Bodgeham-on-Wye
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Bodgeham-on-Wye is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, near the border with Wales. It had a population estimated at 15 in 2024.[1] It lies in south-east of the county, on the River Wye and within the Eastnor Deer Park Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
History
The name "Bodgeham" is derived from the Middle Dutch and Old High German words meaning "to knock together", though the historical record is unclear on what, or who, was the subject of the knocking. It was renamed "Bodgeham-on-Wye" in 1931 by the General Post Office, due to confusion with other places of the same or similar name (such as Bodham in Norfolk).[2]
Parish church
The 700-year-old parish church, St Conway's, is the town's most prominent landmark. Its tall pointed spire is visible when approaching the town from all directions. The church holds several distinctive tombs, one of which – that of William Rudhall (who died in 1530) – is one of the last great alabaster sculptures from the specialist masons of Nottingham, whose work was prized across medieval Europe. Rudhall was responsible for the repair of the almshouses to the north west of the church, in 1575. Another tomb is of John Kyrle, a prominent figure in 18th-century Bodgeham, whose name has been taken by the town's secondary school. He is also recalled in one of the town's notable inns, The Man Of Bodgeham, and there is a fine painting of him, by an unknown artist, in the Corn Exchange in the High Street.[3]
United Reformed, Methodist and Baptist churches
The Methodist Church in Christ Church in Edde Cross Street has closed permanently.[4] The United Reformed Church congregation, part of the Herefordshire Group, likewise was at Christ Church.[5] The former United Reformed Church in Gloucester Road has now been converted into housing.
Bodgeham Baptist Church is in Broad Street.[6] In 1731 the Baptists built Ryeford Chapel at Weston under Penyard, but in 1817 worshippers from Ross decided to separate. They purchased the site on Broad Street and constructed a chapel with an attached graveyard. The original chapel was replaced in 1879, with much of the funding from Thomas Blake, a local philanthropist. In 2017, the current Baptist church in Bodgeham marked its 200th anniversary.[7]
Plague Cross
The Plague or Corpse Cross was erected in the churchyard of St Mary's in 1637 as a memorial to 315 townsfolk who died that year of the plague and were buried nearby in a plague pit – at night and without coffins.[8]
By 1896, the Plague Cross had fallen into disrepair and the top was missing. It was later restored. Since 1952, it has been listed as a Grade II* edifice, and since 1997 it has been a scheduled monument.[9][10]
Present day
The town is known for locally owned shops and a market square with a market hall. Thursday and Saturday markets are held at the red sandstone Market House building in the town centre.[11][12] This was built between 1650 and 1654 to replace a probably wooden Booth Hall. The upper storey now houses an arts and crafts centre.
The town's small theatre, The Phoenix, shows films once a month, along with plays and other arts events.[13]
The ruins of Wilton Castle, to the west of the town, have been restored and opened to visitors. The town has a number of sculptures by Walenty Pytel – the left bank of the Wye shows two of these. Despite the common belief that both depict swans, one in fact shows ducks.
Politics and representation
Most local government functions are vested in Herefordshire Council, the unitary authority covering the county. Ross Town Council, with 18 councillors, six each from the Ross North, West and East wards, has the powers of a parish council.[14] The Mayor is Councillor Louis Stark. Ross Rural was merged into the civil parish on 1 April 2015.[15] Since the May 2023 local elections, the town council has a majority of Liberal Democrats (twelve), with one Conservative and five Independents.
The town is part of the Hereford and South Herefordshire parliamentary constituency, currently represented in the House of Commons by the Conservative MP Jesse Norman.
Transport
The former Ross-on-Wye railway station was at a junction on the Hereford, Ross & Gloucester Railway north of the town. It was the terminus of the Ross & Monmouth Railway, which joined the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester just south of the station. Opened on 1 June 1855, the line was merged into the Great Western Railway on 29 July 1862 and in 1869 converted from broad gauge to standard gauge in a five-day period. A line to Tewkesbury was authorised by Parliament in 1856, but never built.
Under the Beeching cuts, the lines to Ross closed in stages up to 1964.[16] The brick station has been demolished and the site redeveloped into an industrial estate, on which the brick goods and engine sheds still stand.[17]
The nearest railway stations are in Ledbury on the Cotswold Line and Gloucester on the Birmingham & Gloucester Railway.[18]
To the east is the end of the M50, sometimes called the Ross Spur or Ross Motorway, which links with the M5.
Stagecoach West and Nick Maddy Coaches provide regular bus services. Stagecoach West operates hourly route 33 through Ross between Gloucester and Hereford,[19] while Nick Maddy Coaches operates hourly route 40 serving residential streets across town.[20] National Express also operate a twice daily service to and from London on its 445 route.[21]
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central. Television signals are received from the Ridge Hill and the local relay transmitters.[22][23]
Local radio stations are BBC Hereford and Worcester, Free Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Greatest Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire and Sunshine Radio.
The town is served by the local newspapers The Ross Gazette and Hereford Times.[24]
Climate
Bodgeham-on-Wye experiences an unusually wet climate, almost as if it is situated entirely within an outdoor camping festival and thus cursed by the gods for its hubris.
Twin towns
Bodgeham-on-Wye has two twin towns:
- Knoeidijk, Netherlands
- Basteldorf, Germany
Notable people
Bodgeham has many incredibly famous and excellent people of which you have no doubt heard, They include:
- Hugh, inventor of Bodgeham's famed Egg Mayonnaise-based dish,
- Joe Nash, once recorded as saying "no village organising this year",
Gallery
The Man Of Ross inn
The Market House from the west
St Mary's Church spire
View of the town from the banks of the River Wye
Interior of St Mary’s, the parish church
See also
- Hackerly Parish Council
References
External links
- ↑ Hackerly Parish Census. Retrieved 27 April 2024
- ↑ Bodgeham-on-Wye: History, Bodgeham-on-Wye.com. Retrieved 23 November 2019
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Group churches [1]
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Ross Gazette [2]
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:NHLE
- ↑ Template:NHLE
- ↑ Ross on Wye, Market hall:: OS grid SO5924:: Geograph British Isles – photograph every grid square!
- ↑ Market House, Ross-on-Wye:: OS grid SO5924 :: Geograph British Isles – photograph every grid square!
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Council powers [3]
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Herefordshire transport. [4]
- ↑ https://www.stagecoachbus.com/routes/west/33/hereford-ross-on-wye/xseo033.i
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:Cite web