Hereford

Coordinates: 52°03′40″N 2°42′29″W / 52.0611, -2.7081

Hereford (pronounced or ) Welsh: Henffordd (pronounced "Henforth") is a city and civil parish in the West Midlands of England, close to the border with Wales and on the River Wye. It is the county town of Herefordshire. In 2001 Hereford had a population of 50,154.

The name "Hereford" comes from the Anglo Saxon "here" referring to army or formation of soldiers, and the "ford" coming from an earlier Roman term, also used in Saxon periods, referring to an area of river that soldiers could cross in close formation. Essentially Hereford started out as a place where a body of armed men could cross the Wye.

Hereford Cathedral dates from 1079 and contains the Mappa Mundi, a medieval map of the world dating from the 13th century which was restored in the late 20th. It also contains the world famous Chained Library.

An early town charter from 1189 granted by King Richard describes it as 'Hereford in Wales'. This charter also gave Hereford city status, the earliest example of city status in the United Kingdom being granted, since all earlier cities had been so since time immemorial.

It is now known chiefly as a trading centre for a wider agricultural and rural area. Products from Hereford include: (Bulmer's) cider, beer, leather goods, nickel alloys, poultry from Sun Valley, chemicals and cattle, including the famous Hereford breed. Hereford is one of only five Historic cities of Britain.citation needed] (see also London and Chester). The city was the home of the British Special Air Service (SAS) for many years, although the Regiment relocated to nearby Credenhill in the late 1990s.

The current member of the House of Commons for Hereford constituency is Paul Keetch. On 28 January 2005, Hereford was granted Fairtrade City status.