Herefordshire

Coordinates: 52°05′N 2°45′W / 52.083°N 2.750°W / 52.083; -2.750
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Hertfordshire.
For the UK Parliamentary constituency (abolished 1885), see Herefordshire (UK Parliament constituency).
This article is about a county in England. For other uses, see Herefordshire (disambiguation).

Herefordshire
45th of 48
Density87/km2 (230/sq mi)
Ethnicity
 (2021)[3]
List
Unitary authority
CouncilHerefordshire Council
ControlNo overall control
Admin HQHereford
Area2,180 km2 (840 sq mi)
 • Rank12th of 296
Population 
(2022)[4]
188,719
 • Rank106th of 296
Density87/km2 (230/sq mi)
ISO 3166-2GB-HEF
GSS codeE06000019
ITLUKG11
Websiteherefordshire.gov.uk

Herefordshire (/ˈhɛrɪfərdʃɪər, -ʃər/ HERR-if-ərd-sheer, -⁠shər)[5] is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire and Powys to the west. The city of Hereford is the largest settlement and county town.

The county is one of the most rural in England, with an area of 2,180 square kilometres (840 sq mi) and a population of 187,034, giving a density of 88/km2 (228/sq mi). After Hereford (53,112) the largest settlements are Leominster (10,938), Ross-on-Wye (10,582), and Ledbury (8,862). For local government purposes Herefordshire is a unitary authority area.

The centre of Herefordshire is lowland which is crossed by the

Black Mountains range; this contains the Black Mountain
(Twyn Llech), which lies on the Powys border and is the highest point in the county, at 703.6 metres (2,308 ft).

The county is in the historic

Hereford cattle
breed.

Physical geography

The River Wye at Symonds Yat

The River Wye, which at 135 miles (217 km) is the fourth-longest in the United Kingdom,[6] enters the county after briefly being its border with Powys. It flows through both Hereford and Ross-on-Wye before returning to Wales. Leominster is on the River Lugg, a tributary of the Wye.

There are two

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the county. The Wye Valley is in the river's valleys south of Hereford, while the Malvern Hills are in the east of the county, along its border with Worcestershire.[7]

History

Main article: History of Herefordshire
Hand-drawn map of Herefordshire by Christopher Saxton in 1576

Herefordshire is one of the 39 historic counties of England. Herefordshire County Council was created in 1889.[8]

In 1974, the administrative county formed in 1889 was merged with that of neighbouring

Malvern Hills and Leominster districts. However, the county was dissolved in 1998, resulting in the return of Herefordshire and Worcestershire as counties.[9]

The county and

unitary authority created in 1998 has almost identical borders to the pre-1974 county; a small area at Park Wood had been transferred from Mathon to West Malvern in 1986 and so went to Worcestershire rather than Herefordshire in 1998, but otherwise the re-established border between the two counties was identical to the pre-1974 boundary.[10]

Constitution

From 1974 to 1998, Herefordshire was part of the former non-metropolitan county of Hereford and Worcester.

Herefordshire was reconstituted both as a new

Malvern Hills District Council, all within the previous non-metropolitan county of Hereford and Worcester, whose functions the new authority inherited within its area.[14]
The remainder of Malvern Hills district absorbed the Worcestershire part of Leominster district (the area around Tenbury Wells) and continued to constitute a (smaller) district within the new two-tier county of Worcestershire.

The

NUTS 3 region (code UKG11) and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region.[15]

Demographics

In Herefordshire, the population size has increased by 2.0%, from around 183,500 in 2011 to 187,100 in 2021. This is lower than the overall increase for England (6.6%), where the population grew by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800.[16]

As of the 2021 census, 91.1% of the population identified as 'White British', and 5.1% as 'White Other'. The 'White Other' group is largely made up of migrants from central and Eastern Europe who began moving into the county in the early 2000's, initially for agricultural work, but more recently to work in other sectors such as health care, catering and hospitality.[17] Poland and Romania are the two most common non-UK countries of birth for foreign born people in Herefordshire.[18]

Christianity is the dominant religion in Herefordshire at 54.9% of the population as of 2021 (a decline from 67.8% at the 2011 census). Muslims make up 0.4% of the population, Buddhists 0.3% and Hindus 0.2%.[19]

Travellers

Gypsies and Travellers have historically been Herefordshire's largest minority ethnic group. They are made up of three main groups:

As of the 2021 census, they number 600 people, at around 0.2% of the county's population.[20]

Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers fall within the definition of a minority ethnic group under the

Race Relations Amendment Act (2000). There were approximately 400 people (0.2%) within this minority group in the county at the 2011 Census.[21]

Economy

nickel alloys in Europe, with a large site directly north of Painter Brothers. Cargill Meats Europe
(formerly Sun Valley) have a large poultry meat processing facility, processing chickens from around Herefordshire.

Cadbury (Mondelēz International) make milk chocolate crumb near Marlbrook (near Leominster). Weston's Cider is in Much Marcle, who also make Stowford Press. Wye Fruit Ltd is in the north of Ledbury on the B4214 and is a large site of Amcor, and further west is Universal Beverages (UBL), owned by Heineken since 2007 where it cans cider. The site of Ledbury Preserves of RHM made Robertson's jam, mincemeat and marmalade and closed in 2008 when production moved to Cambridgeshire. Holden Aluminium Technologies are a sports car chassis manufacturer at Linton. Kingspan Insulation is based at Pembridge. BT's Madley Communications Centre, claims to be the world's largest earth station. Tyrrells Potato Crisps are at Dilwyn west of Leominster.

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Herefordshire at current basic prices published by the Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.[22]

Year Regional Gross Value Added[1] Agriculture[2] Industry[3] Services[4]
1995 1,622 218 567 836
2000 1,885 155 643 1,087
2003 2,216 185 708 1,323

^ includes hunting and forestry

^ includes energy and construction

^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured

^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding

Many well-known cider producers are based in Herefordshire. These include Weston's cider of

Strongbow
.

Cities, towns and villages

Main articles: List of places in Herefordshire and List of settlements in Herefordshire by population
See also: Category:Towns in Herefordshire and Category:Villages in Herefordshire
The Market Hall, Ledbury

The major settlements in the county include Hereford, which is the county town and Herefordshire's only city, as well as the towns of Leominster, Ledbury, Ross-on-Wye, Kington and Bromyard.

Employment

Most employment in Herefordshire is in agriculture, manufacturing and services. According to Herefordshire Council's online document "worklessness", 10% of people are unemployed in Herefordshire including out-of-work, homeless, ill and disabled and their carers. Cargill Meats and H. P. Bulmers are two of the largest private sector employers, with the Council and NHS being the largest public sector employers.

Politics

Westminster Parliamentary

Main article:
List of Parliamentary constituencies in Herefordshire and Worcestershire

There are two parliamentary constituencies in Herefordshire. As of July 2024, Ellie Chowns, a member of the Green Party, represents North Herefordshire and Jesse Norman, a member of the Conservative Party, represents Hereford and South Herefordshire.

Council

Main article: Herefordshire Council
The coat of arms of Herefordshire County Council

The council operates a

cabinet-style council
and has been independently controlled since 2019. The chairman is Sebastian Bowen and the leader of the council is David Hitchiner.

The cabinet leader is appointed yearly by the full council of 53 councillors. The cabinet leader then picks their deputy and up to eight other councillors to form the executive cabinet. Each cabinet member makes the decisions about the portfolio that they are allocated.

2000
, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019, with the next election due in 2023.

In the 2019 election, the Conservatives lost control of Herefordshire Council.[citation needed]

Education

See also: List of schools in Herefordshire

Herefordshire has a comprehensive education system that also includes several independent schools.[24] Most state secondary schools are for ages 11–16. Providers of further and higher education in the county include Hereford College of Arts, Hereford College of Education, Hereford Sixth Form College, Herefordshire and Ludlow College, Royal National College for the Blind, NMITE and Herefordshire and Worcestershire Group Training Association (HWGTA).

Agriculture

The agricultural economy has changed greatly in recent years[when?] within the county. The county is on the western edge of England which has been historically pastoral as opposed to the east which was more arable.[citation needed]

Beef

Main article: Hereford cattle

Probably Hereford's most famous export is its Hereford beef cattle. Herefords are docile but extremely hardy creatures and these attributes have led to their proliferation across the world, particularly the US, Canada, South America and Australia. The breed is so gentle that a Hereford bull was used as the mascot for Hereford United Football Club for many years, led around the club's Edgar Street ground before major matches.

Fruit

An illustration from the Herefordshire Pomona, a record of the apple and pear varieties grown in the county in the nineteenth century.[25][26]

The county is famous for its apple and pear orchards, and its cider. There are many orchards around the county but not as many as there once were.

In the last few years, soft

Eastern European workers who come over for the season and often earn more money than they could working in their own country and with the bonus, for many of them, of learning or improving their English. The polytunnels have been a major issue in the county, as some people see them as a "blot on the landscape".[27]

Although some polytunnel sites are illegal, Herefordshire Council has turned a blind eye in the belief that agriculture must be allowed to innovate; otherwise it will stagnate and the county will suffer.[28]

Dairy

Previously, most farms in the county had dairy cattle. Due to the cost of investing in new equipment, long hours,[clarification needed] BSE, foot-and-mouth disease and mainly falling milk prices, the county's milk production has drastically reduced, with only a few farms still in dairy farming.[citation needed]

Potatoes

The county is historically pastoral. The soils are mostly clay, meaning that large scale potato production was very difficult, as tractors were not powerful enough to pull the large machinery required to harvest the crop. Around the early 1990s new technology and more powerful machines overcame this problem. Potato production started to increase, fuelled by a few other key factors: The previously pastoral soils had not had potatoes grown in them; consequently they were not infected with eelworm (Heterodera rostochiensis and Heterodera pallida), which in the east of England had to be sprayed against weekly (a large cost). Also, the clay soil produced an unblemished potato of the highest grade.[citation needed]

The intensive nature of the crop meant that potatoes could be grown viably on a given field in only one of every five years. Because potato growers always needed more land than they owned, they rented extra. This demand for rental fields came at a time when the rest of the industry was struggling and in serious decline. The potato farmers' rents of £300–500 per acre (as opposed to normally £80 per acre) were very helpful to many farmers in a difficult period.[citation needed]

Emblems

The flag of the historic county of Herefordshire

Coat of arms

Herefordshire County Council was granted a coat of arms on 28 February 1946.[29] The arms became obsolete in 1974 on the abolition of the council, but were transferred to the present Herefordshire Council by Order in Council in 1997.[30]

The arms are blazoned as follows:

Gules on a fesse wavy between in chief a lion passant guardant argent and in base a Herefordshire bull's head caboshed proper, a bar wavy azure; and for a Crest on a wreath of the colours a demi lion rampant gules holding in the sinister claw a fleece or; and for Supporters, on the dexter side a lion guardant or gorged with a wreath of hops fructed proper and on the sinister a talbot argent gorged with a collar or charged with three apples proper.[29]

The red colouring ("gules") of the shield is taken from the arms of the City of Hereford. The red colour also represents the red earth of Herefordshire. The silver and blue wave across the centre of the shield represents the River Wye. The lions that form parts of the arms, crest and supporters are also taken from Hereford's arms. The agricultural produce of Herefordshire is represented by the bull's head, fleece, hops and apples. The

talbot dog
comes from the heraldry of the Talbot family, Marcher Lords of Shrewsbury and also from that of Viscount Hereford.

The Latin motto is: Pulchra terra Dei donum ("This fair land is the gift of God").[31]

County flower

As part of a competition organised by the charity

county flowers" that they felt best represented their county. Mistletoe was announced as the winning choice for Herefordshire in 2004.[32] The emblem has no official status and has not been widely adopted. Herefordshire Council uses a logo consisting of a green apple.[33]

Media

Television

The county is covered by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central from its studios in Birmingham. Television signals are received from the Ridge Hill TV transmitter located 8.5 miles south east of Hereford.[34]

Radio

BBC Hereford and Worcester which broadcast from Worcester but also has another studio in Hereford. County-wide radio stations are Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Sunshine Radio, Radio Wyvern, Capital Mid-Counties, and Greatest Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire
.

Sport

The Football League
.

Perhaps the most famous sporting team in Herefordshire is

Midland Football League Premier Division (9th tier) for its first season, 2015–16.[39]

Cricket is widely played within the county, and

Minor Counties Championship
, having been elected in 1992 to take Durham's place, when that county joined the First-class structure.

Places of interest

Key
Abbey/Priory/Cathedral
Accessible open space Accessible open space
Amusement/Theme Park
Castle
Country Park Country Park
English Heritage
Forestry Commission
Heritage railway Heritage railway
Historic house
Historic House
Places of Worship Places of Worship
Museum (free)
Museum		 Museum (free/not free)
National Trust
National Trust
Theatre
Zoo

Transport

Road

The M50 motorway near Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye.

The

motorways to be built in the United Kingdom, runs through the south of the county and, with the A40 dual carriageway, forms part of the major route linking South Wales with the West Midlands and the north of England. The A49 runs north–south through the county and is a strategic route between North and South Wales as well as catering for local traffic.[40]

Railways

The

Heart of Wales Line linking Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in southwest Wales passes through the extreme north west of Herefordshire with stations at Knighton and Bucknell near the meeting point of the boundaries of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Powys.[41] The majority of passengers between North and South Wales use the Marches line.[42]

Former lines which are now closed were the

Ross & Monmouth Railway; Hereford to Hay-on-Wye; Pontrilas to Hay-on-Wye; Hay-on-Wye to Brecon; Leominster to New Radnor; Eardisley to Presteigne; and Leominster to Worcester via Bromyard
. Part of the Titley Spur is opened annually by enthusiasts and a steam train is run along the track.

There has long been talk of a new station at Rotherwas, in the south of Hereford.

Welsh Marches Line
.

Air

There are no airports with scheduled air transport in Herefordshire.

Shobdon Aerodrome near Leominster is a centre for general aviation and gliding. Hot air ballooning is also popular with Eastnor Castle
being one of the favourite launch sites in the area.

Waterways

Historically, the rivers

coracles are now used. There are canoe centres at Wye Valley Canoes, Glasbury-on-Wye (in Powys, Wales), the Hereford Youth Service and Kerne Bridge in Ross-on-Wye, as well as rowing
clubs in Hereford and Ross-on-Wye.

The early 19th century saw the construction of two

Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal[44] and The Leominster & Stourport Canal[45] but these were never successful and there are now few remains to be seen. The Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal is currently the subject a restoration project, which includes the construction of a new canal basin in Hereford city centre as part of the regeneration of the Edgar Street Grid
. The project, however, is being undertaken by a small voluntary group and there is no expected date for any part of the canal to re-open for boating.

Notable people

Classical composer Sir Edward Elgar lived in Hereford from 1904 to 1911. His association with the city is commemorated with this statue.
Roman Catholic martyr St. John Kemble's grave in the Herefordshire village of Welsh Newton.

See also

References

  1. ^ "No. 62943". The London Gazette. 13 March 2020. p. 5161.
  2. ^ "Mid-2022 population estimates by Lieutenancy areas (as at 1997) for England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  3. Office for National Statistics
    . Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Herefordshire definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Top Ten Longest Rivers in the United Kingdom". Top-ten-10.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  7. ^ "NAAONB Website". Aonb.org.uk. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  8. ^ The Jubilee of County Councils Herefordshire. The County Councils Association. 1939. p. 66.
  9. ^ Statutory Instrument 1996 No. 1867 The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996 (Coming into force 1 April 1998)
  10. ^ "The Malvern Hills (Parishes) Order 1986" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The National Archives. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  11. ^ "County of Herefordshire". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  12. ^ "The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996". Opsi.gov.uk. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  13. ^ "A recent history of UK local government restructuring". Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016. 1998 – Several more urban UAs were created. The county of Hereford and Worcester was divided into the two-tier Worcestershire and the misleadingly named UA, County of Herefordshire
  14. ^ Official Hereford Council website. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
  15. ^ "NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics), by regional level, version 2013" (zip). Eurostat. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  16. ^ "How the population changed in Herefordshire, Census 2021 - ONS".
  17. ^ "Changing population - Understanding Herefordshire".
  18. ^ "How life has changed in Herefordshire: Census 2021".
  19. ^ "View source for Herefordshire - Wikipedia".
  20. ^ "Census 2021" (PDF). herefordshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Herefordshire, County of, in the 2011 Census". UK Census Data. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Microsoft Word — Regional GVA Article.doc" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2007. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  23. ^ "What is the cabinet and who are the cabinet members?". Herefordshire Council. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016. cabinet consists of six members, including the leader of the council and the deputy leader, each responsible for a programme area
  24. ^ "Herefordshire". The Independent. London. 15 January 2009.
  25. ^ "The Herefordshire Pomona". Apples to Cider - Online exhibitions across Cornell University Library. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  26. OCLC 220640042
    .
  27. ^ "CPC — Press". Polytunnelcontrol.org.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  28. BAILII#BAILII
    . 18 December 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2010. the Council, in my judgment, have made an error of law in relation to their findings that this development was not a project within Schedule 2 and such an error of law, as I set out above, means that quashing of the decision must follow, because the Council have failed to undertake an environmental impact assessment of the process. They failed to go on to consider whether or not the project would have significant environmental effects and, therefore, whether or not it required an environmental statement. In those circumstances, there is no need or purpose for me to consider the subsidiary ground which was raised in relation to the reasons provided with the screening opinion since my conclusions in respect of the first element of the ground of challenge disposes of the case and the planning consent must be quashed.
  29. ^ a b Geoffrey Briggs, Civic and Corporate Heraldry, London, 1971
  30. ^ "The Local Authorities (Armorial Bearings) (No. 2) Order 1997, www.opsi.gov.uk, accessed October 31, 2007". Opsi.gov.uk. 1 April 1974. Archived from the original on 3 January 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  31. ^ C Wilfrid Scott-Giles, Civic Heraldry of England and Wales, 2nd edition, London, 1953
  32. ^ Kirby, Alex (5 May 2004). "UK counties choose floral emblems, BBC News online, accessed October 31, 2007". BBC News. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  33. ^ "Herefordshire Council Homepage, accessed October 31, 2007". Herefordshire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  34. ^ "Full Freeview on the Ridge Hill (County of Herefordshire, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  35. ^ "Hereford United – Potted History 1924–1949". Hereford United F.C. 29 December 2009. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2016. Hereford United Football Club was formed by the amalgamation of two local sides, St Martins and RAOC in June 1924.
  36. ^ "Hereford United – Potted History 1970–1990". Hereford United F.C. 29 December 2009. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2016. With the club in a state of decline, a second successive relegation followed and in 1978, United found themselves back where they had started, in the old Fourth Division.
  37. ^ "Hereford United – Potted History 1990–2000". Hereford United F.C. 28 December 2009. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2016. Despite United's brave efforts, the match finished all square at 1–1, breaking Hereford hearts and condemning them to relegation from the Football League after a twenty-five year reign.
  38. ^ "Hereford United – Potted History 2000–2010". Hereford United F.C. 7 January 2010. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  39. ^ "Hereford FC: New club to play in Midland Football League". BBC Sport. 14 May 2015.
  40. Highways Agency. April 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2016. The A49 is also used as a strategic route between North and South Wales.[permanent dead link
    ‍]
  41. ISBN 978-0319229484
  42. Welsh Assembly Government. 2009. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016. Rail caters for longer distance travel with the services using the Marches Line, which in part runs through England, taking the majority of passengers.
  43. ^ "Welcome to". Railair.com. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  44. ^ "Hereford & Gloucester Canal". Smr.herefordshire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 29 June 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  45. ^ "Leominster & Stourport Canal". Smr.herefordshire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  46. ^ The English players in 1870s Scottish football, Andy Mitchell, Scottish Sport History, 12 April 2021
  47. ^ "Wood, Geoffrey Howorth Spencer". National Herbarium of the Netherlands. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Herefordshire&oldid=1283075039"