Society and culture
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Agriculture[edit]
Farming has played a major part in the history of the county of Herefordshire. For many years, the City of Hereford was the epicentre, playing host to the Cattle Market, 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[edit]
Statue of Sir Edward Elgar on the Cathedral Close
The annual Three Choirs Festival, originating in the 18th century and one of the oldest music festivals in the British Isles, is held in Hereford every third year; the other venues are Gloucester and Worcester.
The hymn "Hereford" was written by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810–1876). He was an organist at Hereford Cathedral (1832–1835). This tune is often sung to the words 'O Thou who camest from above'.
Composer Sir Edward Elgar lived at Plas Gwyn, Eign Hill, in Hereford between 1904 and 1911, writing some of his most famous works during that time. He is commemorated with a statue on the Cathedral Close. One of his Enigma Variations was inspired by a bulldog named Dan falling into the River Wye at Hereford, and the dog is similarly honoured with a wooden statue beside the river. Not long after moving into the city Elgar, despite not being a city council member, was offered but declined the office of mayor of the city. He visited the city as a conductor at the Three Choirs Festival, the last occasion in 1933 prior to his death.
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[edit]
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-born sculptor Walenty Pytel has had studios in Hereford since 1963 after training at Hereford College of Art.
There is a statue of a bronze Hereford bull designed by Brian Alabaster ARBS in front of The Old House.
Literature[edit]
The troops of the fictional commando squad Rainbow 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 takes place in Hereford.
Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series of supernatural and mystery novels is set in and around Hereford.
Media[edit]
The local radio stations include Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire (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, 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 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 and ITV News Central.
Entertainment[edit]
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 in the Old Market precinct.
MFA Bowl (formerly known as TGS), home to a Ten Pin Bowling alley and Mini Golf course, is near the railway station.
There is a dedicated skatepark on Holmer Road.
Notable people[edit]
See Category:People from Hereford
Hereford claims to be the birthplace of Nell Gwyn, 17th-century actress and mistress of King Charles II of England.
Richard Hakluyt (1553–1616), an English writer who promoted the English colonisation of North America, was born in the town.
John Kemble (c. 1599–1679), Catholic priest and martyr, born at Rhydicar Farm at nearby St Weonards.
Thomas Traherne (1636 or 1637 – 1674), English metaphysical poet, cleric, theologian and writer.
Nell Gwyn (1650–1687), David Garrick (1717–1779) and Sarah Siddons (1755–1831), actors and actresses, are all historical figures popularly associated with Hereford.
The highwayman William Spiggot (1691–1721) declared, before his execution to the Ordinary's Accounts of Newgate Prison in London, that he was the son of an innkeeper from Hereford.
Major-General Stringer Lawrence (1698–1775), first commander-in-chief of British troops in India, under whose command Robert Clive (1725–1774) served, was born in Hereford.
William Samuel Symonds (1818–1887) was an English cleric, geologist and author from Hereford.
Henry James, 1st Baron James of Hereford (1828–1911), known as Sir Henry James, was an Anglo-Welsh lawyer and statesman.
The composer Sir Edward Elgar (1857–1934) lived in Hereford 1904–1911, when he was offered but declined the city mayoralty.
Broadcaster Gilbert Harding (1907–1960) was born there when his father was master of the local workhouse, as was contemporary actress Beryl Reid OBE (1919–1996).
Pianist, composer and radio broadcaster Austen Herbert Croom-Johnson (1909–1964) was born in Hereford. He made his later career and life in the US.
Flight Lieutenant Jack Grisman (1914–1944), RAF officer who took part and was killed in the Great Escape.
Al Vandenberg (1932–2012), American photographer, worked and died in Hereford.
John Williamson (1937–2021), international economist and author of "What Washington Means by Policy Reform", was born in Hereford.
Mike Osborne (1941–2007), notable jazz saxophonist active from 1966 to 1981, was born and spent the last decades of his life in Hereford suffering from mental illness.
Frank Oz (born 1944), puppeteer for The Muppets and Yoda of Star Wars, was born in Hereford and lived there till aged five.
Simon Carroll (1964–2009), studio potter, was born in Hereford.
The original lineup of The Pretenders (formed 1978), with the exception of lead singer Chrissie Hynde, were from Hereford, as were the rock band Mott the Hoople (formed 1966).
Ellie Goulding (born 1986), pop singer and songwriter, was born in Hereford.
Lucy Letby (born 1990), serial killer, grew up in Hereford.
Sport[edit]
The rugby union player and sports broadcaster Teddy Wakelam (1893–1963) was born in Hereford.
Stewart Phillips (born 1961) is an English former footballer who spent most of his career at Hereford United. He has scored more goals for Hereford in the Football League than any other player. During his youth Phillips played for Hereford Lads Club. In 1979, nine years before joining West Bromwich Albion, he played in a benefit match for Len Cantello, that saw a team of white players play against a team of black players at The Hawthorns.
Footballer Connor Wickham (born 1993) was born in the city.
Jordan James (born 2004), professional footballer with Birmingham City and Wales national team.
Tourism and attractions[edit]
The cathedral is home to the Hereford Mappa Mundi, a map of the known world from the late 13th century
Hereford Cathedral dates from 1079 and contains the Mappa Mundi, a medieval map of the world dating from the 13th century, which was restored in the late 20th century. It also has a chained library.
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 of the 1600s when it was built.
The Hereford Museum and Art Gallery, housed in a Victorian Gothic 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 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 Museum is in Wormelow village, outside the city.
Holme Lacy 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[edit]
Several festivals are hosted in Hereford including the Beer on the Wye festival, the Hereford Food Festival, and the Three Choirs Festival.
