local historic interest
Sutton Walls Hillfort
Sutton Walls Hillfort is an elongated ovoid Iron Age Hill fort located four miles north of the city of Hereford, England. It has been quarried for gravel, leaving behind a quarry that was used as a dump for toxic waste during the 1960s and 70s. It was added to the Sites and Monuments Record in 1988.
The Sutton Walls hillfort dates back to the Iron Age, at which time it did not have any defences. As time went on, defences began to be added, and by 100BC, the fort had a V shaped ditch and an internal bank, which was revetted with timber and stone. Huts were then constructed later on. The defences were then strengthened around AD25, however archaeological digs have revealed that around AD 48, 24 people were killed in the fort (probably by Romans) and thrown into the ditch. The skeletons show the wounds received, and some were decapitated. This did not end occupation, however, and the fort remained in use until around the 3rd century.
The Sutton Walls hillfort dates back to the Iron Age, at which time it did not have any defences. As time went on, defences began to be added, and by 100BC, the fort had a V shaped ditch and an internal bank, which was revetted with timber and stone. Huts were then constructed later on. The defences were then strengthened around AD25, however archaeological digs have revealed that around AD 48, 24 people were killed in the fort (probably by Romans) and thrown into the ditch. The skeletons show the wounds received, and some were decapitated. This did not end occupation, however, and the fort remained in use until around the 3rd century.
Hereford Old house
The Hereford Old House is a historic and distinctive black and white half-timbered house in High Town, Hereford, England, built in 1621 and it is now a museum. The Old House is a well-preserved half-timbered Jacobean building in the centre of Hereford. It was built in 1621 as part of Butchers' Row. In 1816, other buildings on the row started to be demolished. It has been used by butchers, ironmongers, and bankers during its existence. Old House is now the only remaining house in the original row, surrounded by more modern buildings. Since 1929, the Old House has been a museum presenting life in Jacobean times. The house is furnished in the style of the period. Objects on display include baby walkers, beds, and wall paintings.
Hampton Court Castle
Hampton Court is a castellated country house in the English county of Herefordshire. The house is located in the village ofHope under Dinmore, near Leominster.
Hampton Court dates from 1427, when a Sir Rowland Lenthall built the original house on an estate which had been granted to him some years previously by King Henry IV on the occasion of his marriage to the king's cousin Margaret Fitzalan, a daughter of the Earl of Arundel. Sir Rowland's house was a quadrangular courtyard house, and despite numerous alterations over the centuries the house has retained this basic form.
It was owned by the Coningsby family from 1510 until the early 19th century when the estate was purchased by John Arkwright, the grandson of the inventor and industrialist Richard Arkwright.
Some of the original oak panelling was removed, probably during the 17th century, to the private house Wickton Court near Leominster (grid SO525500) where it still adorns the living room.
The house was remodelled in the 1830s and 1840s to give it more of a castle air, reversing earlier attempts to make it appear more regular and domestic.
It has changed hands several more times. Between 1924 and 1972 it was the seat of Viscount Hereford and was bought by American businessman Robert Van Kampen in 1994. He died in 1999. The formal gardens were still opened with a celebration by the Van Kampen family in the year 2000, where the Indiana Wesleyan University Chorale was featured as a sacred choir and some members as a small madrigal choir.
Hampton Court Castle and grounds were sold by the Van Kampen family in 2008.
Hampton Court dates from 1427, when a Sir Rowland Lenthall built the original house on an estate which had been granted to him some years previously by King Henry IV on the occasion of his marriage to the king's cousin Margaret Fitzalan, a daughter of the Earl of Arundel. Sir Rowland's house was a quadrangular courtyard house, and despite numerous alterations over the centuries the house has retained this basic form.
It was owned by the Coningsby family from 1510 until the early 19th century when the estate was purchased by John Arkwright, the grandson of the inventor and industrialist Richard Arkwright.
Some of the original oak panelling was removed, probably during the 17th century, to the private house Wickton Court near Leominster (grid SO525500) where it still adorns the living room.
The house was remodelled in the 1830s and 1840s to give it more of a castle air, reversing earlier attempts to make it appear more regular and domestic.
It has changed hands several more times. Between 1924 and 1972 it was the seat of Viscount Hereford and was bought by American businessman Robert Van Kampen in 1994. He died in 1999. The formal gardens were still opened with a celebration by the Van Kampen family in the year 2000, where the Indiana Wesleyan University Chorale was featured as a sacred choir and some members as a small madrigal choir.
Hampton Court Castle and grounds were sold by the Van Kampen family in 2008.
hereford cathedral
At a glance: 3 choirs festival · Mappa Mundi · Map of the world · Library building · chained library.
Address: 5 College Cloisters, Cathedral Close, Hereford HR1 2NG
Address: 5 College Cloisters, Cathedral Close, Hereford HR1 2NG
mappa mundi
When you visit Hereford Cathedral - On the wall of the opposite choir aisle, the celebrated Hereford "Mappa Mundi", dating from the later years of the 13th century, hung, little regarded, for many years. It is the work of an ecclesiastic who is supposed to be represented in the right-hand corner on horseback, attended by his page and greyhounds. He has commemorated himself under the name of Richard de Haldingham and Lafford in Lincolnshire, but his real name was Richard de la Battayle or de Bello. He held a prebendal stall in Lincoln Cathedral, and was promoted to a stall in Hereford in 1305. During the troubled times of Cromwell the map was laid beneath the floor of Bishop Audley's Chantry, beside the Lady Chapel, where it remained secreted for some time. In 1855 it was cleaned and repaired at the British Museum. It is certainly one of the most remarkable monuments of its kind in existence, being the largest but one of all the old maps, drawn on a single sheet of vellum. The world is represented as round, surround by the ocean. At the top of the map (the east) is represented Paradise, with its river and tree; also the eating of the forbidden fruit and the expulsion of Adam and Eve. Above is a remarkable representation of the Day of Judgment, with the Virgin Mary interceding for the faithful, who are seen rising from their graves and being led within the walls of heaven. There are numerous figures of towns, animals, birds, and fish, with grotesque creatures; the four great cities, Jerusalem, Babylon, Rome, and Troy, are made very prominent. In Britain most of the cathedrals are mentioned.
In the 1980s, a financial crisis in the diocese caused the Dean and Chapter to consider selling the Mappa Mundi. After much controversy, large donations from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Paul Getty and members of the public, kept the map in Hereford and allowed the construction of a new library to house the map and the chained libraries from the Cathedral and All Saints' Church. The centre was opened on 3 May 1996.
In the 1980s, a financial crisis in the diocese caused the Dean and Chapter to consider selling the Mappa Mundi. After much controversy, large donations from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Paul Getty and members of the public, kept the map in Hereford and allowed the construction of a new library to house the map and the chained libraries from the Cathedral and All Saints' Church. The centre was opened on 3 May 1996.
croft castle
Croft Castle is a manor house and associated buildings near the village of Yarpole in Herefordshire, some 7 km (4 mi) to the north-west of Leominster (grid referenceSO449655). A building has been on the site from the 11th century and it has from this time been the home of the Croft family and Croft baronets. The Croft family were closely linked to their neighbours the Mortimers of Wigmore and later Ludlow. The Battle of Mortimer's Cross took place on Croft lands nearby in 1461. The present building originated as a castle in the 14th century and has been much altered since.
It was the home of a John Croft who married one of Owain Glyndŵr's daughters. In the 15th century the Croft family adopted the Welsh Wyvern crest, a wounded black dragon, seen as a subtle allusion to their Glyndwr heritage.
Croft Castle was restored after slighting in the Civil War. It now consists of a stone quadrangular manor house with a small castellated round tower at each corner and a small square tower flanking the north side. The castle is under the care of the National Trust and members of the Croft family still live within it.
The main building shares some similarities to Treago Castle, also in Herefordshire. The estate is noted for its veteran trees, particularly its avenues of Spanish Chestnut trees, oaks and beech trees and is one of the most important sites in North West Europe for veteran trees and dead wood invertebrates. Owned and managed now by the National Trust it is open to the public from March to December and has many events, waymarked walks, including theMortimer Trail, and talks. The parkland also includes an Iron Age hillfort at Croft Ambrey.
It was the home of a John Croft who married one of Owain Glyndŵr's daughters. In the 15th century the Croft family adopted the Welsh Wyvern crest, a wounded black dragon, seen as a subtle allusion to their Glyndwr heritage.
Croft Castle was restored after slighting in the Civil War. It now consists of a stone quadrangular manor house with a small castellated round tower at each corner and a small square tower flanking the north side. The castle is under the care of the National Trust and members of the Croft family still live within it.
The main building shares some similarities to Treago Castle, also in Herefordshire. The estate is noted for its veteran trees, particularly its avenues of Spanish Chestnut trees, oaks and beech trees and is one of the most important sites in North West Europe for veteran trees and dead wood invertebrates. Owned and managed now by the National Trust it is open to the public from March to December and has many events, waymarked walks, including theMortimer Trail, and talks. The parkland also includes an Iron Age hillfort at Croft Ambrey.
berrington hall
Berrington Hall is a country house located near Leominster, Herefordshire, England. It is a neoclassical country house building which was designed by Henry Holland in 1778-81 for Thomas Harley. It has a somewhat austere exterior, but the interiors are subtle and delicate. Berrington Hall is home to the Elmar Digby furniture collection, paintings by, amongst others, Thomas Luny (1759–1837) and the Charles Paget Wade costume collection from Snowshill which can be viewed by appointment. The 'below stairs' areas and servants' quarters which are open to the public include a Victorian laundry and Georgian dairy. Berrington has been in the care of the National Trust since 1957 and is, along with its gardens, open to the public.
Berrington features Capability Brown's last landscape design. A notable feature is the "ha-ha" wall which was subject of extensive renovation in the late 20th century by local craftsmen. Berrington Pool, a lake and island, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Berrington features Capability Brown's last landscape design. A notable feature is the "ha-ha" wall which was subject of extensive renovation in the late 20th century by local craftsmen. Berrington Pool, a lake and island, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.