Woolly says – A bright sunny day greeted me and having made the decision that this wasn’t an Alfie the Dog day I sent Jo off to walk him whilst I consumed breakfast and watched cows, a fascinating way to start the morning. Once the human and mutt had returned and I had faced the dreaded flannel to mop up the marmalade debris that seemed to have arrived in every orifice I was ready for the off.
Hereford is a cathedral city, lying on the River Wye it is approximately 16 miles (26 km) east of the border with Wales, an early town charter from 1189 granted by Richard I of England describes it as “Hereford in Wales” and to be fair it’s a mistake many people make. Hereford has been recognised as a city since time immemorial, with the status being reconfirmed as recently as October 2000, it is the UK’s 14th smallest city…now there’s a claim to fame.
It is known chiefly as a trading centre for a wider agricultural and rural area and is famous for its cider, beer, cheese, sausage rolls and the famous Hereford breed of cattle. Some of its former residents have also become famous including the band Mott the Hoople, Frank Oz, puppeteer for The Muppets and Yoda of Star Wars and Ellie Goulding, pop singer and songwriter.
Having located a carpark we set off to see the sights, as we rounded a corner I stopped in my tracks ‘oh phooey’ I said, Jo looked down at me, ‘not great is it’, we looked around at the huge number of fairground rides that had taken up temporary residence in the streets hiding the wonderful buildings and architecture behind flashing lights and moving objects.
Trying not to be disheartened by this turn of events I trotted along the street towards the Black and White Museum, which even sandwiched between a walzter and hook a duck looked very impressive with its three stories of black and white timbered walls.
Built in 1621, the house has been used for many purposes over the years, starting life as a butcher’s home and shop and finishing its commercial life in the hands of Lloyds Bank in the late 1920s. In 1816 its neighbours were demolished and the house has stood alone ever since. In 1929 it became a museum giving an insight into daily life in Jacobean times we headed inside to see what was currently on display.
The main space downstairs was filled with Court Chests and displays, currently with the Queens Jubilee fast approaching three were items from and about the Royal family including one of Princess Anne’s dolls.
Even more fascinating were the two Quarter Jacks that had originally stood on either side of the town clock rotating and striking the bells every quarter of an hour, you have to wonder how may strikes they both made before their retirement came. A lovely fireplace adorned with everything needed for preparing food would have kept the house warm in the cold winter months.
Up the beautiful oak stairs we arrived in a sitting area with an intricately carved fireplace and a ceiling that had embossed fleur de lyes and a number of paintings that had recently been reconditioned.
The second floor took us into the bedrooms, first there was a lovely four poster that was enclosed in cloth whilst next door was smaller but did have a splendid baby’s crib.
Outside in the sunshine we gave a nod to the famous Hereford Bull that was busy eyeing up the candy floss stall.
Finding the signs for our next destination we wandered along the fair lined streets looking at the peeks of history dotted amongst the shop fronts and stopping to admire the First World war memorial which was beautifully carved.
Churches were in abundance with the Catholic church of St Francis really presenting an impressive front.
Surrounded by quiet and peaceful greenery, no fairs here thankfully, Hereford Cathedral with it’s 50 metre tower made a most impressive site.
A place of worship has existed on the site of the present building since the 8th century or earlier with the present building starting construction in 1079. Substantial parts of the building date from both the Norman and the Gothic periods.
It is most famous for having the largest library of chained book in the world, its most famous treasure being the Mappa Mundi, a medieval map of the world created around 1300 by Richard of Holdingham. The map is listed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
We decided to walk around the outskirts first admiring the fine workman ship that had created the building and the immense windows that would hopefully be bright and colourful from the inside.
St John’s Walk led us through an early 16th century walkway that would have taken the choirs of the cathedral to and from their chapter house for centuries, it’s wooden beamed ceilings still looking in excellent condition which could be said for the pile of carves stones that had arrived there following damage from war, neglect, rebuilding and collapse.
Having spent a while appreciating the chapter gardens over an ice cream for me and a coffee for Jo we set off into the interior in search of the famous map.
The Mappa Mundi is one of the world’s most unique medieval treasures. Measuring 1.59 x 1.34 metres (5’2” by 4’4”), the map is constructed on a single sheet of vellum (calf skin) believed to have been made around the year 1300. It shows the history, geography and destiny of humanity as it was understood in Christian Europe in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries.
The inhabited part of the world as it was known then, roughly equivalent to Europe, Asia and North Africa, is mapped within a Christian framework. Jerusalem is in the centre, and east is at the top. East, where the sun rises, was where medieval Christians looked for the second coming of Christ. The British Isles is at the bottom on the left. I sat peering at the cream English version and quickly noticed that London was actually within cricket ball throwing range of Rouen in France.
Having chuckled away at the georgical aspect I followed Jo past a number of book boxes which would have accompanied the clergy on their travels and into the area where the original map was kept. The Medieval frame hung separately looking very like two doors which it actually was, the map had once been mounted on this base. Opposite was the original Latin map in all of its splendour, an incredible achievement that it has remained in such good condition over the centuries and will always be protected.
Through an archway we came into the Chained Library. I wondered how naughty the books had been to mean they had to be chained up, poor books. It was however fascinating to realise that they were stored with the pages out not as we do with the spines facing us and the pages the wall. This was so that the chains didn’t damage the books when they were removed for reading purposes.
At the end of each line of books was the lists of which books were on the relevant shelves, I concluded that it appeared to mainly focus on bibles so there wouldn’t be much chance of finding the latest bestseller.
With the map seen we headed into the cathedral itself. Huge stained glass windows lined every wall from the traditional through to the modern look each one provided something more to see.
We came to the tomb of a Knight, yes, a proper one from days of olde, Richard Pembridge died in 1375 having fought in many battles including Poiters, his leg had been badly damaged in one such battle so a wooden one had been made. On burial the wooden leg failed to make it into the coffin and will spend the ever after at the side of the tomb, and given that the alabaster monument to this fine man has two legs in place it actually means the noble Knight now has three legs all belonging to him.
As the mammoth was attempting to walk with three legs I looked up into the high ceilings, each part beautifully painted with plasterwork adorning it for even more grandeur.
Woolly says – The altar was a great sight with it’s golden modern day crown and beautiful organ pipes it was wonderful.
More stained glass windows shed their light over a lovely tomb set as a prayer area for the Ukraine, whilst Knights and their ladies lay under the ground beneath our feet.
A small Chapel was amazing and a place that made you want to spend some time.
We followed the steps down into the Crypt which was surprizing light and airy and provided further tombs dating back to the Medieval times.
As we completed the circuit finding more fine works of memorial, I had to say that I was very impressed with the Cathedral of all of its remarkable pieces, stepping back into the fair ridden streets the noise started to increase immediately as children screamed and machines announced a winner, a complete contrast to only moments ago and I know which I prefer….a toffee apple might be good though!