Hereford City’s Heritage Suite

The Heritage Suite at the historic Town Hall is home to the City’s past, housing Hereford’s ancient charters, City silver, medieval weaponry, and many other artefacts – all of which serve as a link to the City’s history.

The Charters were given to the City by every reigning monarch from Richard the Lionheart in 1189 through to Queen Elizabeth II and were historically used to validate the City’s status. Each charter comes with an elaborate seal, some of these seals have worn down to barely recognisable shapes, while others have withstood the test of time.

The Suite is also home to the Mayor’s Parlour, the historic office of the Mayor of Hereford, which contains an abundance of nostalgia and treasure, including the City’s Mourning Sword – the sword of Owen Tudor. The patriarch of the Tudor family, every British monarch from Henry VII onwards is descended from Owen Tudor. Learn of how he met his grisly end in Hereford at the start of the War of the Roses and why his sword, broken-in-two and sent to London, was restored by his great-grandson Henry VIII and returned to the City.

All these relics and more are open to the public, and should you decide to visit the Heritage Suite, one of our experienced guides will be on hand to tell you even more about the history and significance of the items you’ll see. Behind each piece is a story to be told.