Sights in Hereford
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Mappa Mundi
The cathedral is best known for two ancient treasures housed here. The awe-inspiring 13th-century Mappa Mundi is a large calfskin vellum map intricately painted with the vivid (to modern eyes, wacky) world vision of the era's scholars and an enthralling pictorial encyclopaedia of the times.
It is the largest and best-preserved example of this type of cartography anywhere, but more than that it's a bewitching journey through the world as then envisioned, peopled by strange beings with eyes in their chest, roamed by basilisks and mythological monsters. Navigate your way through the barely recognisable mash of continents and you can even find Hereford itself.
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Hereford Cathedral
After Welsh marauders torched the original Saxon cathedral, the Norman rulers of Hereford erected a larger, grander cathedral on the same site, which was subsequently remodelled in a succession of medieval architectural styles. The Hereford bishops were a colourful company – Peter of Aquablanca (1240–68) was a close ally of Henry III and a notorious tax fraudster, while the pious St Thomas de Cantilupe (1275–82) was excommunicated for forcing members of the nobility to perform humiliating acts of penance at the cathedral. Memorials to past bishops – some worn smooth with age – are dotted around the nave and transept.
However, all fades into insignificance compare…
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Chained Library
The same wing contains the world's largest surviving chained library , hooked to its shelves by a cascade of long thin shackles. The unique collection of rare books and manuscripts includes a 1217 copy of the revised Magna Carta and the 8th-century Hereford Gospels, although the gospels' fragility means they aren't always on display.
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Cider Museum & King Offa Distillery
Don't forget to claim your free samples in the Cider Museum & King Offa Distillery, which explores cider-making history. Look for the fine costrels (mini barrels) and horn mugs used by agricultural workers to carry and quaff their wages, which were partially paid in cider.
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Hereford Museum & Art Gallery
The quirky collection at Hereford Museum & Art Gallery includes everything from 19th-century witches' curses to a two-headed calf. There are hands-on antiquities boxes and dressing-up gear to keep kids engaged.
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Old House
Marooned in a sea of shops, this wonderfully creaky black-and-white, three-storey wooden house was built in 1621. Inside you can see a series of medieval rooms full of period furniture and carved wood panelling.
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Hereford Museum & Art Gallery
The quirky collection at the town museum has displays on just about everything from 19th-century witches' curses to Roman antiquities. There's also some dressing-up gear to keep kids entertained.
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Cider Museum & King Offa Distillery
The name is the giveaway at this brewery and museum. Displays cover cider-making history, and you can sample the delicious modern brews. Look for the fine costrels (minibarrels) used by agricultural workers to carry their wages, which were partially paid in cider. To reach the brewery, follow Eign St west from the centre and turn south along Ryelands St.
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