel towers including The Skylon Herefordshire is a centre for

production as it contaibs many acres of orchards; many breweries and associated organisations exist here, along with other heavy and light industries.

Regeneration

Many of the schools in Hereford have been rebuilt and improved. The Herefordshire and Ludlow College has also been rebuilt to a 21st-century standard. In September 2021 a new higher education institution NMITE (New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering) welcomed its first students who are undertaking an MEng Integrated Engineering. 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 three 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 just north of the old city walls. Work started on 8 October 2012, 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 Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal (sometimes known as the Hereford and Gloucester Canal) is a canal in the west of England, which ran from Hereford to Gloucester, where it linked to the River Severn. It was opened in two phases in 179 ...

. The £80 million phase 1 includes a supermarket, department store, multiplex cinema, shops, restaurants, and other facilities and opened in late Spring 2014. A proposed bypass has been drawn up to circle the city, which suffers from rush-hour traffic, 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 Rotherwas

Industrial Estate An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...

to the A49. Rotherwas itself has recently been awarded

Enterprise Zone An urban enterprise zone is an area in which policies to encourage economic growth and development are implemented. Urban enterprise zone policies generally offer tax concessions, infrastructure incentives, and reduced regulations to attract invest ...

status by the government; this is expected to boost the economy and bring in thousands of new jobs. 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 Regional spatial strategies (RSS) provided regional level planning frameworks for the Regions of England, regions of England outside London. (In London, spatial planning is the responsibility of the Mayor of London, mayor.) They were introduced in ...

Sport

Hereford is the home of the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club Hereford FC, who play at

Edgar Street Edgar Street, currently known as MandM Edgar Street Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Hereford and was the home of Hereford United Football Club from the club's formation in 1924 until December 2014, when the club was w ...

in the

National League North The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National League (English footb ...

. They are a phoenix club that was set up in the wake of the demise of Hereford United Football Club in 2014. United were best known for beating

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

2–1 in an

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

replay in January 1972, when they were still a non-league side and Newcastle were in the top division of English football. Other city clubs include Westfields, Hereford Pegasus and Hereford Lads Club, all of whom play in the

Hellenic Football League The Hellenic Football League, currently known as the uhlsport Hellenic Football League for sponsorship reasons, is an English men's association football, football league covering an area including the English Counties of the United Kingdom, cou ...

Hereford Rugby Club Hereford Rugby Club is an English rugby union team based in Hereford, Herefordshire. The club operates three senior men's teams (HRFC, 1870’s and Lions), a colts team, a newly formed Ladies team and a full range of junior teams, from 6 to 16 y ...

announced plans in 2012 for a £6 million move to a new home. Also based at the Rugby club are Hereford Stampede, who are an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

team who play in the

BAFA National Leagues The BAFANL (BAFA National Leagues) is the primary American football domestic league competition in Great Britain. Originally formed in 1983, the league is run by the British American Football Association to coordinate American football, contact ...

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. The city is home to Hereford Racecourse, a traditional

National Hunt National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches. In ...

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.

Public leisure

Hereford's public leisure facilities are managed by the not-for-profit trust HALO Leisure, which runs the Hereford

Leisure Centre A leisure centre, sports centre, or recreation centre is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and provided by the local government authority, where people can engage in a variety of sports and exercise, and keep fit. Typical facilit ...

(which includes sports halls,

gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

nasium, squash courts, golf course and an outdoor

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

facility), and the Hereford

Leisure Pool An indoor water park is a type of water park that is located inside a building. An indoor water park has the ability to stay open year-round, as it is not affected by weather conditions. History Some of the first indoor water parks are at Duinr ...

(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

. 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.

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. 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 Hereford College of Arts (HCA) is an art school based in Herefordshire, United Kingdom. Description It offers courses in both further and higher education fields, in Art & Design, Music and Performing Arts, to national and international studen ...

– a publicly funded art school on Folly Lane, with a

Higher Education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

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. * Herefordshire and Ludlow College (HLC), formerly known as Hereford College of Technology – The Folly Lane facility includes a university centre for the

University of Worcester The University of Worcester is a public research university, based in Worcester, England. With a history dating back to 1946, the university began awarding degrees in 1997 and was granted full university status in 2005. History In 1946 an Emerg ...

. The

National School of Blacksmithing National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

is the oldest established blacksmithing college in the UK, also the largest facility for training smiths in Europe. This is also part of HLC. *

Hereford Sixth Form College Hereford Sixth Form College is a co-educational state funded sixth form college in Hereford, England. It offers over 40 subjects at A-Level and 10 at GCSE. It is on the A465 in Aylestone Hill, in the east of Hereford, opposite Wye Valley Nuffi ...

* The

Royal National College for the Blind Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Ro ...

– one of only two in Britain. The college occupies the former Hereford College of Education campus. * Holme Lacy College – an agricultural college that was part of the Pershore Group of Colleges (now

Warwickshire College WCG (formerly ''Warwickshire College Group'' and ''Warwickshire College'') is the managing body that administers several colleges of further education in the English West Midlands (region), West Midlands, namely in the counties of Warwickshire ...

), but currently belongs to Herefordshire and Ludlow College (HLC).

Schools

Hereford's many secondary schools include: * The Steiner Academy Hereford – The first

Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (; 27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century ...

school in England to become an academy. * Aylestone Business and Enterprise College – A

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

for pupils aged between 11 and 16, created in 1976 by merging two former

grammar schools A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

, the Hereford High School for Boys and the Hereford High School for Girls. Specialises in Business and Enterprise. * The

Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School (BHBS) is a mixed comprehensive secondary school in the Tupsley district of Hereford, England. It is a voluntary aided school, which takes children from the age of 11 through to the age of 16. It is a Ch ...

– A co-educational

voluntary aided A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation) contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In m ...

comprehensive school for pupils aged between 11 and 16, formed in 1973 from two former church secondary schools, the Bluecoat Foundation, dating back to 1710, and the Bishop's School, a

secondary modern school A secondary modern school () is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Secondary modern schools accommodated the majority (70–75%) of pupil ...

founded in 1958. It is now a

technology college In the United Kingdom, a Technology College is a specialist school that specialises in design and technology, mathematics and science. Beginning in 1994, they were the first specialist schools that were not CTC colleges. In 2008, there were 598 ...

with a second specialism in

languages Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing. Human language is ch ...

. * 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'. 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. *

Hereford Cathedral School Hereford Cathedral School is a private, co-educational boarding and day school for pupils of ages 3 to 18 years, from nursery to sixth form. Its headmaster is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school's premises a ...

– A co-educational

independent school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

and sixth form, and a member of the

Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), formerly known as the Headmasters' Conference and now branded HMC (The Heads' Conference), is an association of the head teachers of 351 private fee-charging schools (both boarding schools ...

. 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. * Whitecross Hereford High School – A

specialist A specialist is someone who is an expert in, or devoted to, some specific branch of study or research. Specialist may also refer to: Occupations * Specialist (rank), military rank ** Specialist (Singapore) * Specialist officer, military rank in ...

sports college Sports Colleges are senior secondary schools which promote sports alongside secondary education. United Kingdom Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The programme enabled sec ...

, 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. Primary schools in the city include Hereford Cathedral Junior School, a co-educational

. 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.

Health and social care

In early 2008,

and NHS Herefordshire became the first local authority and

primary care trust Primary care trusts (PCTs) were part of the National Health Service in England from 2001 to 2013. PCTs were largely administrative bodies, responsible for commissioning primary, community and secondary health services from providers. Until 31 May ...

to form a new kind of partnership. The major hospital in Hereford is the

Hereford County Hospital Hereford County Hospital is an acute general hospital on Stonebow Road in Hereford. It is managed by Wye Valley NHS Trust. History The foundation stone for Hereford County Hospital was laid in 1937 by Queen Mary. It was built adjacent to the si ...

Ambulance An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to ...

services are provided by the

West Midlands Ambulance Service The West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust (WMAS UNHSFT) is responsible for providing NHS ambulance services within the West Midlands region of England. It is one of ten ambulance trusts providing England with emergenc ...

NHS Trust. The

Midlands Air Ambulance The Midlands Air Ambulance Charity (MAAC), formerly County Air Ambulance, is a charity operating a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands. ...

charity provides air ambulance services across Herefordshire. A private national firm operates a hospital in Hereford.

Society and culture

Agriculture

Farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

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 Cattle

Market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

, a major market site. With the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak, the market suffered with reduced trade. Established by Act of Parliament, the market had to be provided and so a Bill was introduced in 2003 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; it has already proved so successful that trading and business is up on the previous site's record.

Music

The annual

Three Choirs Festival 200px, Worcester cathedral 200px, Gloucester cathedral The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held annually at the end of July, rotating among the cathedrals of the Three Counties (Hereford, Gloucester, and Worcester) and originally fe ...

, 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 by

Samuel Sebastian Wesley Samuel Sebastian Wesley (14 August 1810 – 19 April 1876) was an English organ (music), organist and composer. Wesley married Mary Anne Merewether and had 6 children. He is often referred to as S.S. Wesley to avoid confusion with his father Sa ...

(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'. Composer Sir

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

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 Edward Elgar composed his ''Variations on an Original Theme'', Op. 36, popularly known as the ''Enigma Variations'', between October 1898 and February 1899. It is an orchestral work comprising fourteen variations on an original theme. Elgar ...

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.Articles, ''Edward Elgar's Hereford'' by Jacob O'Callaghan, and ''The Three Choirs Festival'' by Graham J. Roberts. Hereford is home to the Hereford Police Male Voice Choir who competed on the BBC TV show "Last Choir Standing", and the Railway Choir. A charity music school is based in Hereford.

Art

''H.Art'', or Herefordshire Art Week, is an annual county-wide exhibition held in September, displaying the work of local artists. Many places usually closed to the public are opened during this week, such as the Bishop's Palace at the cathedral.

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

-born sculptor

Walenty Pytel Walenty Pytel (1941- ) is a Polish-born contemporary artist based in the United Kingdom, recognised as a leading metal sculptor of birds and beasts. Life Pytel was born in German-occupied Poland during the Second World War. Because of his bl ...

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 Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word mea ...

in front of The Old House.

Literature

The troops of the fictional

commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

squad

Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...

were based at RAF Hereford, as detailed in the novel '' Rainbow Six''. The action of the fictional novels '' Shades of Grey'' and '' The Last Dragonslayer'' by

Jasper Fforde Jasper Fforde (born 11 January 1961) is an English novelist whose first novel, '' The Eyre Affair'', was published in 2001. He is known mainly for his '' Thursday Next'' novels, but has also published two books in the loosely connected '' Nurser ...

takes place in Hereford. Phil Rickman's ''Merrily Watkins'' series of supernatural and mystery novels is set in and around Hereford. Comedy writer Aaron Gillies began writing using

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

while working as a sound technician at

The Courtyard ''The Courtyard'' is a 1995 made-for-television thriller film that premiered on the Showtime network. Directed by Fred Walton, the movies uses a screenplay by Wendy Biller and Christopher Hawthorne. The work centers around a yuppie architect wh ...

Media

The local radio stations include

Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire, formerly Free Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire, is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Herefordshire and Worcestershi ...

(formerly known as ''Wyvern''), which broadcasts on 97.6 MHz, 96.7 MHz and 102.8 MHz FM, Sunshine Radio on 106.2 MHz FM and

BBC Hereford and Worcester BBC Hereford & Worcester is the BBC's local radio station serving the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, which were one county from 1974 to 1998. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and online via BBC Sounds from studios on Hylt ...

, which broadcasts on 94.7 MHz FM. Hereford FC has its own on-line radio station, RadioHerefordFC, which covers all matches home and away. The

Hereford Times The ''Hereford Times'' is a weekly tabloid newspaper published every Thursday in Hereford, England. Its offices are based in Rotherwas. The editor is Alicia Kelly. The newspaper covers events across the county of Herefordshire as well as some o ...

is the city's only remaining weekly local newspaper, as the ''Hereford Journal'' ceased publication on 11 June 2014 and the ''Hereford admag'' followed suit in September 2018. Local TV content is currently provided by

BBC Midlands Today ''BBC Midlands Today'' is the BBC's regional television news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasti ...

and

ITV News Central ''ITV News Central'' is a British television news service for The East and West Midlands, broadcast and produced by ITV Central. History Launched on Friday 1 January 1982, replacing ''ATV Today'', ''Central News'' was initially a pan-region ...

Entertainment

The city's main theatre and cultural venue is the Courtyard Centre for the Arts, which was opened in 1998, replacing the New Hereford Theatre. There is a multi-screen Odeon

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...

in the Old Market precinct. MFA Bowl (formerly known as TGS), home to a

Ten Pin Bowling Tenpin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The goal is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll of the ...

alley and

Mini Golf Miniature golf (also known as minigolf, putt-putt, crazy golf, and by several other names) is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of poi ...

course, is near the railway station. There is a dedicated

skatepark A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, Freestyle scootering, scootering, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairw ...

on Holmer Road.

Notable people

:''See :People from Hereford'' Simon Verelst - Portrait of Nell Gwyn

Richard Hakluyt Richard Hakluyt (; 1553 – 23 November 1616) was an English writer. He is known for promoting the British colonization of the Americas, English colonization of North America through his works, notably ''Divers Voyages Touching the Discov ...

(1553–1616), an English writer who promoted the

English colonisation of North America British America collectively refers to various colonies of Great Britain and its predecessors states in the Americas prior to the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War in 1783. The British monarchy of the Kingdom of England and Kingdom ...

, was born in the town. * John Kemble (c. 1599–1679), Catholic priest and martyr, was born at Rhydicar Farm, St Weonards, near Hereford. *

Thomas Traherne Thomas Traherne (; 1636 or 1637) was an English poet, Anglican cleric, theologian, and religious writer. The intense, scholarly spirituality in his writings has led to his being commemorated by some parts of the Anglican Communion on 10 October ...

(1636 or 1637 – 1674), English

metaphysical poet The term Metaphysical poets was coined by the critic Samuel Johnson to describe a loose group of 17th-century English poets whose work was characterised by the inventive use of conceits, and by a greater emphasis on the spoken rather than lyrica ...

, cleric, theologian and writer. *

Nell Gwyn Eleanor Gwyn (also spelled Gwynn, Gwynne; 2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687) was an English people, English stage actress and celebrity figure of the Stuart Restoration, Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances ...

(1650–1687),

(1717–1779) and

Sarah Siddons Sarah Siddons (''née'' Kemble; 5 July 1755 – 8 June 1831) was a Welsh actress, the best-known Tragedy, tragedienne of the 18th century. Contemporaneous critic William Hazlitt dubbed Siddons as "tragedy personified". She was the elder siste ...

(1755–1831), actors and actresses, are all historical figures popularly associated with Hereford. * The

highwayman A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to foo ...

William Spiggot (1691–1721) declared, before his execution to the Ordinary's Accounts of

Newgate Prison Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey, just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, the pr ...

in London, that he was the son of an innkeeper from Hereford. * Major-General

Stringer Lawrence Major-General Stringer Lawrence (February 1698 – 10 January 1775) was a British army officer who served as the first Commander-in-Chief of Fort William from 1748 to 1754. Origins Lawrence was born at Hereford, England, the son of John Lawre ...

(1698–1775), first commander-in-chief of British troops in India, under whose command

Robert Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British List of governors of Bengal Presidency, Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for l ...

(1725–1774) served, was born in Hereford. *

William Samuel Symonds William Samuel Symonds (13 December 181815 September 1887) was an English cleric, geologist and author. Life He was born in Hereford, and educated at Cheltenham College and Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1842. Having take ...

(1818–1887) was an English cleric, geologist and author from Hereford. *

Henry James, 1st Baron James of Hereford Henry James, 1st Baron James of Hereford, (30 October 1828 – 18 August 1911), known as Sir Henry James between 1873 and 1895, was an Anglo-Welsh lawyer and statesman. Initially a Liberal, he served under William Ewart Gladstone as Solicitor ...

(1828–1911), known as Sir Henry James, was an Anglo-Welsh lawyer and statesman. * The composer Sir

(1857–1934) lived in Hereford 1904–1911, during which time he was offered but declined the city mayoralty. * The rugby union player and sports broadcaster

Teddy Wakelam Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Blythe Thornhill Wakelam (8 May 1893 – 10 July 1963), known as Teddy Wakelam, was an English sports broadcaster and rugby union player who captained Harlequin F.C. Early life Wakelam was born in Hereford. During his ...

(1893–1963) was born in Hereford. * Broadcaster

Gilbert Harding Gilbert Charles Harding (5 June 1907 – 16 November 1960) was a British journalist and radio and television personality. His many careers included schoolmaster, journalist, policeman, disc jockey, actor, interviewer and television presenter. H ...

(1907–1960) was born there when his father was master of the local workhouse, as was contemporary actress

Beryl Reid Beryl Elizabeth Reid (17 June 1919 – 13 October 1996) was a British actress. She won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for '' The Killing of Sister George'', the 1980 Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for '' Born in th ...

OBE (1919–1996). *

Al Vandenberg Al Vandenberg (1932–2012) was an American photographer notable for his street portraiture and collaboration on the album cover of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. Early life Vandenberg was born to Dutch parents in Boston, ...

(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 Michael Evans Osborne (28 September 1941 – 19 September 2007) was an English jazz alto saxophonist, pianist, and clarinetist who was a member of the band Brotherhood of Breath in the 1960s and 1970s. Biography Mike Osborne was born in H ...

(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 Frank Richard Oznowicz (born May 25, 1944), known professionally as Frank Oz, is an American puppeteer, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for his involvement with Jim Henson and George Lucas through ''The Muppets'', ''Sesame Street'', and '' ...

(born 1944), puppeteer for ''

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an surreal humor, absurdist, slapstick, burlesque, and self-referential humor, self-referential style of Musical theatre, musical Variety show, variety-sketch comedy. Cre ...

'' and

Yoda Yoda () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a small, green humanoid alien who is powerful with the Force. He first appeared in the 1980 film '' The Empire Strikes Back'', in which he is voiced and puppeteered by F ...

of ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'', was born in Hereford and lived there for the first five years of his life. *

Simon Carroll Simon Carroll (1964-2009) was a British studio potter. Carroll has permanent collections at the V&A museum London and Amgueddfa Cymru. Life Carroll was born in Hereford and educated at Hereford College of Arts followed by UWE Bristol where ...

(1964–2009), studio potter, was born in Hereford. * The original lineup of

The Pretenders The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (ba ...

(formed 1978), with the exception of lead singer

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American-British musician. She is a founding member of the rock band the Pretenders and is the band's lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter; she and drummer Martin Chambers are the ...

, were from Hereford, as were the rock band Mott the Hoople (formed 1966). *

Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer, songwriter, and activist. Born in Hereford and raised in Lyonshall, Goulding began writing songs at the age of 15. She released her debut single " Under the Sheets" through ...

(born 1986), pop singer and songwriter, was born in Hereford. *

Lucy Letby Lucy Letby (born 4 January 1990) is a British former neonatal nurse who was convicted of the murders of seven infants and the attempted murders of seven others between June 2015 and June 2016. Letby came under investigation following a high ...

(born 1990), serial killer, grew up in Hereford. * Footballer

Connor Wickham Connor Neil Ralph Wickham (born 31 March 1993) is an English professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward. He is currently a free agent. He has previously represented Ipswich Town F.C., Ip ...

(born 1993) was born in the city. * Jordan James (born 2004), professional footballer with

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

and Wales national team.

Tourism and attractions

Hereford Cathedral dates from 1079 and contains the ''

Mappa Mundi A ''mappa mundi'' (Latin ; plural = ''mappae mundi''; ; ) is any medieval European map of the world. Such maps range in size and complexity from simple schematic maps or less across to elaborate wall maps, the largest of which to survive to ...

'', a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

map of the world dating from the 13th century, which was restored in the late 20th century. It also has a

chained library A chained library is a library where the books are attached to their bookcase by a chain, which is sufficiently long enough to allow the books to be taken from their shelves and read, but not removed from the library itself. The practice was usua ...

. 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 The Jacobean era was the period in English and Scotland, Scottish history that coincides with the reign of James VI and I, James VI of Scotland who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I. The Jacobean era succeeds the Elizabeth ...

of the 1600s when it was built. The

Hereford Museum and Art Gallery The Hereford Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery located in the cathedral city of Hereford, Herefordshire, England. Opened in 1874, through the generosity of Sir James Rankin, 1st Baronet, Sir James Rankin MP, President of the W ...

, housed in a

Victorian Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

building and opened in 1874, presents artefacts, fine art, and decorative art associated with the local area. 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. 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. The

Violette Szabo Violette Reine Elizabeth Szabo, GC (née Bushell; 26 June 1921 – February 1945) was a British-French Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent during the Second World War and a posthumous recipient of the George Cross. On her second mission i ...

Museum is in Wormelow village, outside the city.

Holme Lacy Holme Lacy is a village and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 466 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census. Etymology The name of Holme Lacy is not from Old Norse language, Old No ...

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.

Festivals

Several festivals are hosted in Hereford including the Beer on the Wye festival, the Hereford Food Festival, and the

Twin towns

Dillenburg Dillenburg, officially Oranienstadt Dillenburg, is a town in Hesse's Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis. The town lies on the German- Dutch holiday roa ...

, Germany *

Vierzon Vierzon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Cher (department), Cher departments of France, department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Geography A medium-sized town by the banks of the river Cher (river), Cher with some light industry and a ...

, France (since 1994)

Freedom of the City

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the City of Hereford.

Individuals

John Edward Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer. He was Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967, during which time he lived at Burcot, Oxfordshire, near Abingdon-on-Thames. Among his best known wo ...

: 1930. * Graham John Turner: 31 October 2010.

Military units

Source: * The

Herefordshire Light Infantry The Herefordshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1861 to 1967. The regiment had no lineal connection with the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot. History Formation The 1st Administrative Battal ...

: September 1945. *

RAF Hereford RAF Credenhill, also known as RAF Hereford, was a non-flying station of the Royal Air Force situated in the village of Credenhill near Hereford, England, United Kingdom. It was commissioned in 1940 and served as home for a range of training scho ...

: April 1959. * The

King's Shropshire Light Infantry The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I, World War II and Korea ...

: April 1960. *

The Light Infantry The Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. The regiment was one of four 'large' regiments formed after the 1966 Defence White Paper through the amalgamation of units of the Light Infantry Bri ...

: July 1971. * HMS Antelope, RN: March 1976. * The

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. Membership Service in th ...

: April 1976. * The 22nd Special Air Services Regiment: April 1981. * The

Burma Star Association The Burma Star Association is a British veterans' association for ex-servicemen and women of all services who served in the Burma Campaign of World War II. The criterion for membership is the award of the Burma Star for service in Burma during Wor ...

: April 1982. *

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions. Each Regular battalion was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the ...

: July 2008.

References

External links

Hereford City Council
{{Authority control Towns in Herefordshire Towns of the Welsh Marches County towns in England Populated places established in the 1st millennium Cities in the West Midlands (region) Mercian settlements Civil parishes in Herefordshire Former non-metropolitan districts of Hereford and Worcester Former boroughs in England