Exploring the history of Herefordshire and beyond

About Me

Hello! I’m Tom, and welcome to The Herefordian Historian. I created this blog to explore the history of my county and beyond, and so I could share my findings with all you wonderful people on the internet.

Although I was born in Swansea, both my parents hail from Herefordshire, and so I feel a very strong connection to the area. However, this was not always the case.

When I was eight, my family returned to the county after a long period of moving around every two years due to my dad’s job. The area’s history didn’t pique my interest one bit at the time, as I had recently become obsessed with all things maritime after my first watch of the movie Titanic.

For the next decade or so, this was my only passion, and I read and wrote about anything I could get my hands on to do with ships and the sea. It wasn’t until my second year of university that I tentatively took my first steps out of the nautical world and onto dry land.

Cooped up back home for the winter during Covid, I somehow stumbled across some old photographs of Hereford. After that, I suppose you could say the rest is history, and it wasn’t long before I was buying book after book on my local area.

This in turn led to an interest in the history of the Welsh Marches, and even of the entire British Isles. Not only do I want to learn about Herefordshire, but also how it fits into the wider tapestry of the nation’s past.

With this expansion of interests, I decided to create a platform on which I could post about my three loves: local history, British history, and maritime history. So that is why and how The Herefordian Historian came to be.

I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it!

Blog

Featured
When Stars Align: Part 1
When Stars Align: Part 1

As Martin Litton and the Arkwright siblings make their way back from a festive ball, an argument ignites about which of them Martin prefers. He is torn between Frances, who he feels he can tell almost all his secrets, and Richard, who first took him under his wing at school. Before Martin can answer though, their journey home is abruptly halted.

A Hike Cut Short
A Hike Cut Short

After finally setting off on my hike from Llanwarne, Herefordshire, I was glad to be at one with my home county’s beautiful countryside again. Unfortunately, things started to go awry, and I was forced to trudge back to my car only a quarter of the way into my walk. But least I made a furry friend along the way.

Lost Landmarks: Hereford Market Hall
Lost Landmarks: Hereford Market Hall

For almost three centuries, the west end of High Town was dominated by Hereford Market Hall. It was once looked upon as the finest timber-framed building in the whole kingdom, and was a great source of pride for the city’s residents. If that was the case though, why did it disappear?

Georgian Glamour: The City Arms Hotel
Georgian Glamour: The City Arms Hotel

The City Arms Hotel was once one of Hereford’s premier establishments, even rivalling the Green Dragon for a time. Its guests included a duke and an admiral, and the building remarkably has a link to one of Britain’s greatest naval battles. But how did it go from a prestigious hotel to a branch of Barclays Bank?

10 Historic Buildings of Hereford
10 Historic Buildings of Hereford

Hereford is full to the brim of historic buildings. From the centuries-old cathedral to the Victorian Butter Market, the city has countless styles of architecture to see, so there is something for everyone. But what of the less well-known buildings that are hidden in plain sight along the streets?

Remnants of Ross’s Railway
Remnants of Ross’s Railway

Though Ross-on-Wye’s railway has been gone for almost sixty years, there are still reminders of it scattered throughout the town and the surrounding countryside. From old outbuildings to disused bridges, even today there is plenty to see of Ross’s lost railway.

Ross-on-Wye’s Lost Railway: Part 2
Ross-on-Wye’s Lost Railway: Part 2

Once the railway was completed in 1855, people were eager to take advantage of the new transport link. It would not all be smooth sailing though, as a decade later, services were halted as major alterations were carried out. Would these changes help, or hinder the railway?

Ross-on-Wye’s Lost Railway: Part 1
Ross-on-Wye’s Lost Railway: Part 1

In the early nineteenth century, a proposal was put forward to build a railway from Gloucester to Hereford via Ross-on-Wye. But with numerous false starts and setbacks plaguing the project, would its supporters ever be able to get it past the drawing board?

Instagram

Whilst at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea on the weekend, this model of the tramp steamer SS Braunton caught my eye. I'm a great lover of ship models, so this museum was right up my street, or shipping lane I should say! The Braunton was b
📖 NEW BLOG POST 📖 When Stars Align: Part 1 As Martin Litton and the Arkwright siblings make their way back from a festive ball, an argument ignites about which of them Martin prefers. He is torn between Frances, who he feels he can tell almost al
This old corn mill caught my eye whilst in Weobley last August. It was likely built sometime between 1850 and 1860, and was heightened in the mid-20th century. It seems that the road was renamed after it, as on old maps it is referred to as Chamber
Did you know that the walls of Bromyard's old gaol are 20 inches thick? It was built in 1845 to house local offenders, and with walls that thick, I doubt many of them ever managed to break free! (Image ©: My own) #herefordhistory #herefordsh
Whilst walking through St Peter's churchyard in Bromyard last month, I spotted this squirrel rustling through the leaves. Hopefully it was just searching for some nuts it had buried in autumn, and not attempting to commit a grave robbery! (Image &c
Whilst in Belfast a few years ago, I fulfilled a childhood dream when I finally visited the Titanic Museum. Titanic was the ship that sparked my entire interest in history, so it holds a very special place in my heart. At the museum, I got the chan
A photograph of Ballingham Railway Station under construction, taken sometime before 1908, when the station opened. The station was built along the line of the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway. In 1973, a second storey was added to the structur
Then & Now 🕰️ A photograph of the Archdeacon's house in Cathedral Close, taken sometime in the 19th century. The house, built in the 18th century, was originally only three bays wide, with a much older timber-framed structure adjoining it to t
A photograph taken in 1969, looking east from Burcott Road at the point where the rails of the Brecon Curve cross the tarmac. This section of line was hotly debated, and it wouldn't be until 27 years after its construction began that passenger train
Housed within Hereford Waterworks Museum is this fine example of a Lancashire boiler. Built for the pumping station in 1895, the boiler has been in situ ever since. The Lancashire boiler was invented in 1844, and differs from its predecessors in tha