52°04N 2°43W, pop (2000e) 51 500. Administrative centre of Herefordshire (unitary authority from 1998), WC England, UK; on the R Wye at the centre of a rich farming region; birthplace of David Garrick, Sir John Oldcastle, Beryl Reid; railway; foodstuffs, engineering, cattle (Herefords), hops, cider; 11th-c Cathedral of St Mary and St Ethelbert, with the largest chained library in the world and the Mappa Mundi, a mediaeval map of the world; Three Choirs Festival in rotation with Gloucester and Worcester (Sep); football league team, Hereford United.
Hereford (pronounced ['he-re-ford] or ['herɪfəd]) Welsh: Henffordd (pronounced ['hεnfɔrð] "Henforth") is a city in the west of England, close to the border with Wales and on the River Wye.
The name "Hereford" comes from the Anglo Saxon "here" referring to army or formation of soldiers, and the "ford" coming from an earlier Roman term, also used in Saxon periods, referring to an area of river that soldiers could cross in close formation.
Hereford has a cathedral dating from 1079 which contains the Mappa Mundi, a medieval map of the world dating from the 13th century which was restored in the late 20th.
An early town charter from 1189 granted by King Richard describes it as 'Hereford in Wales'. This charter also gave Hereford city status, the earliest example of city status being granted, since all earlier cities had been so since time immemorial. Products from Hereford include: (Bulmer's) cider, beer, leather goods, nickel alloys, poultry from Sun Valley, chemicals and cattle, including the famous Hereford breed.
The current member of the House of Commons for Hereford constituency is Paul Keetch. On January 28, 2005, Hereford was granted Fairtrade City status.
History
Hereford was founded in around 700 AD and became the Saxon capital of West Mercia.
Nell Gwynne, the mistress of King Charles II, is said to have been born in Hereford in 1650 (although other towns and cities, notably Oxford claim her as their own), and a street 'Gwynn Street' is named after her.
Hereford is also home to the oldest inhabited building in Britain, the Bishops Palace, built in 1204 and continually used to the present day.
Local government
The main local government body covering Hereford is Herefordshire Council. Hereford has a "City Council" but this is actually a parish council with city status, and has only limited powers.
Historically Hereford has been the county town of Herefordshire. In 1974 Herefordshire was merged with Worcestershire to became part of the county of Hereford and Worcester, and Hereford became a district of the new county.
On April 1, 1998, Hereford and Worcester was abolished, and Herefordshire and Worcestershire were re-established as separate counties, although with slightly altered borders.
However, the new Herefordshire was a unitary authority without any districts, and so Hereford lost its district status (although, confusingly, the authority's full legal name is the County of Herefordshire District Council). Hereford is one of only seven civil parishes which has city status.
Employment
Major employers include:
Bulmers Cider - Cider and alcoholic beverages producer Special Metals Wiggin Ltd - Manufacturers of nickel alloys Sun Valley Foods - Manufacturers and suppliers of food products for retailers and foodservice operators Painter Brothers - Manufacturers of galvanized steel towers including The SkylonSport
Hereford is home of Hereford United Football Club, best known for beating Newcastle in the FA Cup in 1972.
Hereford also has successful rugby and cricket teams, but these are less famous.
Education
Herefordshire is home to many colleges including five colleges in the city:
Herefordshire College of Art - a publicly funded art school. Hereford College of Technology - the only higher education facility in the county, which recently acquired an off-campus facility. Hereford Sixth Form College - the Sixth Form college for the county and one of the largest in the country, as well as having the distinction of being the highest rated state (non-fee paying) colleges in the country.It is also home to many schools including:
Aylestone School - A co-educational comprehensive school for pupils aged between 11 and 16, created in 1976 by merging two former grammar schools, the Hereford High School for Boys and the Hereford High School for Girls The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School - A co-educational voluntary aided comprehensive school for pupils aged between 11 and 16, formed in 1973 from two former church secondary schools, the Bluecoat foundation, dating back to 1710 and the Bishop’s School, a secondary modern school founded in 1958 Hereford Cathedral School - A co-educational independent school member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.Miscellaneous
The city of Hereford gave its name to two suburbs of Paris, France: Maisons-Alfort (54,600 inhabitants) and Alfortville (36,232 inhabitants), due to a manor built there by Peter of Aigueblanche, Bishop of Hereford, in the middle of the 13th century.
The annual Three Choirs Festival, originating in the Eighteenth Century and one of the oldest music festivals in Europe, is held in Hereford every third year, the other venues being Gloucester and Worcester.
The classic rock band Mott The Hoople hail from Hereford.
Frank Oz, of Muppet and Yoda fame, also hails from Hereford.
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