WALK-ABOUT (VICTORIAN) HEREFORD

Starting at Town Hall (1904, architect H.A. Cheers of Twickenham)

You can arrange with the custodian to have a conducted tour of the Town Hall. Here are just three points of interest:

Map of city – 1855, drawn by Thomas Curley, the City Surveyor.

At the back of Town Hall we cross East Street and take the footpath to Harley Court where we can see the residence of Alfred Watkins (1855-1935), a pioneer photographer (inventor of the first light meter), antiquarian and author of the book, "The Old Straight Track", which propounds the theory of Ley Lines.

From here we pass the house of the doctor and naturalist Henry Bull who was involved in researching the social basis for disease and presented some useful findings on the causes of deaths in Hereford. He made a link between the outbreaks of typhus, smallpox, scarlet fever etc. and the open drains, the overcrowded burial grounds, contaminated wells and the Castle Mill-pond. In fact, in his opinion St.Owen’s Gate was the most unhealthy part of Hereford. He was an important witness in the General Board of Health inquiry, 1853.

Hereford Cathedral:(for more detailed information on the Cathedral, click here.

The fabric of the medieval cathedral had suffered years of neglect and abuse. During the civil war, for example, the royalists stripped the lead off the 10-sided chapter house roof and left the building in ruins. This chapter house had had one of the earliest fan-vaulted ceilings in England. It was demolished in 1769. The western range of the bishop’s cloister was demolished to make way for a school room, but this destabilised the western end of the cathedral and on Easter Day 1786, the west tower collapsed. The Victorians didn’t approve of much of the rebuilding work and closed the cathedral between 1841 and 1850 for renovations, during which time choral services were held at All Saints. In 1842 the Lady Chapel was also restored.

We walk through the Cathedral Close to Castle St. from which we turn into Quay St. Note the Edwardian post box inserted in the wall of a house in Quay Street. In the wall of the house called St,Ethelbert, we find St. Ethelbert’s Well, once famous for its alleged healing water. Ethelbert, King of East Anglia, was murdered by Offa, King of Mercia, in the 8^th Century. After miracles were attributed to Ethelbert’s body, he was canonised and became a patron saint of Hereford Cathedral.

We follow Quay St. to Castle Green.

After the Welsh destroyed the early Norman motte and bailey in 1055, Hereford Castle was rebuilt in 1070 by William FitzOsbern, Earl of Hereford. During the Middle Ages it hosted many royal visits (in one case of an involuntary nature, when Henry III’s eldest son Prince Edward was imprisoned but managed to escape.) Hereford Castle was destroyed during the Civil War. The present Castle Green is where the bailey was.

Castle Cliffe is Hereford’s only remaining part of the Castle. This Watergate has served as a Bridewell (prison), the Governor’s house, and now is a private residence.

In the middle is Nelson’s Column (1809), which instead of a statue of Nelson has an urn on it – less costly when the funds ran out. Nelson visited Hereford several times and was very popular here. In fact he was made a Freeman of the City.

When Nelson’s Column was built they found bones from St.Guthlac’s Cemetery, part of a pre-conquest religious foundation. About 1144 St.Guthlac’s was moved to where the County Hospital is now (ergo St. Guthlac Street).

The promenade was constructed in 1746. Note the street furniture, converted Victorian gas-lamps.

Follow the promenade onto Hogs Mound, which some believe to be the site of the original motte. Hogra is anglo-saxon for mound, which may be an indication that this theory is not too far-fetched. (ie. River Avon –river in Welsh-affon).

From here we have a good view over Mill Street, which in Victorian days was an area of considerable deprivation. Castle pool used to be the moat and where Mill Street is now, was Eignbrook stream with 2 mills.

Beside the bowling green hut is a sewer lid. This is where the main sewer was laid (1886) and where Alfred Watkins took important photos during the building works. From here we can see the undulations of the remains of medieval buildings within the bailey.

In the corner of Castle Green is the now defunct pump, which pumped water from the Wye to the Castle Pool. Half way down the steps, note the medieval stones in flower border (fillet & roo moulds) and the semi-hidden grave stone.

Walk down to Victoria Suspension Bridge. This bridge which was built in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, replaced an earlier ferry.

Cross over to Bishop’s Meadow and follow the bicycle path along St. Martin’s Avenue.

Note the Civil War trench, followed by medieval trench. Also note a semi circular earth work which represents a Civil War gun emplacement. This was a mortar position during the siege of Hereford by Scottish troops.

The Civil War in Hereford: Hereford was held by the Cavaliers for the most part, but twice fell to the Roundheads, in fact the first time Hereford surrendered without firing a shot. It did however withstand two long sieges and was finally taken by Colonel Birch, the local leader of the Parliamentarians after a ruse. The earthworks in the Bishop’s Meadow were dug for the siege of 1645, which began on July 31^st when the Scottish army, under the leadership of the Earl of Leven, attempted to take Hereford for the Parliamentarians. The Scottish Army is said to have been 14,000 strong. Hereford was defended by a garrison under the leadership of governor Barnabas Scudamore. They bravely withstood heavy artillery bombardments and mining. Wye Bridge gate for example was subjected to a two-day bombardment. It was so badly damaged, that an arch of the bridge had to be demolished and make-shift barricades constructed at the northern end of the bridge. By the end of august the Scots were getting ready to storm the city, when they heard that the king’s army was marching to relieve the city. The Scottish army withdrew.

Continue to St.Martin’s Street. Note Drybridge House with its Georgian façade. This house was built on a site where a stream had been diverted, hence drybridge. Walking along St. Martin’s Street notice the coal chutes in pavement.

Turn right into Wye Street. Good brick detailing on semi – demolished building. The carpark is the site of the original St. Martin’s Church, which was fired at by the defenders during the Civil War to stop the attackers using it as a vantage point.

The Georgian warehouses along Wye Street have beautiful tile inlays, made of Godwinson Tiles, featuring Coi Carp and floret designs.

The Victorian Wye View Villas have nice tiling detail and roof finials. Note the cast iron balcony on the Saracen’s Head.

Wood carving of dog commemorating "Dan" and Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Edward William Elgar lived in Hereford between 1904 and 1911 where he wrote many of his major works. He often used to visit his friend George Robertson Sinclair, the cathedral organist, whose dog Dan was. They used to walk the dog along the river bank and it is said that Elgar used the image of Dan retrieving sticks from the river in the Enigma Variations.

The Old Bridge was constructed in the late 15^th century (it replaced an earlier wooden one), and widened in 1826. The black pipe is part of the former Victorian public convenience which was erected on top of the bridge!

Cross the bridge. On the bank of the Wye at Bridge Street is the new West Bank development. Here a rare Saxon Spear Head was discovered during the excavations for the construction.

Turn right into Gwynne Street (formerly Pipewell Lane). Read plaque about Nell Gwynne, famous actress and mistress of King Charles II. On the opposite side of the road is a good example of a Victorian warehouse with polychrome brick work.

Bishop’s Palace:

The perpendicular gatehouse has a timber-framed gable. The stone stable block is Victorian, as is much of the brick façade of the timber-framed palace.

From the palace yard we get to Broad Street where we end this walk-about in front of The Hereford Free Library and Museum. This building, in the style of "Anglicised Venetian Gothic", was constructed in 1873. The façade features an orgy of Victorian imagery in the form of animals, plants and zodiac signs:

Around the entrance:

Water-shrew, mullagong, beaver, hippopotamus, walrus, sea-elephant, rhinoceros, tapir, sea-leopard, otter, water-rat, and in the inner niches, frigate bird, kangaroo, beetle, auk owl, monkey, pangolin (sloth/armadillo type animal), butterfly, armadillo, frog and snake and kingfisher.

The capitals of the four great pillars represent America, Asia, Africa and Europe. America: Cockatoos, toucan and opossum, Asia: monkeys, Africa: crocodiles and waterfowl and Europe: squirrels.

The mouldings between the piers show a crab, a bat and foliage.

4 medallions show Science and Art, the arms of the city and of Mr.Rankin, the main benefactor.

The string course on the first floor shows the ancient signs of the zodiac and the next course, the animals of the chase: rabbits, a dog, a fox, a wild cat and bird and owls.

The heads at the end of the second course, those of a seal and lion, may have reference to Lord Saye and Seale and the corporation of Hereford, whose crest is the lion.

At the ends of the third course are the heads of a bull, referring to Dr. Bull our previously mentioned doctor and acting Vice- Chairman of the Library Committee, surrounded by mushrooms, (Dr. Bull was greatly interested in studying fungi) and a goat, the crest of architects, to represent Mr. Kempson, the architect of this building.

The elephant and the four-tusked babiroussa (a kind of boar) on the top course probably suggest the patient plodding which is necessary for attaining knowledge.

Finally, a series of animals, including a monkey playing a musical instrument, complete the façade.

This is the end of this particular walk - about. I suggest visiting the Museum which is in the Library building upstairs.