I love history & the back stories to people & places, it puts everything in context & things make more sense. Because I was not born on these Isles but have lived here for almost 3 decades, there are gaps in my understanding of the complexities of the history of it that I like to fill.
I joined hubby on a trip to Ross-on-Wye, a town we had not visited, he was there for an all day golf competition, I was there to enjoy a new town, an opportunity to explore on my own as I don't visit the county of Herefordshire too often.
The early morning drop meant I could watch the town wake up from my café seat with a hot cup of coffee after our 2 hour trip from our county.
I downloaded the visitor guide & then set off around the many streets of the little town, walking each one to the end of the town section & popping in to the many shops that caught my eye.
This might be a bit controversial but I find vintage / antique shops to be a little lost in purpose. The town has something like 14 charity shops so home wares are very evident, & the vintage shops did not have anything that sparked my curiosity. I think we become selective as we get older & I prefer not to accumulate 'clutter', but to each their own. I seek out specific items when I need them so it is interesting to browse ...
I found the 16th century
Market House to still be the centre of things, maintaining its original purpose.
It was not a market day but people, young, old, singularly or in groups sat about on the steps or the benches, chatting, eating a sandwich, relaxing, scrolling their phones or just enjoying music from a busker in the square.
The upstairs Made in Ross gallery had a fabulous selection of handmade wares - paintings, music, art, felt objects, wooden items etc.
It had a most fabulous view through the double doors across the square & down the street. That spot was where announcements & proclamations would have been made in times past, from an elevated position above the crowds gathered in the square below.
Opposite was an imposing black & white building that had belonged to John Kyrle (1637 - 1724) known as The Man of Ross. He is celebrated all over town, including a memorial in St Mary's church & on a pub at the end of the High Street that is named after him.
Late afternoon, I took my iced drink to Prospect Park next to the church that
John Kyrle had given to the towns folk for leisure.
It had a public drinking fountain at one time, essential in times past when water was not on tap.
He never married but his philanthropic influence was immense.
The park is still well used & I enjoyed the coolness under the trees, relaxing & watching some squirrels inquisitively trying to catch my eye in case I had something to eat in my bag.
Churches are a font of local knowledge & this one was no different, set with elaborate memorials & impressive windows. St Mary's church has been the cornerstone of the town for centuries. The Gothic Markye Chapel, set to the side contains the war memorials & it is always humbling to see how many men in each town gave their life in service to their country.
Alms Houses were established in England from the 10th century to provide shelter & care for the impoverished in the community, often widows left destitute & in need of support. These neat row of houses just down from the church date to 1575. I have seen similar ones in towns in Shropshire, they hark from a time when that was really the only safety net people had centuries ago, that & the work house.
The church had a notice board charting the history of one family & their connection to the slave trade in Jamaica in times past.
The notice board at the church doors gave mention of a
Plague Cross & pit in the grounds & I set off to see it.
The cross commemorates 315 souls who died in the great plague of 1637. They were hastily buried each night without coffins in pits just to the side of the cross.
The Revd Philip Price officiated at the mass burials each night, a Christian act in the times of crisis.
The reality of life in times past very evident, life was so fragile, death was never far in those times & mortality was high.
The close around the church has the
Royal Hotel, on the site of the Bishop's Palace that was home to the Bishop of Hereford in times past.
The original timber structure dated to the 12th century. Opposite is stone walls on a raised position. However, the tower & wall dates to 1833 when the new road was built & the mock gothic town walls & tower were constructed. They are now almost 200 years old & part of the landscape, as if they had always been there.
We had a drink on the pub terrace later in the evening, enjoying its elevated position over the River Wye & the surrounding countryside.
One the end of the High Street behind this, was a The Old Court House with glass covering the original stone window with bars on it. Just opposite was a note on the old Swan and Falcon Inn to note that Horatio Nelson visited it in 1802.
The information blue plaques & notice boards set about town & on buildings really brought the history to life so you can visualise & appreciate the long passage of time in the town.
Because I was to be in town the whole day, I chose a central hotel,
The Kings Head, a traditional coaching inn. We used to stay at a similar one in Stokenchurch & I love the quirkiness of these old places.
This one did not disappoint with its odd spaces, creaky staircase, uneven floors & dark wooden beams. Our room was on to the High Street & cars rumbled past before it quietened down late evening.
You could hear people moving about as the floors creaked & settled down for the night. It is sobering to think that people have stayed in this coaching inn for about 700 years.
Breakfast was downstairs & I glanced down & saw a glass with a stone well set in the floor.
The landlady said the well is about 50 feet deep, not used now but it was once essential in times past. This really brings the past in to focus & the age of the building is evident in these things.
I had a very interesting 24 hours in Ross-on-Wye, I am so glad I seized the moment to have a change of scenery.
I hope you have enjoyed the account too,
Dee
