Beech avenue, Hereford

The public open space on the south side of the River Wye at Hereford is graced by a beech avenue. In November it looks its best as each tree shows colours slightly different from its neighbour's. There is no doubt in my mind that autumn brings out the best in the beech and I have long thought it to be the finest tree at this time of year, better even than the acers.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Old warehouse, Hereford

The warehouse in today's photograph is on Gwynne Street near the River Wye and the old bridge in Hereford. It has been sensitively refurbished and displays its original polychrome brickwork, windows where the loading/unloading doors would have been and what looks like the housing for the pulley at the top of the facade. One feature I really like, and probably prompted my photograph, is the colour chosen for the paintwork.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

The Herdsman mural, Hereford

We came upon the mural in today's post purely by chance. A little research discovered that it is one of eight that aim to brighten up the city. I'm not the biggest fan of such things, but when the quality is good I can appreciate a mural as much as anyone. And this one is, I think, very good. It enlivens part of "The Herdsman" pub, a hostelry dating from 1900. The pub's name must surely derive from the location outside the former city walls on Widemarsh Street, along which cattle (and sheep) would be driven into the city, and where there was a cattle market.

The depicted cattle are, of course, the world-famous Herefordshire breed, and the apples may well be cider apples, the county and city being known for cider-making.

I can't explain the flowers that form part of the cattle, nor do I know quite why the robin has a visible heart, but these details all add interest to a fine piece of work, by Curtis Hylton, that is a pleasure to view.

photos 1 & 2 © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10
photo3 © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Coracles in Hereford

Quite by chance, as we wandered around Hereford, we came upon a pair of coracles. They were on what remains of the moat of Hereford Castle. Coracles are small boats, rounded in shape and paddled with a single oar by the occupant. They were noted by Julius Caesar when he first arrived in Britain, probably pre-dated him here, and remained in use for fishing until the middle of the twentieth century.

Today they are sometimes used, in small numbers, recreationally, on the River Wye in England and Wales, and elsewhere. One of their virtues is that they can easily be carried by one person, as shown in this C19 photograph taken in Ross on Wye.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Preaching cross, Hereford

The Blackfriars, i.e. the Dominican Order, were given a site outside the Widemarsh Gate of Hereford in 1246. They built a monastery there and, in the 1300s erected a preaching cross to be used to preach to the local population. It is 6-sided with four steps, buttresses, tracery, vaulting, a cross on a column, and is made of local sandstone. Though restored it contains a significant amount of original work. It is the only remaining example of a friars' preaching cross in England.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

The Shell Store revisited

click photo to enlarge
In November 2021 we made our first visit to the Shell Store, a refurbished building on an industrial estate in Hereford.

 

At that time it was almost completed and we made a mental note to go back again when it was open for business. The link above briefly summarizes the history of this remarkable building so I won't repeat myself here.

 What I will say is I really like the saw-tooth roof line of the Shell Store, and I'm fascinated by the translucent material that forms its cladding. Thay both look great on a bright, clear(ish) day.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Contrasting styles of architecture

The church of St Francis Xavier (Roman Catholic) and the former Post Office, both on Broad Street, Hereford, make odd but striking neighbours. The church is by Charles Day, dates from 1837-9 and is in the Greek style with a portico featuring two giant Doric columns in antis. It is finished in a bright yellow stucco. The adoption of a pagan Greek style for a Christian church was not universally accepted at the time it was built. The adjacent Post Office of 1880-1 is by E.G. Rivers in the Jacobean style. It is faced with Portland ashlar and has the characteristic Gothic and Renaissance details, though leaning rather heavily to the former. Such building juxtapositions don't please everyone but I quite liked the pairing of the upper stories.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Dark sky and The Fosse

click image to enlarge

The Fosse is a distinctive house located near the remains of the castle moat (now called Castle Pool) and the site of the medieval castle (now Castle Green) in Hereford. The building style is closest to an amalgam that is often called "Jacobethan", a nineteenth century revivalist style incorporating elements of Jacobean and Elizabethan architecture. Interestingly, I read that the listing attribution to the architect Robert Smirke is erroneous. Apparently it is the work of Thomas Nicholson and it was built in 1848-50, not 1825 as is carved on a plaque below the front chimney stacks. The sunlit house below a dark sky prompted my photograph.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Church with cafe, All Saints, Hereford

Many medieval parish churches open weekly or monthly for tea,coffee and a snack. Such openings usually accommodate local people and the occasional traveller. However, there are, increasingly, churches that include a permanent cafe that is open for the extended hours usual for such eating places. Cafes of this kind are often prompted by declining congregations and a need for extra funds to finance the building and the work of the parish. I don't know what led the church of All Saints, Hereford, to install this quite elaborate cafe in east end of the builing (and in the upper aisle) but they did a fine job in adapting the interior to the extended requirements.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Former Franklin Barnes building, Bridge St, Hereford

The surprise building on Bridge Street, Hereford, is this 1930s Art Deco/Moderne building. It looks like it could have been a cinema but in fact was the retail premises of the local farm and garden merchant, Franklin Barnes & Co Ltd. The structure is steel framed with green and cream Vitrolite cladding. The stepped top, flag-posts, horizontal window bands, green "streamlines" and minimalist clock are all typical of Britain's somewhat underwhelming embrace of Modernism. All these details on the main elevation were wisely retained when it was restored c.2008. What was added at this time was the three red squares. Purists might deplore such an addition. I think they go well with the original design and improve it.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Four-colour Acer tree

Walking through the Old Market (most of which is quite new) in Hereford we came upon this Acer tree with its remarkable show of colour. The leaves were, from the bottom working upwards, green, yellow, orange and red. Set against the blue sky it made a splendid sight that too few people seemed to notice. When I stopped and pointed my camera at it I saw a couple look at me and then at the tree. I hope it brightened their day like it did mine.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Two Hereford views revisited

There are photographers who, on principle, take a picture of a view or other subject once only. More common are those who revisit locations looking to get a better shot. Time of day, time of year, type of weather and other factors make such an undertaking quite rewarding. I'm firmly of the second camp. Here are two views in Hereford that I have posted once and photographed several times. The first shows a statue of Edward Elgar (with bicycle) looking at the cathedral. The second image features an interesting house called "The Fosse". Both take advantage of autumn leaves.

 photos © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

The old Bulmers cellars, Hereford

Herefordshire was, and still is, a county that produces cider. This alcoholic drink based on apples (pears for perry) comes and goes as fashions change. However, there is sufficient demand that the drink is always being produced somewhere in the country. The county's and the country's largest producer is Westons of Much Marcle. The photograph above was taken in the cellars of the Hereford Cider Museum, an enterprise that was created out of the old Bulmers Cider works. Today visitors can tour the museum and learn about cider production and taste samples. They can also see the rooms and very extensive cellars where Bulmers produced the drink. The bottles in the photograph are empty but would have had sparkling cider maturing before being sold.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Lock, Stock & Barrel, Hereford

The lock, stock and barrel were the three elements that comprised the early gun. They were all that was needed and consequently the phrase "lock, stock and barrel" came to mean just that i.e. all, everything, the totality. This hardware business in Hereford adopted the name because the proprietor wanted to draw the public's attention to the very wide range of goods on sale. So many, in fact, that they daily spill out of the shop onto the pavement and, with the home-made signage, give the exterior an old-fashioned, Victorian or early twentieth century, appearance. Look carefully and you will see that it is partially hiding the public litter bin. Furthermore, the hand tools on the extreme right extend, out of shot, in front of the adjoining (now closed) premises.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Aubrey's Almshouses, Hereford

We came upon this row of almshouses on Berrington Street, Hereford, quite by chance and immediately recognised them for what they were. We also noticed that, like Webbe's Almshouses in Ross on Wye, the number of dwellings had been reduced to accommodate modern expectations: in this instance six homes (mirrored pairs) are now three, as evidenced by the blocked (and black painted) doorways. Aubrey's Almshouses are a fairly late example of timber-framing - the decorativee curves above the doors indicate this - and a little research show they were endowed c.1630 by Mary Price and available to "poor widows and single women of good character." They are now a Grade II* Listed structure and received this protection in 1952. The conversion to three dwellings dates from 1959.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The Shell Store, Hereford

During WW1 the government built around 240 "national factories" for the manufacture of munitions, of which about 20 were engaged in the filling of, mainly, artillery shells. One of the latter was at Rotherwas on the outskirts of Hereford where a very large building engaged in this work was called the "Shell Store". These buildings were, understandably, built very quickly.

The Shell Store took only four months. At the end of the war most munitions factories were closed. Rotherwas was one that was retained, and with the onset of WW2 it once again filled shells and bombs. In the years following the war these buildings were either demolished or used for light industry. The Shell Store lasted longer than most but eventually became derelict.

Recently it has been the subject of a major renovation costing over £7 million and is now ready to undertake its role as an incubator site for small businesses. We went to see it recently and got these photographs of the exterior.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Broad Street, Hereford: a different view

Many towns in Britain have a street called Broad Street, a road that is noticeably wider than others in the location. Frequently they were used as the site of a weekly market and for that purpose they were closed to through traffic. I can find no evidence of such a use for Broad Street, Hereford. However, it does seem to have been used in the nineteenth century as the site of cattle sales. This is the second photograph I have posted of the street. The first can be seen here. Today's is taken from near the other end. I liked the contrast between the overcast October day after rain with the bright and sunny April day of earlier in the year.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Broad Street, Hereford

Broad Street, Hereford, features a number of interesting and distinctive buildings. Prominent in the view above is the Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery housed in a Venetian Gothic building of 1872-4 by F.R. Kempson. The adjacent buildings, with the exception of that on left, share nothing in common except the same gutter height which is enough to hold the composition together. The modern building with blue tinted glass is faced with a brown stone that helps it to sit fairly comfortably next to its venerable neighbour. Thereafter it is the pale colour that links a sequence of new and old buildings before the street view is "closed" by the medieval tower and spire of All Saints on the High Street.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Flats, Franciscans and fish shops

Was it wilfulness or ignorance on the part of the owners or constructors that led to the apartment block built off Greyfriars Avenue, next to Greyfriars Bridge, being called Fryers Gate? Greyfriars refers to the colour of the religious habit worn by members of the medieval Franciscan Order, the former inhabitants of the area. "Fryers" makes it sound like the site's earlier occupant was a fish and chip shop. The apartments are built on legs - pilotis - to prevent flood damage from the adjacent River Wye. In recent years they have proved their worth, the water level having risen to within a couple of feet of their tops. I'm quite pleased by the oddness of my photograph; the way the single image can also be seen as subdivided into two or four sub-images.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Old Wye Bridge, Hereford

The six arched old Wye Bridge, a structure of sandstone faced with ashlar, was rebuilt in its entirety around the year 1490. In the years since then it has been substantially altered. Four arches remain much as originally built, one was rebuilt in 1684-5 due to siege damage, and another was rebuilt in the eighteenth century. All were altered in the widening of 1826 when pedestrian refuges were built on both the up and downstream sides at the top of cut-waters. The bridge had a defensive gateway similar to the one at Monmouth, but this was demolished in 1782. I took my photograph from the busy new bridge that replaced the old Wye Bridge and my composition benefitted from the inclusion of the cathedral in the background.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2