| Event type: | Outing |
| Date: | 25th June 2024 |
| Cost: | Cost £31 including Garden Entrance (reduction of £2 for wheelchair users) |
| Booking: | Note that booking is required. |
Depart Abbey fields 8.50am, Kenilworth Clock 9.00am, leave Gardens at 4.30pm
Hereford
Our morning visit is to Hereford, a small cathedral city on the River Wye, located between the Welsh Border and the West Midlands. The Tourist Information is at the Town Hall, St Owen Street.
Places to Explore
Most prominent is the Cathedral, the original building being raised in the 7th century and then reconstructed in the Norman period between 1079 and the middle of the 12th century. It features the burial monuments for Hereford’s 12th and 13th-century bishops, and the Norman baptismal font on the south side of the nave. There are usually guided tours at 11am, lasting 45 mins, at a cost of £6.
Also famous is the Mappa Mundi which is now kept in the New Library Building on the corner of the Cathedral Close. The Map shows the world from the start of the 14th Century and is the largest surviving Medieval map in the world. Measuring 158 x 133 cm and drawn on a sheet of vellum (calf skin), the document shows Jerusalem at its centre, and you can also pick out the Garden of Eden. There are around 500 drawings on the map, showing cities and towns, the people of the world, natural life and images from classical mythology. The Chained library exhibition is on the same site.
Also of interest are iconic buildings such as the Black and White House, the Cider Museum and a number of unique and special sculptures, peppered throughout the City, which include a Hereford Bull and Sir Edward Elgar.
We will leave for the Gardens early afternoon.
Brobury House and Gardens
The Gardens, which were originally laid out in the 1880s when the house was built, include water features, rare species of trees, beautiful flowering borders and views over the Wye. In the centre of the grounds is Brobury House, a charming turreted Victorian building which in spring has the most magnificent bloom of purple wisteria.
From the grounds you can look across the valley to the beautiful Regency style Bredwardine Vicarage, where the Rev. Francis Kilvert, the Victorian diarist, lived towards the end of his life; he was buried in the nearby churchyard. Brobury House is built on the old vegetable garden of the vicarage and Kilvert is said to have planted the mulberry tree which graces the top lawn.
Café A recent addition is the Walled Garden Café, which offers a range of home-cooked food, snacks and cakes, using locally sourced products.
Accessibility The Gardens are self-guided and approximately 80% of the grounds are accessible by wheelchair users, as is the café and toilets.
The Outing
After worrying about the non-stop rain, we had a lovely fine day for our outing. Most of us went to the Cathedral to view the fabulous Mappa Mundi and the chained library. We then continued on to Brobury House, an impressive privately owned property. After an introductory talk by the owner we were free to explore the beautifully laid out gardens with plenty of places to sit in the shade of huge trees.
Alison Lucas
