Nell Gwyn at Hereford

I found this plaque on a wall close to the bishop's palace next to Hereford Cathedral.  It was a surprise to me because I didn't know Nell Gwyn (sometimes spelt Gwynne) had been born in Hereford, although I have written about her scandalous life.  If you'd like to know more about her, you can read my full article about her at Helium, or you can buy it at Constant Content.

Another Willow

If you happened to be reading my blog last July, you might remember how I love willow trees.  I took this picture of a gorgeous specimen from the opposite bank of the River Wye in Hereford.  Next to it was a rather scruffy island being used by the water fowl.  I thought it made a really pretty picture trailing its leafy branches in the water.

River Wye and Hereford

On our Herefordshire holiday, we spent a day in the county town.  We intended to visit Hereford Cathedral, plus the Mappa Mundi and the chained library there.  First we took advantage of the good weather and walked over the ancient bridge to take the footpath on the other side of the River Wye.  We found people very friendly.  One woman talked to us on the bridge and told us the river was running really high, and that usually you can see wide concrete platforms that support the span pillars.

 I've already shown you a picture of the giant statue guarding our car, and of course it was only  a matter of time before I gave you a classic view of the cathedral from the other side of the river.

It was only a short walk along the river bank to an attractive footbridge to get back to the town centre.

On the other side of that bridge, we found a grand memorial pillar guarded by canons.

I wasn't a complete stranger to the town as I'd spent a few weeks close by on a training course in my youth, but all I could remember was the riverside walks and the cathedral.  Although it has inevitable changed, it was good to go back and retrieve some happy memories.

Gargoyles

Vanilla Seven would like to see more of the gargoyles in my Hereford Library photos.  Cropping them like this doesn't make for the clearest of pictures but at least they come up larger.

This first one shows a pig and a monkey facing away from each other.

Not too sure about this one.  It looks a bit like a develish naked cellist.

Wordless Wednesday: Hereford Library with Gargoyles

Wordless Wednesday: Hereford car park statue