Leominster, town in Herefordshire, western England. Situated on the River Lugg, a tributary of the Wye, it is an important agricultural and trade centre for the surrounding area. Numerous fairs and markets, including cattle and sheep markets, are held in the town. Traditional industries include wool processing, brewing from local hops, and cider production using apples from the surrounding orchards; there is also the manufacture of agricultural tools and machinery. Cattle and sheep are raised in the area.

Places of interest include fine Tudor architecture in the town centre; the Forbury chapel, dating from 1284; the Butter Cross and Grange Court, both from 1633; almshouses (1735); and the Priory Church with Norman elements. The Queenswood Country Park on Dinmore Hill is nearby, as are the National Trust properties of Croft Castle and Berrington Hall.

Leominster dates from 660, when Merewald, king of Mercia, established a religious house there. The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, a military engagement of the Wars of the Roses, took place north-west of the town in 1461. Leominster was granted a charter in 1554. From the 13th to the 18th century it was famous for its wool, produced from the local Ryelands sheep; glove-making flourished there in the 18th and 19th centuries. Population 9,543 (1991).