A Brief History of Hereford
Hereford is one of Britain’s most historic counties and dates all way the back to the days of Julius Caesar. The beautiful town was then known to old Britons as Caerfawydd which means the town of Beechwood. In the year of AD 676 the name was then changed to Hereford, this name relates to the passage of an army from one side of the river banks to the other.
Hereford was a border city for centuries and the city had many brutal and fierce border fights. In AD 760 Hereford came under attack by the Welsh. There are many celtic forts when the Romans invaded Britain, there was a Roman village in Kenchester which is near Credenhill, the Romans built a number of roads in the county and they founded the town of Magnis, a mosaic floor was unearthed where the Romans once lived, this beautiful large piece of floor can be seen in Hereford’s Library.
In the 11th century the town was under William I and was nothing more than a small collection of wooden thatched huts and a couple of churches. In 1030 the original Hereford cathedral was built, the city became the centre of attack against the Welsh in 1055, huts were set alight, families with children were fleeing for their lives and the Hereford cathedral was burnt down, a small canon ball still remains stuck in a stone wall today in the city and can be seen very clearly, that is just a small memory of Hereford’s battles.
The Normans rebuilt the cathedral after the fierce battle. Hereford castle was built in 1050 and it was believed to have been the strongest in England, the castle was also said to be as large as Windsor, the castle is no longer standing today as it was demolished in the 17th century after being damaged in the Civil War, the castle was situated on the city’s Castle Green which was on the bank of the river Wye.
The city’s stone old bridge was originally a wooden one but was rebuilt with stone in 1100. The Old House museum that is in High Town was built in 1621 and is refered to by many as a symbol of Hereford city.
Hereford is a flourishing agricultural town and it truly is a breathtaking city with its imposing Norman cathedral and the town’s medieval buildings, history is all around as soon has you step into this historical town. Hereford’s beautiful river Wye is world famous for its magnificent salmon and it is constantly said to be one of the cleanest rivers in the country.
Hereford is also famous for its Hereford cattle that have distinctive white faces and have a reddish brown body colour. There are more than five million of Hereford cattle spread out all over the world in over fifty countries, the first sale of a Hereford cow was in 1795 by John Galliers of Wigmore.
The City has also been the home of the world’s largest cider maker and has been established since 1887 by Percy Bulmer; to this day the city still makes refreshing cider that is distributed across the country.
Hereford's bowling green is said to be the oldest in the world and dates back to the 15th century.
Alfred Watkins was also born in Hereford, he was born in 1855 at the Imperial Inn on Widemarsh st and he lived not far away from the cathedral at 5, Harley Court, he lived there since 1920 and he died in 1935. Alfred was a great photographer and he took many pictures of the City, many of his photo’s are available today in the City’s library, Alfred was also a keen archaeologist and Antiquarian, however he is most known for his studies and for being the finder of Ley Lines ,he wrote the first book on the subject which was titled ‘The Old Straight Track’ which is still in print today.
The Hereford May fair is a local tradition and dates back to 1121 when Henry I gave a charter to Bishop Richard De Capella, the fair as been held every year in the city since.
The world famous Mappi Mundi map is housed at the cathedral, along with the well known Chained Library and Nell Gwyn was born in Hereford and even as a street named after her, these are just some of the City's claim to fame.
The City attracts tourists from all around the world all year round, purely because the city as so much to offer and there are many sights to see and the City provides so much material for a traveller’s camera. The amount of history behind the City is endless but however history will not explain everything that we may wish to know about this charming town but let’s enjoy it for what it is today and for what we have learnt about the historical City itself.
