Hereford Arts

We missed the launch of the  Liverpool Food Festival in Seton Park on Sunday, choosing instead to go to  opening weekend of the Hereford Arts Week.
We stayed two nights at The Hopbine which was reasonably OK at a fair price, and well placed to explore the county and the city.
We started off in the city centre, where many crafts folk had stalls, so that we could see lots of stuff without walking too far, and I bought some cuff links.  After that Ann had to visit the galleries on her own, as I got waylaid by a visit to Hereford Cathedral and the Mappa Mundi In the same display room was John Wyclif's bible that he translated into English, laid open at the Psalms.  A remarkable place to visit.
After buying some plums at the covered market, we headed south to Galanthus in Wormbridge, where we saw more alloy jewellery and pottery by Stuart Houghton, who we met last year.  The lunch there was excellent, Ann had tomato & basil soup and I had an open sandwich with local bacon and their own award winning blue cheese.
Our next stop was Bailey's Home & Garden, where a family were just leaving with a pair of antlers as we arrived.  This was a mixture of art craft homeware and recycling, as well as a cafe with some very delicious apple cake, which we enjoyed in the sunshine on their terrace. Our next visit took us to a farm where we admired the penstemon flowers on the way in, and bought a casserole dish from one of several potters who have studios there. The next visit also had penstemons on the way in, but sadly that was what we enjoyed most there.   After that we visited an exhibition of pottery, knitware, paintings garden sculptures, where we were made welcome with tea and cake, and there was a Jazz group playing in the field next to the garden.
We had seen quite a bit by then, so we were very pleased to find a pub with a garden where we could enjoy the late afternoon sunshine, before looking or somewhere to enjoy our evening meal.
Our first stop on Sunday was Hellens Manor. I would like to visit it properly one day, but we were there to see the exhibition by the Guild of Herefordshire Craftsmen, where we saw bags, and furniture, and pottery, and mirrors, and more besides.  I bought Ann a jewellery box made by Ken Gilbert.  He was not there that day, but his fellow craftspeople obviously held him in high regard.
After a quick stop to look at ribbons, we went onto Ledbury, where once again Ann had to fend for herself, while I got waylaid at the Ledbury Heritage Centre.  Tinsmiths in Ledbury is always worth visiting, and we enjoyed an excellent lunch in the cafe at the back of Nice Things.
After lunch we visited the best place of all, which was a family home, with a pottery display in the front garden, garden sculptures in the back garden, silk pictures being demonstrated in the kitchen, and finished pictures and furniture in the front room.  Everything was a delight. The silk pictures looked like felt, but finer, and with embroidery that made the trees look quite beautiful.  The furniture was beautifully made, and we bought a brightly coloured pottery dish to use as a fruit bowl.
The H.Art sites were easy to find, with bright sign posts, but they do tend to close at 5pm. So we just had time to visit an African textile and fair trade place before 5, and then we found some stay open until six, so we  got to visit Blue Ginger, over the border in Worcestershire as well, before we began our journey home.