Hereford Cathedral, 2016

We visited Hereford (http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/hereford.html) and Hereford Cathedral in 2009 (http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/hereford-cathedral.html  and http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/mappa-mundi-and-chained-book-library.html). Because my maternal grandmother was a Hereford, by maiden name, I have always believed myself to be in part English (also perhaps a bit Welsh), and feel a special affection for Herefordshire and Hereford. The connection is conjectural at best, maybe far-fetched conjectural, but I persist. And so we visited Hereford and its Cathedral again. Another good and insightful visit.

The River Wye; Hereford has been on both sides of the border,
but since the Conquest has always been English, one of
"Marches" towns, in the effort to beat back the Welsh

Hereford Cathedral, 2016

Helpful model

Nave view; giant old Norman piers, the rest remodeled in later
styles; Romanesque on the bottom, Gothic higher up...figures

We were impressed this time not so much by the architecture
and glass as the funerary furnishings...some of the best preserved
we have seen...usually they get pretty badly beaten up or even
destroyed during wars of religion, revolutions, schoolboys, etc...
this is Sir Richard Pembridge. a Herefordshire knight who fought
at both Crecy and Poitiers (glory!) and was made a member of
the Order of the Garter by Edward III

We saw and blogged about the famous Mappa
Mundi, a 13th century "map" of the world, in
2009

The cloisters are rather plain but have been replanted with
medieval plants in medieval style

Crossing

More colorful burials

A really old one

Really old graffiti too

Nice folds

The Lady Hall

More color

Contemporary windows in an adjoining chantry

Lady Hall altar

Old south windows in the Lady Hall

Main  altar

The famous Willis organ, renovated thanks to the Bulmer
family (cider); their emblem below (Strongbow is also from
Herefordshire)

King Stephen's throne...read Pillars of Heaven...QEII sat in it
on a visit and remarked that it was jolly uncomfortable

The cathedral does regular tours for the kiddies, especially
younger kiddies, and leaves a variety of props around for the
various story-times

Thus; we had a long conversation with this man about Trump;
I think he might have been the dean or some other official (but
then, approaching my 2nd decade of retirement, I am impressed
by anyone wearing a suit)

Kiddie education center

Us, taken by a nice couple from Norfolk; the high was 54 degrees
that day

But wait, there's more...outside, in the cloisters, looking around
at the gargoyles and corbals, and this setting, all of a sudden 
my interest in Kilpeck and its funnies was re-kindled; 
looking around the bookstore, I found The Herefordshire School
of Romanesque Sculpture, by one Malcolm Thurlby; we had
initially decided to forego Kilpeck--it's a small, obscure site--
but the book changed our minds, and, another hour later, we were
at Kilpeck again, looking at some of the more remarkable 12th
century sculpture to be found...