Why was hereford built

Hereford was chosen as the home of a bishop in the 7th century, and this is why the cathedral was built. This also gave the city — for it had a cathedral — an importance which meant it became the Saxon capital of West Mercia by the 8th century. Hereford was not thirty miles from the border in these times, but on the border. People who lived close to the border with Wales knew that skirmishes between small bands of men, and sometimes even armies, were to be expected.

The main battle of this time is known as the Battle of Hereford in , when the Welsh defeated a Saxon army, and resulted in this part of Wales becoming independent of Saxon control. This division was later marked by King Offa, who built a bank and ditch which we now call Offa's Dyke. By the 11th century, the Welsh supported the Vikings against the Saxons. It was at this time that the city, and its cathedral, was burned to the ground. Hereford Cathedral and old stone bridge. As Saxon times changed to Norman times, the lands around Hereford became the land of the Earl of Hereford, granted by William the Conqueror.

In , at the time of the first census Hereford had a population of 6, It would seem very small to us but by the standards of the time, it was a fair-sized market town. By the end of the century, the population had reached 21, There were many improvements in Hereford during the 19th century. From Hereford had gas street lighting. After it had a fire brigade.

In the Hereford Improvement Act was passed. In , following the act, a waterworks was built. Furthermore, a network of sewers was built. The Buttermarket was built in From Hereford had an electricity supply. A canal was dug from Gloucester to Hereford in It closed in The railway reached Hereford in It was the last major town in Britain to be connected by rail. A museum and library opened in Victoria suspension bridge was built in In the 19th century, leatherworking continued to be an important industry in Hereford.

Brewing also flourished as did cider making. There was also a boat building industry and a brick and tile industry. Furniture was also made in Hereford. However, it was a market town for the surrounding countryside rather than a manufacturing center.

A new Town Hall was built in Also in , a College of Education opened. The first cinema in Hereford opened in By the population of Hereford had reached 24, It rose to 47, by the early s. The County hospital opened in Hereford Technical College opened in In an inner ring road was completed. Hereford Cider Museum opened in Hereford Castle has almost entirely been obliterated with only the remains being a small section of moat, slight earthworks and a fourteenth century doorway embedded in a largely modern house.

The City Walls are better preserved with significant portions surviving particularly on the west side. The circuit of the walls can be walked which gives a good appreciation of the original plan of the defences and can be paired with a visit to the Cathedral and the Old House Museum in the City Centre.

Castle Green. The castle was demolished in after sustaining heavy damage during the Civil War. The grounds were landscaped in into what is now known as Castle Green. Today a monument to Admiral Nelson dominates the site.

Castle Pool. A surviving portion of the moat that once surrounded the castle's bailey. Fourteenth Century Doorway.

The other surviving portion of Hereford Castle is the remains of doorway embedded within a largely modern building. Hereford City Walls Layout. The first enclosure was built around the Cathedral and the urban settlement to the west. The Saxon burh extended this original area to the east whilst Harold Godwineson added the enclosure to the south of the River Wye. The final extension was made in the twelfth century after the Normans had moved the town's market to the north beyond the original Saxon defences.

Hereford Cathedral. Originally founded by Bishop Putta in the late seventh century, Hereford Cathedral was upgraded by Edward the Confessor but then sacked by Welsh forces in The Normans rebuilt it in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

The structure was extensively restored in the mid-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Wye Bridge. A wooden bridge was built in the eleventh century and this was replaced by the current structure circa Both bridges would have had a town gate at the south end. City Wall. Hereford Castle and the City Walls are found in the city centre. Ample parking options are available with just one option shown below.

About Us. Contact Us. Terms and Conditions. UK Map. Harold Godwinson As the threat from the Danes decreased, Hereford's defences seem to have been neglected but they were refurbished and restored by Harold Godwinson later Harold II following a Welsh attack on the town in Hereford Castle Hereford Castle was raised as an earth and timber motte-and-bailey fortification in the south-east corner of the former Saxon defences and enclosed an area of around 5.

Extended Town Walls Around the late s, a new market place was established to the north of the existing Saxon-era defences. Stone Wall During the thirteenth century the town walls were rebuilt into a stone wall.

Demolition In the castle, in ruins from the bombardment it sustained during the siege of Summer , was demolished. Bibliography Allen, R English Castles. Batsford, London. What's There? Hereford Castle is of great importance because it is one of only four known castles in England that date from before the Norman Conquest. He is credited with constructing a castle and Norman garrison sometime before , which enveloped the already established ministry of St.

This castle was most probably built of timber. The castle was destroyed. The castle and not the city wall became the focus of the city's post-Conquest defences.

Roger was involved in an unsuccessful attempt to depose King William; consequently he forfeited the castle, which with a few exceptions remained a royal stronghold for the remainder of its active life. However the Council of Barons did not consider a woman fit to rule the country and offered the throne to the king's nephew and grandson of the conqueror, Stephen de Blois.

This action caused many castles to be built along the Marches, and involved Hereford Castle once more in the politics of the nation. During this trouble the burial grounds of St Guthlac's were dug up and used to consolidate the existing defences, and soon afterwards the ministry of St Guthlac's was moved outside of the defences of the castle. Matilda did not regain control of the castle until later in , when both Geoffrey Talbot and Miles of Gloucester besieged the castle.

However, a rebellion followed and Henry retook possession. When the eldest son of the King, Prince Edward, was taken prisoner at the battle of Lewes it was to Hereford that he was brought. Edward was apparently allowed to take exercise on horseback on Widemarsh Common. It was during one of these excursions that Edward, having tired all the guards' steeds, jumped upon a fresh horse and made his escape to Wigmore Castle, the family seat of the Mortimers and a Royalist stronghold.