An earthwork thought to house a medieval village at Breinton parish bordering built-up Hereford city that remains rural today
Breinton is an English parish bordering built-up Hereford city that remains rural and little changed for a millennium. The reason may be the high quality soils for agriculture and horticulture so relatively few new buildings have been built on the valuable deep red loams. There is the exceptional beauty of the landscape, with unsurpassed vistas across hills, orchards, woods, and the valley of the River Wye, – and an interest to conserve the heritage. The landscape was formed both by glacial erosion, terminal moraines and river erosion – hence the undulating features. A mound with a moat was probably once a moated building belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Hereford Cathedral around 1150AD, close to the Church at Breinton Springs. Nearby, the undulating ground in an orchard is thought to be a deserted medieval village. There is also a deep gully down to the river that may have been used by drovers to cross their livestock over a ford over the Wye. Other archaeological features that have been identified include trackways, ridge and furrow, with evidence of old irrigation leats on the meadows that flood, close to the river Wye. St. Michael’s church originated around 1200 AD, but was substantially rebuilt between 1866 and 1870 by Kempson. A few Norman parts remain, including the west doorway. Churchyard memorials include Dr. Henry Graves Bull (encyclopedia of local apples and pears, “Herefordshire Pomona” in 1884), Canon Charles Vincent Gorton (1854-1912, friend of Edward Elgar), and Charles Dodgson (relative of Lewis Carroll, died 1941). Historical ways of life are shown in the works of the artist Brian Hatton (1887-1916) - the locations of many of his rural scenes of Breinton including old farm buildings and views of the countryside are still easily recognisable today. Field boundary hedges show a rich flora, and there are many veteran trees, particularly oak and ash; plus ancient yews close to St. Michael’s church.
Size: 4608px × 3456px
Location: Breinton, Herefordshire, Wye Valley, England, UK
Photo credit: © Philip Chapman / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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