Hereford

Hereford: Old Guild House

Hereford, city, unitary authority and historic county of Herefordshire, west-central England, on the River Wye.

Hereford was founded as a settlement near the Welsh March—the politically unstable belt of territory flanking Wales on the east in medieval times—after the West Saxons had crossed the River Severn early in the 7th century. In 1086 the town included various ecclesiastical fees (tributes) but was otherwise a royal demesne (feudal holding). It also had a provincial mint and later (1215–16) the grant of an exclusive merchant guild. The wool trade, important by 1202, declined in the 16th century. The castle was of some early importance, but the 13th-century invasion and subsequent occupation of Wales by England deprived Hereford of military significance until the English Civil Wars of the mid-17th century, when it changed hands several times.

The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Aethelberht exemplifies all architectural styles from Norman to Perpendicular. The see was detached from that of Lichfield in 676, Putta being its first bishop. After the body of Aethelberht, a slain English leader, had been brought to the site, a superior church was reconstructed (1012–52), but this was burned by the insurgent Welsh; building began again in 1079, and it was completed in 1148. The western tower collapsed in 1786, taking the west front and first bay of the nave with it. Restoration of the west front was not completed until 1904–08. The cathedral’s main features include a central tower (165 feet [50 metres]) in Decorated style and a north porch in rich Perpendicular style. There is a noted organ, a large chained library, and a collection of rare manuscripts, early printed books, and relics.

The College of the Vicars Choral is Perpendicular in style, and the bishop’s palace, which stands near the castle green, was originally a Norman hall. The castle itself no longer exists, and only one of the six gates and a few fragments of the old walls survived in modern times. All Saints Church is in Early English and Decorated styles; it, too, has a chained library. The Old Guild House (1621) is a museum. The Cathedral Grammar School was founded in 1384; the Blue Coat School in 1710.

Hereford’s trade is mainly agricultural, with sales of Hereford cattle and the making of cider and jam, as well as fruit canning and brewing. Manufactures include furniture, glass, leather, nickel alloys, and bricks. Pop. (2001) 56,313; (2011) 53,516.