County in England
Herefordshire
Herefordshire holds the biggest surviving medieval map of the world, a library with its books still chained up, and more cider apples than almost anywhere in Britain.
Key information
- County
- Herefordshire
- Nation
- England
- Population
- about 187,000 (2021 Census)
- Known for
- Hereford cattle, cider and perry, the Mappa Mundi, the Wye Valley
- What locals are called
- Herefordians
- Famous people
- David Garrick, Alfred Watkins, John Masefield, Nell Gwyn (traditionally)
- Football clubs
- Hereford FC; Hereford United (1924–2014) of FA Cup fame
About Herefordshire
A map of the world, and a library on a lead
Hereford Cathedral houses the Mappa Mundi, made around 1300 and the largest surviving medieval map of the world. Drawn on a single sheet of calfskin, it puts Jerusalem at the centre and Britain at the edge, and is crowded with monsters, pilgrims and biblical scenes. Next door sits the world's largest surviving chained library, where about 1,500 books are still secured to their shelves. Medieval readers had to sit and read them where they stood. The cathedral also holds a copy of Magna Carta, from the 1217 reissue. It is a lot of treasure for a county with fewer than 200,000 people.
Why the cattle went round the world
The Hereford breed is a red-bodied, white-faced beef cow, and it is probably the county's most successful export. Developed here in the 18th century, it was shipped to the Americas and Australasia and became a mainstay of ranching across the American West. The cattle are still all over the county's fields, and the Hereford Bull is the county's unofficial mascot. If you see a white-faced cow anywhere on Earth, there is a good chance its family tree leads back to these green hills.
Cider country, with a side of wassailing
Herefordshire's red soil and mild, damp climate suit apple and pear orchards. Cider is the county's drink, and perry, made from pears, is its older, rarer cousin. Big names such as Bulmers grew up in Hereford, and the village of Much Marcle is home to Westons. In January, orchards hold wassails. People bang pots, sing and pour cider on the roots of the trees to wake them up and ensure a good harvest. Hops were once grown here too, and seasonal pickers came from the Black Country for what was often their only holiday.
Black-and-white villages and a very odd church
Head north-west from Hereford and you reach the Black and White Village Trail, with timber-framed houses at Weobley, Pembridge and Eardisland leaning companionably over the lanes. Kilpeck is smaller still, but its tiny 12th-century church is a masterpiece of Romanesque carving. Its doorway is covered in snakes, beasts and warriors, and one famous figure, a Sheela-na-gig, still startles visitors. In Ledbury, the 17th-century timber Market House still stands on its wooden legs, and the town gave Britain the poet laureate John Masefield, born there in 1878.
Where British tourism began
Ross-on-Wye has a claim to be the birthplace of British tourism. In the 18th century, boat trips down the Wye Valley became fashionable, and William Gilpin's 1782 book on the river helped popularise the idea of looking at scenery for pleasure. Today, the cliffs and loops at Symonds Yat are still a draw. The man most associated with Ross is John Kyrle, the "Man of Ross", a 17th-century philanthropist who funded local improvements. Further north, the Iron Age hillfort of the Herefordshire Beacon, also called British Camp, crowns the Malvern Hills. The county also sits on the Welsh border, which means medieval castles and the long line of Offa's Dyke.
A giant-killing, a ley-line man and an actor
Hereford United became national legends on 5 February 1972, when Ronnie Radford's long-range equaliser against Newcastle United in a muddy FA Cup replay at Edgar Street sent the crowd flooding onto the pitch. Hereford won the game 2–1 after extra time. The club folded in 2014, and a new Hereford FC took its place. The county also produced David Garrick, the great 18th-century actor, born in Hereford in 1717. Alfred Watkins, a Hereford brewer and photographer, proposed the idea of ley lines in 1921 after spotting alignments of ancient sites across the landscape. Nell Gwyn, Charles II's famous mistress, is traditionally said to have been born in Hereford too. The SAS has its base at Credenhill, just outside the city, which adds a quiet note of mystery to a very peaceful county.