Herefordshire

I

Introduction

Herefordshire, unitary authority, western England. It is bounded by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east and south, Monmouthshire to the south and south-west, and Powys to the west. Following the 1974 reorganization of local government, the former county of Herefordshire was administered by Hereford and Worcester County Council, but on April 1, 1998, the unitary authority of Herefordshire was created. This administrative body has the same boundaries as the pre-1974 county of Herefordshire. The unitary authority was established as a result of the review of local administration in the non-metropolitan counties of England carried out by the Local Government Commission established under the Local Government Act of 1992. Herefordshire unitary authority is responsible for the provision of all local government services, including those previously provided by the county of Hereford and Worcester. The unitary authority has an area of 2,181 sq km (842 sq mi).

II

Land and Resources

Herefordshire is mainly lowland, bordered on the north by the hills of Shropshire, on the east by the Malvern Hills, on the south by the plateau of the Forest of Dean, and on the west by the Black Mountains. The Malverns consist of volcanic rocks and rise to a height of over 400 m (1,300 ft). The Black Mountains, which are formed from old red sandstone, cover an area of 210 sq km (80 sq mi) and extend into the Welsh counties of Powys and Monmouthshire.

Herefordshire’s principal river is the Wye, which enters the county from Wales, flows eastwards to Hereford, and then turns on a winding course southwards through Ross-on-Wye and Symond’s Yat. Other important waterways include the Arrow, the Lugg, and the Frome—all tributaries of the Wye; the Monnow; and the Dore.

The Malvern Hills and the Wye Valley have both been designated by the Countryside Agency as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Offa’s Dyke Path, which walkers can follow from Prestatyn in North Wales to Chepstow at the mouth of the Severn, runs through the county, close to the border with Wales. One of the finest areas for wildlife is the Croft Estate owned by the National Trust to the north-west of Leominster, which includes Croft Castle and the Iron Age fort of Croft Ambrey, where, among other creatures, fallow deer, stoats, weasels, and polecats are found.

III

Population and Administration

Herefordshire’s population was estimated in 2001 at 174,844. Hereford (1994 estimate, 50,539) is the principal city and administrative headquarters of the unitary authority. Other towns of note include Ledbury (1991, 6,216), Leominster (1991, 9,543), and Ross-on-Wye (1991, 9,606).

The police authority for Herefordshire is the West Mercia Constabulary, with its headquarters in Worcester. A Crown Court sits at Hereford.

IV

Education and Culture

Two historic independent schools, the Cathedral Grammar School (founded 1384) and the Blue Coat School (founded 1710), are located in Herefordshire. The Royal National College for the Blind (founded 1872) is in Hereford.

William Langland, believed to be the author of the medieval poem, Piers Plowman, was possibly born in Ledbury in c. 1332. Nell Gwyn, orange-seller, actress, and mistress of Charles II, was born in 1650 in Hereford, which was also the birthplace in 1717 of the great actor David Garrick. Elizabeth Barrett Browning spent most of her childhood and youth near Ledbury, and John Masefield was born in the town in 1878.