Outside of Ledbury are numerous picturesque villages which locals tend to take for granted, especially the younger generation who don't want to go anywhere unless there are lots of shops and pubs. But the visitor to Ledbury would find a lot of the villages and hamlets around Ledbury of great interest if only for the scenery. I am dedicating this page to some of the villages I have visited in my lifetime and especially those that are more significant. I shall be adding to it as I gather more information about them.
Much Marcle
I am starting with Much Marcle which is only a few miles south of Ledbury on the way to Ross-on-Wye. At first glance as you drive through there is nothing much to see, a shop and petrol station combined and a pub opposite creating a rather tranquil scene. But there is more to Much Marcle than this. There is a history, and a history that would brighten the days of any lover of good cider. If you turn right at the cross roads on your way to Ross, then travel along that quite narrow country lane, you will come to "The Bounds" and the home of Westons Cider. So lets have a little more information about this well run family business.
The following text and pictures have been reproduced with the kind permission of H. Westons and Sons Limited, Much Marcle
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| Henry Weston |
Westons Cider and Perry has been made at ‘The Bounds’ in the Herefordshire village of Much Marcle for well over a hundred years, a site where Herefordshire men have produced these sturdy beverages for their own use for centuries.
It was in 1878 that Mr Henry Weston came to farm at 'The Bounds' and as a matter of course he continued the tradition, making his own fruit from the farm orchards into Cider and Perry, for the making and drinking formed part of the annual pattern of life in the country. There was always a barrel of cider in the cellar for the family to use – and a hogshead in the cider house for the men, who, at the start of each day the year round, brought their wooden ‘costrels’ to the cider house to be filled with the days allowance.
It was in 1878 that Mr Henry Weston came to farm at 'The Bounds' and as a matter of course he continued the tradition, making his own fruit from the farm orchards into Cider and Perry, for the making and drinking formed part of the annual pattern of life in the country. There was always a barrel of cider in the cellar for the family to use – and a hogshead in the cider house for the men, who, at the start of each day the year round, brought their wooden ‘costrels’ to the cider house to be filled with the days allowance.
As a tenant farmer without much capital, at a time when the newly opened lands of the British Empire were beginning to send cheap agricultural products to this country, Henry Weston soon realised that he was going to have difficulty in achieving the standard of living that he wanted for his family. Another source of income was needed and it seemed that development of the existing cider making practice into a commercial enterprise could be the answer. Henry Weston’s decision in 1880 to attempt this was probably influenced by his neighbour, Mr C W Radcliffe Cooke of 'Hellens' in Much Marcle. Mr Cooke, Member of Parliament for Herefordshire had so persistently advocated the development of West Country Cider making, so that Cider could become a national drink, he was known as the 'Member for Cider'.
The decision having been made, Henry Weston gained customers and slowly expanded the business, not by advertising but by recommendation, a method which called for products of the highest quality and close attention to customer requirements. Thus he established a tradition of business which has been maintained by the company ever since.
For the first few years the only means of manufacture was the old stone mill which had been in use making the farm cider for generations and an equally well used screw press; but it was not long before a roller mill, mechanical chain presses and a steam engine to drive them made an appearance. The stone mill and screw press were retired to the garden of the farmhouse where they can still be seen to this day.
The steam engine and chain presses were replaced in their turn by electric power and hydraulic presses, but although Henry Weston had planned for this development it was not until after his death in 1917 that his plans, delayed by the First World War, were finally realized
Now there are more and bigger vats, more fruit is handled, cider is available in many different forms and bottles are cleaned and filled at speeds undreamed of in the early days. However, some things have not changed. H. Weston & Sons Limited is still an independent family business whose policy has always been to offer its customers a wide choice of Cider and Perries of the same high standard of quality as those which Henry Weston was so proud to produce.
To Find out more about Westons and their excellent products, please visit their website by clicking www.westons-cider.co.uk.
Better still, why not pay them a visit. They have an excellent visitors centre with a shop, farm park and. . . .Well go to their website and see for yourselves
Eastnor
Eastnor is a village situated two and a half miles from Ledbury on the Tewkesbury road, but can also be reached on foot via an old pack horse trail through the Conigree woods. I actually did this with Mike Hodgetts when a mutual friend whom we both went to school with invited us to go to his home which was a farm at Eastnor. I must add that we were all school boys at the time and it was November the fifth. It was dark by the time we decided it was time to walk back to Ledbury and our parents had the police out looking for us. Needless to say there were only a certain kind of fireworks for us that night and they weren’t the bright sparkly ones.
Anyway, back to Eastnor, which has many pretty half timbered cottages set in some really beautiful scenery. It really is a pretty and tranquil little village. But the most interesting and beautiful building isEastnor Castle
Anyway, back to Eastnor, which has many pretty half timbered cottages set in some really beautiful scenery. It really is a pretty and tranquil little village. But the most interesting and beautiful building is
The following text and pictures have been reproduced with kind permission of
James Hervey-Bathurst (Owner of Eastnor Castle).
The Castle's unique setting makes it ideal for corporate events, product launches, private parties and location filming. It is also a popular wedding venue. Whatever the occasion, Eastnor offers the highest quality of facilities, accommodation and service and its atmosphere and location are an experience to savour.
THE 1ST EARL SOMERS (pictured right)
The family line emanates from two distinguished families, the Cocks and the Somers. The Cocks' family moved to Eastnor at the end of the 16th century. They bought the Manor of Castleditch and over the following 200 years gradually gained further land in the area.
The Cocks' married into the Worcestershire Somers' family, and it was the combination of their estates - including the valuable inheritance left by the Lord Chancellor Somers in the early 18th century and the banking wealth of the Cocks Biddulph Bank (now incorporated into Barclays Bank) - that gave the 1st Earl Somers the financial means to begin the construction of Eastnor in 1810. His cause was also aided by a judicious marriage to the daughter of the eminent and rich Worcestershire historian, Dr Treadway Nash.
The family line emanates from two distinguished families, the Cocks and the Somers. The Cocks' family moved to Eastnor at the end of the 16th century. They bought the Manor of Castleditch and over the following 200 years gradually gained further land in the area.
The Cocks' married into the Worcestershire Somers' family, and it was the combination of their estates - including the valuable inheritance left by the Lord Chancellor Somers in the early 18th century and the banking wealth of the Cocks Biddulph Bank (now incorporated into Barclays Bank) - that gave the 1st Earl Somers the financial means to begin the construction of Eastnor in 1810. His cause was also aided by a judicious marriage to the daughter of the eminent and rich Worcestershire historian, Dr Treadway Nash.
At that time, the size and splendour of a country house were the most obvious indications of the standing and fortune of any family, and there can be no doubt that the imposing mass and scale of Eastnor was intended to reflect the personality and stature of its creator and pitch the family into the ruling classes for future generations.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CASTLE
The style proposed by the architect, the young Robert Smirke, was Norman Revival. From a distance, Eastnor was intended to create the impression of a medieval fortress guarding the Welsh Borders. The symmetry of the design emphasised authority, distinguishing it from the rambling, picturesque mansions of a slightly earlier period at Downton and Lowther, the latter also designed by Smirke.
The style proposed by the architect, the young Robert Smirke, was Norman Revival. From a distance, Eastnor was intended to create the impression of a medieval fortress guarding the Welsh Borders. The symmetry of the design emphasised authority, distinguishing it from the rambling, picturesque mansions of a slightly earlier period at Downton and Lowther, the latter also designed by Smirke.
By any standards, the Castle is a massive edifice and the construction team and materials used were on a similar scale. A workforce of 250 men working day and night were employed over the first six years of construction, and in the first eighteen months 4,000 tons of building stone, 16,000 tons of mortar and 600 tons of wood were used. The stone came from sandstone quarries in the Forest of Dean
THE INTERIOR OF THE CASTLE
The cost of the construction of the fabric of the Castle was so great that the decoration of the interior inevitably held a lower priority. When the family moved into the west wing after 1813, many parts of the Castle must have been little more than a shell. Smirke's designs for the interior were simple and in keeping with the medieval style of the Castle. Details of his work remain in the Red Hall, Dining Room and Staircase Hall. Surviving furniture by Smirke includes the plain Gothic benches and chairs in the Entrance and Great Hall.
The cost of the construction of the fabric of the Castle was so great that the decoration of the interior inevitably held a lower priority. When the family moved into the west wing after 1813, many parts of the Castle must have been little more than a shell. Smirke's designs for the interior were simple and in keeping with the medieval style of the Castle. Details of his work remain in the Red Hall, Dining Room and Staircase Hall. Surviving furniture by Smirke includes the plain Gothic benches and chairs in the Entrance and Great Hall.
Gradually over the course of the 19th century, the Castle was made more habitable. In 1849, the 2nd Earl, commissioned Pugin, who had completed the remodelling of the House of Lords just two years earlier, to decorate the Drawing Room in High Gothic revival style.
The celebration of the ancient lineage of the family over the chimney-piece evoked the medieval culture of religious feudalism from which Pugin took his inspiration. Now fully restored, this room remains' Pugin's most complete interior outside the House of Parliament. The 3rd Earl undertook more lavish embellishments in the 1860's and 1870's, notably in the Long Library and the State Bedroom.
The celebration of the ancient lineage of the family over the chimney-piece evoked the medieval culture of religious feudalism from which Pugin took his inspiration. Now fully restored, this room remains' Pugin's most complete interior outside the House of Parliament. The 3rd Earl undertook more lavish embellishments in the 1860's and 1870's, notably in the Long Library and the State Bedroom.
For more information on this beautiful castle including the magnificent artwork and examples of armour then please visit the Eastnor Castle
Click on the link below.
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