Bromyard

Bromyard
View of Bromyard from Bromyard Downs
Bromyard  Bromyard shown within Herefordshire
Population	4,700
OS grid reference	SO654548
Unitary authority	Herefordshire
Ceremonial county	Herefordshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BROMYARD
Postcode district	HR7
Dialling code	01885
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	North Herefordshire
List of places: UK • England • Herefordshire

Bromyard is a town in northeast Herefordshire, England with a population of approximately 4,000. It lies near to the county border with Worcestershire on the A44 between Leominster and Worcester. Bromyard has a number of traditional half-timbered pubs and some buildings dating back to Norman times. Bromyard was once a market town and centre for growing hops and soft fruit.^{[citation needed]}

During World War I, Bromyard was the site of an internment camp, where the Irish nationalist future Lord Mayor of Cork and hunger striker Terence MacSwiney was both interned and married.^{[citation needed]} In World War Two, Westminster School was temporarily relocated to Buckenhill, on the outskirts of the town.

Culture

Bromyard hosts a three-day folk festival each year in September, which particularly concentrates on English traditional music. It is one of the largest events of its kind in the country.

In 2011 Bromyard hosted its first jazz festival from August 19th to the 21st. The festival took place at the Falcon Hotel, and was organised by 'Sir' Alan Buckley and a decision has been made to run it again in 2012. [1].

Bromyard Gala, a large country show and traction engine and vintage rally, is held on its showground just off Hereford Road on the first weekend of July.

Bromyard is the home of Nozstock Festival of Performing Arts which attracts nearly 3,000 visitors at the end of July every year. This three-day event showcases 30 bands from around the country across three stages, alongside two dance arenas, a cinema, a theatre and comedy stage, circus, and a vintage tractor arena.

At Christmastime, volunteers (under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce) organise an extensive display of Christmas lights, which runs for the five weeks up to Christmas until after the New Year. The group established links with Blackpool Illuminations over 2009/10, and Blackpool's director Richard Ryan performed the switching-on ceremony in November 2010. The volunteers were awarded The Queen's Award for Voluntary Services in 2010. This year (2011) the illuminations were switched on by Barrie 'Whizzo' Williams, a world famous classic car racing driver who was born and brought up in the town.

The Conquest Theatre offers a programme of plays, variety, musicals, operettas, ballet, pantomime and concerts, in a purpose-built centre constructed in 1991.

Bromyard also has its own wind band, Bromyard Wind Band,[2] which rehearses in the nearby village of Bredenbury on Friday evenings, except on the first Friday of every month, when it rehearses at the Falcon Hotel in central Bromyard.

Bromyard.info [3] is the community website for Bromyard and District. Run as a Community Interest Company by volunteers, it is an 'online daily news site', has a full events calendar, features places of interest, accommodation, pubs, restaurants and shopping directory, together with a full local directory.

Regular acoustic music sessions also feature in Bromyard's pubs, mostly on Sunday and Tuesday evenings at the Rose & Lion and Falcon Hotel respectively, throughout the year. A calendar of regular and upcoming events is maintained at the Bromyard Sessions website [4].

Rowden Paddocks Farm north of Bromyard is the site for the annual Nozstock music and comedy festival. The 2011 event will be held on 29 to 31 July and features Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds.

Transport

The Worcester Bromyard and Leominster Railway, now dismantled, ran from Worcester to Leominster, and was a common destination for 'hop-pickers' specials' from the Black Country.The railway was dismantled in 1958.^{[citation needed]}

A number of bus services run from Pump Street which runs down the side of the Falcon Hotel on Broad Street.

Landmarks

The half-timbered Falcon Pub.

St Peter's Church is a large building with parts dating back to Norman times, including an effigy of St. Peter, with two keys, over the main (reset) Norman south doorway. Most of the exterior is early 14th century.

The town centre is bypassed by the main road, A44 that stretches from Rhayader in Wales to Oxford. Bromyard is notable for its many old and historically interesting buildings, especially in High Street, Broad Street, Market Square, and Rowberry Street, including a number of half-timbered pubs and dwelling houses.

Lower Brockhampton, a moated farmhouse on an extensive National Trust property, lies a short distance to the east, beyond Bromyard Downs. These are an area of common land lying to the northeast which offers many walks, with extensive views over the town, the Malvern Hills, the Clee Hills, and the Welsh borders, with the Black Mountains and other hills beyond.

The lane to Avenbury

The Bromyard Downs is a disused racecourse.

External links

• Bromyard at the Open Directory Project