A Hereford Mixture Trivia Quiz

Answer: Eign Gate

Even though most of the city wall was destroyed in or before the seventeenth century the gates were not finally taken down until the late eighteenth century. Eign Gate was located on the west of the city and the name survives in the street name.

The other gates were Widemarsh, Friars', Bye Street, Wye Bridge and St Owen's - the latter was particularly busy as it was on the main route to Gloucester. The wrong answers all refer to the main gates of Gloucester.

Answer: Bishop of Hereford

Thomas de Cantilupe first came to prominence during and after the Baron's War where he supported Simon de Montfort who appointed him Chancellor of England as a reward. Simon's rule lasted less than a year, so de Cantilupe was soon removed from office. He went to France before becoming Bishop of Hereford, a position of influence which led to him becoming an adviser to King Edward l.

After his death, he was buried in Hereford Cathedral and various miracles were attributed to him, leading to his canonisation in 1320.

Answer: It came close to being sold

Financial problems for the diocese led to the Dean and Chapter considering the sale of the map to raise the necessary funds. This controversial move led to a public outcry and donations came in to help save it. Particularly large funds came from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and John Paul Getty Jr., the billionaire, which saved the day.

Although the Wye is fairly close, flooding has never threatened the building, nor has it caught fire. Theft might have been an option - the first time I saw it the map was on display on a wall in the Cathedral and seemed vulnerable, although I'm not sure how you could sell it.

Answer: Charles I

Hereford remained loyal to the monarch during the Civil War, and had a small garrison of Royalist troops. The city was put under siege by a much larger Parliamentary force, but the citizens of the city fought alongside the soldiers to keep the besiegers at bay. After around five weeks, the attackers gave up and departed.

Charles I visited the city to express his gratitude and granted an enhanced coat of arms and the motto during his visit. As history relates, the monarch was executed in 1649 so the date in the question should have pointed you towards the correct answer.

Answer: True

Most of the original bridge is still standing. Part of the bridge was destroyed during the Civil War during a siege and the gate that was there to guard the city was demolished in the eighteenth century.

It is now classed as Grade I listed and still has traffic crossing it, although it must be assumed it has been strengthened over the centuries. A much newer bridge takes most of the road traffic, though. Dating from 1966, it is called Greyfriars Bridge and runs parallel to the older bridge. It forms the main route into and through the city.

Note - the cover photo shows the old bridge with Hereford's Cathedral in the background.

Answer: Cider

The company was begun by two brothers who used apples from their father's farm. The company became a success and was granted a Royal Warrant in 1911 as providers of cider to King George V. In 2008 it became part of the Heineken group, with cider still being produced in Hereford under the Bulmers name.

Among the company's products are the ciders Woodpecker and Strongbow, while they also sell what they term 'pear cider', which is generally called 'perry' - it's similar to cider but made with pears, not apples.

Answer: Nell Gwynne

Nell was reputed to have been born in Hereford, although there is no proof of this, with some sources suggesting London is as likely, since her mother lived there. Hereford certainly claims her as one of theirs, though, with one of the roads leading off Bridge Street (where the old bridge is) named Gwynne Street.

All of the women listed were mistresses of the monarch at one time, but Nell seems to have been particularly popular both with the people and the king himself. Before his death he left instructions that his former paramours should be cared for with the words 'let not poor Nelly starve' being regularly quoted as among the words spoken as death approached.

Answer: A bull

Hight Town is the pedestrianised shopping area in the centre of Hereford. Also located there is a black and white building dating from 1621 and converted to a museum in 1929, and the bull was placed in front of it.

In 2012, a local farmer, entrepreneur and philanthropist named Clive Richards paid for the statue of a Hereford bull to be created. The bull is the dimensions of a real animal, standing at 1.6 metres (5.2 feet) and is anatomically correct. The statue has its critics, as the bronze colour is not the same as the animal's lighter brown and white coat and trees were dug up to make room. It has proved a popular tourist attraction, though.

The bull is one of the symbols of Hereford due to the cattle breed of that name.

Answer: The Pretenders

Lead singer Chrissie Hynde definitely didn't come from Hereford but Martin Chambers, the drummer, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon all came from Hereford. Chrissie recruited them in London by auditions and recommendation, Sadly both Farndon and Honeyman-Scott died young from drug related issues. Chambers is still around, though, in the 2020s and still performs with Hynde.

Mott the Hoople also have strong Herefordshire connections, though more with Ross-on-Wye than Hereford itself. The other two options were included as they have or had a mix of British and American members.

Answer: Special Air Service

The SAS has its origins in World War II when two brothers, David and Bill Stirling, devised the idea of a small force of guerrillas to make surprise attacks behind enemy lines. The service was disbanded when the war ended, but the need for its skills soon meant it was reformed.

In 1960, the main base for one of the SAS regiments moved to Hereford, originally in the south part of the city but moving to Credenhill when the RAF left. Specifically, it is home to 22SAS with other regiments based in London and Birmingham. The name of Stirling Lines is in recognition of the men, especially David Stirling, who were the inspiration behind the regiment.