Church Street & East Street, Heart of Hereford

Description

Church Street came into existence in c.800AD.  It emerges in the written records of the city in the late 13^th century as ‘Cabochelone’ or Cabbage Lane.  Unlike the position of cabbage today, the privileged Norman/French churchmen ate their meat with choice vegetables like the ‘cabbage’ which would have been purchased in the street, along with exotic herbs and spices.

Church Street was in St. John’s Parish, where parish officials in the post reformation period applied the laws of settlement to exclude the lame, lazy and sick, thus providing for a ‘polite society’ and maintaining the area’s wealth.  However, this did not stop a number of public houses and subterranean drinking dens flourishing in the area.  There were three in Narrow Cabbage Lane alone – the narrow passageway linking Church Street to High Town.

Cabbage Lane later became known as Capuchine Lane and latterly Church Street.  The first Herefordshire Directory of 1835 lists 26 distinct trades and specialists such as a butcher, baker, fishmonger, tailor, bookseller and milliner.   Church Street was a street of commerce and refinement – a position it still holds today.

East Street first came into existence in the 9^th century, when the area formed part of the defences against Viking raids.  By the beginning of the 12^th Century, High Town began to flourish with many shops looking out into the Market Place and the street became known as Byhindewalle (behind the wall) as pathways were constructed to connect High Town with the old ‘low town’ to enable the receiving and despatching of goods, generally by packhorses.  Hence the street name changed to Packers’ Lane.

The south side contained a number of impressive houses with large gardens owned by the gentry.  The premises number 89 was once part of the Police Station, no doubt positioned to be in close proximity to the drinking dens in and around Church Street.

Packers’ Lane became East Street in 1844 and the Commercial Directory at that time listed its inhabitants as mostly self-employed artisans such as tailors, shoemakers, milliners, a perfumer, beer retailer and printer, a tradition still being kept alive by some small independent retailers today.

Alongside its history and charm, Church Street and East Street continue to offer Hereford’s visitor a superb and wide range of independent shops and restaurants providing unique products and excellent services that cannot be found elsewhere in the City.

Drop into the Visit Herefordshire Centre at 1 King Street, Hereford – opposite the Cathedral for your copy of their useful shopping guide.