Richard’s Castle
St. Bartholomew’s church at the oddly named village of Richard’s Castle, named after the castle, built by one Richard Fitz Scrob in 1051, whose meagre ruins lie beside the church. The church fell out of use following the building of more conveniently located parish church. (L) Note the separate bell tower (right of picture). Richard’s Castle is also unusual in being the name of two adjacent but distinct civil parishes; one in Shropshire and one in Herefordshire (the village lies essentially in Herefordshire).
(L) Creed boards and (R) stained-glass window at St. Bartholomew’s (Churches Conservation Trust).
Yarpole
Impressive bell tower outside the parish church, St Leonard’s, of Yarpole. Some of its timbers date back to 1192. Herefordshire has seven churches with separate bell towers (out of 40 in the country) – this page features three of them! The towers are thought to have been used for defence during raids from the Welsh across the nearby border.
Interior of St. Leonard’s. (R) The nave and rear of the church have been converted into a hall, shop / post office and café for the local community – an imaginative solution to the loss of amenities in many small villages.
Pembridge and around
Brewing vessels at Dunkertons cider mill, home of Black Fox cider.
Interesting old building in Leominster, on the way back to the B&B in Wooferton.
Pembridge
Views of the picturesque village of Pembridge. After a while, charming half-timbered buildings ceased to be photo worthy!
(R) The grand bell tower of Pembridge parish church.
Weobley
Weobley is another village on Herefordshire’s “Black and White Village Trail”.
Hack Green nuclear bunker
Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker is a former nuclear bunker that was sold off after the end of the Cold Wars and is now a privately run museum. Above is a Ballistic Missile Earning Warning System originally sited at RAF High Wycombe. Note left the displays showing REAL to indicate that “This is Not a Test”.
The fascinating telephone / communications exchange.
Offices in the former Regional Government Headquarters, intended to allow government to continue in the aftermath of a nuclear attack. Note right that the Inland Revenue was expected to keep running!
(L) Perhaps the most striking exhibit – the business end of a Polaris missile, with its discreetly labelled “thermonuclear warhead” in the rear. (R) A “computer” for gauging the effects of nuclear fallout.