The Former Pubs of Hereford: The Sportsman / Bull's Head

In the first of a semi-regular feature looking at the former pubs of Hereford we turn our attention to The Sportsman or The Bull's Head as it was formerly known.

The Bull's Head was built in the late 19th century, extended in 1929 and changed its name to The Sportsman in the 1990s before closing abruptly mid-way through the decade and being converted into flats to house migrant workers.Its still just about standing on the corner of Widemarsh Common but missing its roof and surrounded by overgrown wasteland. There have been several fires there in recent years including a major one in 2008 which totally melted the interior.

In 2009 the famous sign which was still hanging next to the derelict pub was taken. It depicted WG Grace and was painted two decades previously by local sign writer Colin Stanley Jones.

More recently the site was brightened up with a Banksy inspired graffiti image of Alice in Wonderland.

Closing time for Hereford venues

The Old Market Inn has finally closed for business ahead of the long anticipated redevelopment of the cattle market area in Hereford.

It looks a sorry site with the signs removed from the front and its sad to see one of Hereford's longest established pubs finally close. Although its had recent problems with customer service as reported on this site we have fond memories of both the Old Market and its previous guise as the New Market.

Whilst re-reviewing Manhattans (or should that be Manhattan's?) the other night a rumour was floating around that it might be closing in the next couple of weeks.

Certainly the pool tables have seen better days and you would have thought they'd be better looked after if the place has any long-term ambitions. If anyone has any more details on this contact us in the usual way.

Crowded [Public]House

On Tuesday 20th September 2011 Crowded House took over the airwaves.

Myself and Mr. H were out in town re-reviewing 4 pubs (look out for the blog and reviews to follow soon) and in each pub we visited Crowded House songs were playing. Earlier that same day Karl Kennedy was seen wearing a Crowded House Woodface album t-shirt on Neighbours (as you can see in the screenshots below). To watch the that episode of Neighbours then click here.This is in no way meant to be a criticism of Crowded House, as I own several of their albums, it just seemed odd that everywhere we went their songs were playing. Bearing in mind that we visited such diverse pubs as The Queen's Arms, Manhattan's and The Exchange the coincidence seemed extraordinary.
To find out more information about the band then follow these links:

• The Crowded House wikipedia page
• The Official Crowded House website

Remember- wherever you go you always take the weather with you!

We'll keep a welcome in the Valleys

Recently we have received several reviews from the Rhondda Valleys in South Wales. There seems to be a pair of pissheads there who love to share their experiences with us (and for that we are eternally grateful- thank you Angharad Jones and Luke). Their reviews are too numerous to list individually; but just click here to be directed to the 'Your Reviews' page and scroll down to the Welsh pubs section, to see their comments- happy reading!

Hereford City Pub Geography

Welcome to the fascinating world of Hereford pub geography which uses the often neglected HM Pub Guide Google Map to calculate some interesting facts about pubs located within Hereford's city limits!

Most Northern Pub: The Starting Gate
Most Southern Pub: The Wye Inn
Most Eastern Pub: The Cock of Tupsley
Most Western Pub: The Bay Horse. Yes we got our facts wrong in a previous blog post!

If you're planning a pub crawl and you're feeling a bit lazy the best places to head for are Commercial Road or Widemarsh Street. Here you can find six pubs all within a 100 metre radius:

Commercial Road 100m pub fest: The Merton, The Kings Fee, The Hop Pole, The Litten Tree, The Long Bar, The Nell Gwynne

Widemarsh Street 100m booze up: The Herdsman, The Old Market, JDs, The Exchange, Saxty's, The Imperial

On the other hand, if you're feeling particularly energetic the greatest distance between two individual pubs is the 4 mile trek between The Bay Horse and The Cock of Tupsley.

To see the full HM Pub Guide map click here. Its an invaluable tool whether you are planning a pub crawl or just fancy rustling up some tenuous pub facts!

The Black Lion, Hereford - Some History

As we mentioned to in our blog post last week, The Black Lion on Bridge Street, Hereford is in fact the city's oldest pub.

The building itself dates back to 1550 and has much of its original structure still intact. The first floor of the pub includes some magnificent wall paintings thought to be as old as the pub itself which depict people in the act of breaking the ten commandments.

Much of the pub is thought to have been built using timber from ships that never sailed which explains its often creaky and uneven nature.

The building first became and Inn in 1778 and was popular with travellers from the South and traders coming from the Welsh valleys. The stables at the rear of the pub's beer garden, mentioned in our latest review, date from this period.

The Rose and Crown back on top, plus other pubs re-reviewed

We've recently re-reviewed the Rose and Crown and are pleased to announce that its back at the top of the Official HM Pub Guide Hereford pub league table.

Its still an excellent pub with great food - the gammon with two eggs being a particular favourite!

Also last week we re-assessed:
The Three Counties - A smart hotel bar with a surprisingly nice beer garden. Watch the traffic whizz down Belmont Road as you sip your pint and look out for the big fish that lives in the pond.

Pub fact: The most Westerly pub within the Hereford city limits.

The Black Lion - Still a nice pub with a very large beer garden/courtyard. If you're outside be sure to check out the authentic Victorian(?) stables right at the back of the beer garden.

Pub fact: Claims to be Hereford's oldest pub and who are we to argue!

The Broadleys - A decent pub for a pint or two with a large lounge. Lots of TVs but they seem a bit reluctant to turn them on.

Pub fact: The only pub in Hereford to serve Mansfield bitters.