How Others see Hereford

This guide to Hereford and Edgar Street appears on the Stockport County Official Website.

We reprint it without comment:

Pub Guide:

There is a club bar at the ground called 'Legends', which is open before and after the game. From inside here you can see right across the ground.

If you arrive at the ground early enough then turn left and follow the ring road right to the end. Here you will come across the 'Victory Tavern' which has a selection of real ales and a bar which resembles half an old sailing ship, complete with cannons!

On the edge of the main car park at the ground is the 'Oxford Arms' which is described as a friendly pub, with a beer garden and Sky Sports.

Edgar Street is situated in the city centre which means there is a variety of pubs in the town centre within walking distance.

Around five minutes away from the ground is the 'Newmarket Tavern' which has a large screen and is quite comfortable although away fans are advised to use their discretion with this pub, as there have been mixed reports.

Edgar Street is one of the biggest grounds in non-league and has a capacity of nearly 9,000, with seating at either side and terracing behind both goals.

The strange looking, two-tiered Edgar Street stand goes along one side. The upper tier is seated, which hangs right over the terrace in the lower tier.

The other side is the Merton Meadow Stand which is a covered, single tier stand and is raised above pitch level.

The home end is the Merton Meadow Terrace which is semi circular in shape, going out around the back of the goal and at the other end if the Blackfriars End which is another partly covered terrace.

Edgar Street also houses some large, unusual looking floodlights.

Away Day Experience:

A trip to Hereford is described as a "happy and relaxed occasion" although there have been a few recent incidents in the ground, including trouble after their FA Cup victory over Wrexham during the 2001-02 season.

Most of the time, though, away fans are able to enjoy a pint and a chat with the home supporters before and after the game, in the many pubs surrounding the ground and also in the town centre.

On FA Cup days, Hereford often parade a live 'Prize Bull' around the ground and the Swede is also blessed. This has been done before many of the Bulls' famous Cup upsets over the years.

Facilities in the ground are very basic although fans will be able to sample the delicious 'Football's Famous Chicken Balti Pie' for the price of £2.00.


10 things you always wanted to know about Hereford:

1)The county of Herefordshire has a long history of cider making, which goes back even before Roman times, and children used to be baptised in it instead of water!

2)Hereford's Royal Charters, which mark the city's progress for over 1,000 years, are among the finest in the country and are kept at the Town Hall in a strong-room where they are kept safe from fire and theft.

3)The Three Choirs Festival takes place every third year in Hereford and is the oldest music festival in Europe, having been going for over 250 years.

4)Harold Godwin, Earl of Hereford, was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey in January 1066 AD. He was later defeated, and killed, by William, Duke of Normandy, near Hastings on October 14th 1066 AD.

5) Hereford houses the well known 'Butter Market' which, as the name suggests, was once devoted entirely to the sale of butter, cheese and other dairy products.

6) Hereford is one of the oldest cities in England, dating back to the early 7th century AD when Saxon settlers fortified the site against the marauding Welsh.

7) Pioneer photographer, businessman and inventor of the Ley Line hypothesis, Alfred Watkins, lived his whole life in Hereford.

8) Wyevale Garden Centres, one of the leading garden centre firms in the United Kingdom, is from Hereford.

9) With its mild springs, warm summers and long autumns, and also the gentle rain to swell the apple and ripen it, Herefordshire is a good place for cider making and 8,000 acres of the county is devoted to growing cider apples.

10) The Queen visited Hereford on Friday May 3rd, 1996, and formally opened the city's New Library Building.

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