The Old Hereford County Gaol. "Commercial Road"

The " Old County Gaol " in Commercial Road Hereford.

Hereford County Gaol was designed by John Nash who went on to design Regent Street and Marble Arch and to redesign Buckingham Palace. The old bus station office was the end of one of the three wings of Nash's original design. The arched upper windows were the original cell windows. Later, the gaol was redesigned and the end of the wing cut off, to form a house for the governor. The windows were then enlarged to create the building which stands now. The roof above the entrance here was originally flat and was used for public executions. This gaol was opened in 1796 and replaced the earlier County Gaol which was on the site of the Shire Hall.The City Gaol was built later and became first the police station, then the magistrates’ courts. It was also of three wings originally. This is now the Elim Pentecostal Church.

One strange story of this old landmark was published on our sister Facebook involving one of it's so called ghost's.
Jacqueline Thomas, writes she was one of the residents in the flats on the upper storey of Governors House. I discovered that we had a resident spirit shortly after i moved in i was woken regularly in the night and often felt someone tugging my mattress at first i was... a bit frightened. Eventually i got a Spiritualist Medium in to tackle the problem she told me that there was an active spirit in the house she told me his name was Finley and that he was of Jamaican origin he had rickets and a speech impediment the medium communicated with him and he agreed to behave himself which he does and only wakes me in the night when i am having a bad dream. Apparently he was a "runner" and worked at the jail.
Picture; unknown photographer.
Many Thanks; to PJ. Pikes and Jacqueline Thomas for there help with this story.

Rotherwas Police.

Very sorry i have no information regarding the above picture only that i think it was taken about 5 years after the Second World War somewhere on the Rotherwas Munitions Factory site.
If anyone can help or name any of these gentlemen please contact us on ;
oldhereford@gmail.com
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Additional Information; The gentleman in the middle row far left when looking at it is Raymond Gwynne and I think that the gentleman three across with medal ribbons is I believe Arthur Daw.
Many Thanks to ; David Daw

Hereford Cider Festival.

The "Hereford Cider Festival" mug given out on the occasion of the first festival held on the King George's Playing Field's in 1972.There were unfortunately only two Cider Festivals held and were organized by a gentlemen named Rex Neame who worked for "BULMERS" at the time.
This was the year of we saw Pan'People, The Sealed Knot and a huge Steam Fair.
The following year it was moved to Bulmers site just of Yazor Road and this was the year the "Apollo" moon capsule was displayed. Unfortunately these festival's were never held again,such a great loss to the city.
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Hereford Fungus Eaters

A strange old pic from "The Graphic" 1873. A walk with the Hereford Fungus Eaters.The picture shows what could be local dignitaries and various locations in and around Herefordshire.Holme Lacy House can be seen on the right centre of picture and some sort of meeting held in Hereford Shire Hall can also be seen towards bottom of picture.
Additional Information

Around the 1870s and 1880s each autumn the Woolhope Club had annual
Fungus Forays.  The Fungus Forays lasted about a week and members of
the Woolhope Club - and their visitors who came from far and wide -
toured around the Herefordshire countryside looking for fungi to
identify and investigate.  This was very gentlemanly scientific
research.  The week's efforts finished with a clebratory meal at the
Green Dragon in Hereford.  This cartoon of the fungus foray was almost
certainly drawn by Worthington George Smith (who was the chief
illustrator of the Gardeners Chronicle).  Not a Herefordian, he is an
interesting character in his own right.  Top left you can see Dr Henry
Graves Bull, quite a Victorian polymath.  As well as fungi he was
interested in birds and apples.  He was joint author of The
Herefordshire Pomona - one of the finest books, if not the finest book
about apples and pears ever published.  (The cider museum displays
some of the original artwork for the colour plates - Bull's daughter
Edith Elizabeth was one of the artists responsible).  Fuller details
of all the Fungus Forays can be found in the Transactions of the
Wollhope Club although the cartoons do not appear there - you will
need to read through the Graphic for other years.  The club still has
its library at Hereford Library and it is open, I believe, on
Thursdays.

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Hereford Home Guard

Very rare picture of "Hereford Home Guard" from World War One.This particular groups job was the safety of the Great Western Bridge at Hunderton.

Many Thanks, Jan Preedy.

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Goldings Fire.

A couple of old pics from the early 1980s when fire ripped through No 19/20 Commercial Street

Golding's Ironmongers.

The fire occurred on the evening of the 8th December 1983 and these pics were taken the morning after,If anyone has anymore information please contact me on. oldhereford@gmail.com

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Pictures; Andrew Wigmore

The ABC Cinema.(The Ritz)

Old pic taken at Hereford's A.B.C. Cinema (the Ritz) Commercial Road sometime in the late 1940s early 1950s.The cinema was opened in January 1938 on the site of the old city gaol by "Associated British Cinema's" and had a capacity of 1000 seats.I'm not sure what is being marked on this occasion.The lady front left holding the piece of paper is Aida Harris who worked at the cinema at the time.As you can see the Commissionaires and Usherette's were a very smart bunch as was the case in all cinemas in those days.

Unfortunately in the mid 1970s with the decline of cinema the "stalls" were sold off and turned into a Bingo Club and some years later converted into a Nightclub.

Picture; Mr.Keith Harris.

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Belmont Abbey.

Old Ariel Postcard image of Belmont Abbey taken looking northwards towards Hereford.

The abbey was founded in 1859 by Benedictine Monks following the rule of St Benedict.As you can see it is certainly not the view you would see today.The gardens long gone now covered with buildings being used by "Hereford Health Authority".North of the Abbey not a house to be seen on what is now Belmont Housing Estate.

For any information on Belmont Abbey visit,, www.belmontabbey.org.uk/
If anyone has anymore information please contact,, oldhereford@gmail.com
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The Hewat Pavilion.

With a name like "The Hewat Pavilion" you would expect this building to be overlooking a cricket pitch.This is not the case and is another of Hereford's long lost treasures.The houses in the background still remain today although you may not be able to get this view nowadays.

This building was opened in 1927 as an orthopaedic ward backing on to Nelson Street on the site of "The General Hospital".It was thought in those days that a open air ward was especially good for the treatment of tuberculosis and certain other ailments, so it had no front wall, only curtains to protect patients from the elements.The name Hewat Pavilion came from Mrs.Hewat who's husband was a generous supporter of the hospital and had recently passed away.

Broad Street 1920

This is one of the finest pictures you will ever see of 1920s Broad Street .The picture was sent in by Jonathan Eaton who believes it belonged to his grandmother.If you are able too zoom in on the details do so, as the quality of this old picture is incredible.Why they ever thought that by pulling many of these buildings down in the 1960s they would improve the city in the future, is still a mystery to this day.

The Cock Of Tupsley.

The "Cock of Tupsley" well the site as it was before the pub ws built.This old black and white Farmhouse was demolished in 1965 due to the cost of renovation and the land subsequently sold to the Banks Brewery.

The farmhouse belonged to Jonathan Eaton's Grandmother who owned the property and who has kindly donated this picture.There is a large Horse Chestnut tree at the back of the farmhouse on the picture which can still be seen today.The view as is as you would look at the pub now,as in-fronting Hampton Dean Road and the side of Ledbury Road.

Very many thanks to Jonathan Eaton.

The Other Black & White House.

Thought it would be a good idea to put this on now, as it seems to be the talking point at the moment.This picture belongs to my dad "Wally" pictured at the very back, who at the time was Foreman on the project.

Millbrook Street 1938.

In 1938, many of the residents of Milbrook Street, as part of a slum clearance programme, were moved to the College Estate. This is a group photo taken just before the move.

In this photo: Mrs Collard, Ivy Bridges, Dolly James, Grace Bryan, Earthie Ascot, Colin Mince, Jean Eversham, Joanie Eversham, Audrey Hancox, Mrs Lamputt, Roy Williams, John Jones, Heather Ascot, Maxie Daw, John Rogers, Brian Sockett, Bessie Jones, Derek Bryan, Brian Bridges, Jackie Eversham, Nancy Roberts, Tommy James, Frankie Eversham, Raymond Sockett, Dennis (Snowy) Worth, Joey Lamputt, Violet Perkins, Donald Skyrme, Wilf Davies, Tony Hunt, Marilyn Marshall, Ivy Jones, Gerry Skyrme, Mrs Marshall, Glenda Hodges, Graham Perkins, George Jones, Pearl Smith, Joyce Bryan, Betty Lynes, Mrs. Sockett, Mabel Hancock, Trevor Sockett, Barry Hancock, Margaret Colburn, Winnie Needham, Doreen Wilkes, Nora Jones, Minnie Clarke, Daisy Colburn

Very many thanks to Kelvin Skyrme for the picture.
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Hereford Constabulary

A couple of rare pictures from the days of the "Hereford Constabulary" kindly donated to us by

"Pam & Glyn Harris" who's Grandfather PC Albert Harris was a member at that time. The top picture is of their Grandfather, PC Albert Harris and a colleague outside the police station in Goal Street on their police horses. Their Grandfather is the one on the left of the picture. I am unable to name his colleague. Police in those days were also attached to the local fire brigade and their grandfather was there when the Market Hall went on fire in the early part of the last century and also attended the terrible fire at the Kemble Theatre in Broad Street when a number of children lost their lives and others were seriously hurt. One of the children injured was his own daughter.

The bottom pic is of the "Hereford City Police Force" in 1922, and their names.

Names of the police force are:-

Back Row, P.C James, P.C Price, PC Wall, P.C Saunders, PC Penry, P.C Johnson (Asst Clerk) P.C.Preece

Next Row, P.C Bromage, P.C.Lewis, P.C Arthur Morris, P.C. F.Davies, P.C.Cousins, P.C.Roberts, P.C.Everall,

P.C.Dawe, P.C.Smith, P.C.Stephens

Next Row, P.C.Harris, P.C.H.Davies, P.C.Stroud, P.C.Burgess, P.C.Spencer, P.C.Albert Morris, P.C.Good,

P.C.F.Bromage, P.C.Bird, P.C.Hirons.

Next Row, Det Con Hall, Sgt Niblett, Sgt Daffurn, Insp Price, Coun M.C.Oatfield J.P. (Mayor & Chairman of Watch

Committee), Chief Con Rawson, Insp Munn, Sgt Edwards, Sgt Hadley, Sgt Wheatley D.C.M, (Chief Clerk)

Det Insp Hoskins.