The ceremonial county of Herefordshire was established on this date in 1998. Since 1974 the administrative county of Herefordshire, formed in 1889, was merged with neighbouring Worcestershire to form Hereford and Worcester. However, on this date in 1998 the two counties were separated again.
The name Hereford is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word “Here-ford”, meaning “army crossing”.
It is bordered by Gloucestershire to the south-east, Worcestershire to the east, Shropshire to the north and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire and Powys to the west.
Hereford is the largest settlement with about a third of the county’s population living there. Other significant places including Leominster, Ross-on-Wye, and Ledbury.
The county is home to the largest cider factory in the world, Bulmer’s. Bulmer’s has the largest largest vat too: installed in 1975 and holding 15 million gallons of Cider.
Hereford cattle are sought after worldwide as well. Cattle in Hereford have been bred to maximise beef yield since 1742. Which is probably why the Hereford United Football team is nicknamed The Bulls.
Speaking of which, The Bulls are in the record books for a dubious reason. In 1992 they had the most players sent off in a single game – four. Nevertheless they managed a 1-1 draw against Northampton Town despite finishing the game with only seven players.
There are two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the county. The Wye Valley, located south of Hereford, and the Malvern Hills in the east of the county, along its border with Worcestershire.
In 2004 a public vote chose Mistletoe as the country flower of Herefordshire.
Writers who found the area inspiring include Catherine Cookson, whose first novel was inspired by her stay in a hospital just outside Hereford in 1950, while in the late 1960s, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the bulk of Jesus Christ Superstar in a Herefordshire country hotel.
Famous people from the county include Sir Edward Elgar, Mike Oldfield, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Noele Gordon (Crossroads actress), serial killer Fred West, Richard Hammond (Top Gear presenter), Mark Labett (aka The Beast on The Chase), writer Dennis Potter, and, believe it or not, Frank Oz, the puppeteer who gave us the Muppets and Yoda.
No comments:
Post a Comment