V.

Places of Interest

Hereford's Anglican cathedral church of St Mary the Virgin and St Ethelbert the King was built mainly between the 11th and 14th centuries, but some substantial alterations were made in the late 18th century (see Hereford Cathedral). One of its greatest treasures is the Mappa Mundi, a map of the world drawn on vellum in about 1290 by Richard of Haldingham. The choir of the cathedral, together with those of Gloucester and Worcester cathedrals, participates in the annual Three Choirs Festival, which takes place in the summer.

Half-timbered houses are typical, and many towns and villages, notably Weobley, offer fine examples of these black-and-white buildings. Hellens, at Much Marcle, south-west of Ledbury, is a house that dates from the 13th century, while Croft Castle, near Leominster, has walls and towers built in the 14th and 15th centuries.

There are many prehistoric sites in Herefordshire; these are mainly concentrated in the western part of the unitary authority. Arthur's Stone, on a hill at Dorstone, where the River Dore enters the Golden Valley to flow through to Pontrilas, is a prehistoric burial chamber formed of large blocks of stone. Croft Ambrey is a particularly impressive site, which comprises 15 hectares (38 acres) and features an Iron Age fort with well-preserved ramparts. At Herefordshire Beacon, an Iron Age hill fort dating from c. 200 bc and the remains of an ancient British camp can be seen.