Herefordshire

Towns & Villages

HEREFORD

Hereford Cathedral and Wye Bridge - Photo: Colin Smith CCL

Once the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of West Mercia, this curious city is a vibrant merger of the modern and the rustic and is one of only a dozen English cities to be recorded in the Domesday Book. It is dominated by a magnificent 11th century cathedral which contains two important treasures - the fascinating 13th century Mappa Mundi, one of the earliest world atlases, and the world's largest chained library containing unique books dating back to the 8th century. The original cathedral was built in the 7th century by Bishop Putta but was promptly destroyed by Welsh invaders.

The city’s museum and art gallery - housed within a timber-framed ‘black and white’ building so typical of the county’s architecture - possesses many important artifacts, including a Bronze Age burial as well as finds from the Roman town of Magnis (modern-day Kentchester).

While Hereford cattle graze happily in the pastures surrounding the city, visitors can shop until they drop in the High Town area of the city or pop into Hereford Cider Museum where they can enjoy a guided tour and sample the local tipple made at the King Offa’s distillery. This is, after all, the home of Bulmers, the biggest cider-making company in the world.

'The Old House', High Town - Photo: Ruth Harris CCL