Hereford Cathedral Close

Hereford Cathedral Close. . , Canonical Houses and Residents , Accommodation for the Dean and Canons was provided around the Close. The earliest medieval houses no longer survive except as part of several buildings in the north-east part of the Close including the Cathedral Barn. The current houses in the Close are home to the some of the cathedral clergy., Some notable residents include:, Gerald of Wales, d. 1223, historian and traveller, whose works include the life of St Ethelbert , Nicholas of Hereford, who contributed to the late 14th century Wycliffe translation of the Bible into English , Bishop Miles Smith, who was one of several translators of the King James Bible of 1611 (the Authorised Version) , Thomas Thornton, who was responsible for the creation of the Chained Library in 1611, Jesuit Graves , Nearby is the grave of a Jesuit priest, William Anderton, who lived in Broad Street and served the Roman Catholic community in Hereford from around 1800 until his death in 1823., Alongside his grave is that of John Rogers, a wealthy man, who died in 1835 and whose connection with the Jesuit community is presumed but uncertain., Three Choirs Festival , The Three Choirs Festival established in the early eighteenth century is thought to be the oldest surviving music festival in the world. It rotates annually between the cathedrals of Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester., The festival brings together leading artists and orchestras for performances of new and traditional works in the Cathedral and for fringe events elsewhere in the city and county., North Porch and Cathedral Entrance , The North Porch was built at two different periods in the history of the Cathedral. The inner porch was constructed c.1250 and has an upper chamber above a ribbed vault which was used as a chantry chapel dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. The Outer Porch was built c 1515-1519 by Bishop Booth. It has a lierne vault with a central Tudor Rose and an upper chamber. This well-lit chamber was also used as a chapel dedicated to St Mary., Set in the paving stone at the entrance to the porch is a roundel depicting the Pilgrim Shell carved by Richard Kindersley. It marks the point of entry for pilgrims to the shrine of St Thomas of Hereford in the North Transept. The scallop shell is an ancient and universal symbol of pilgrimage associated more specifically with the shrine of St James at Compostela. This is one of three threshold markers that indicate points of access from the Cathedral Close into the building's sacred space.