Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Ethelbert is a Grade I listed building in the Herefordshire, County of local planning authority area, England. First listed on 10 June 1952. A C15 Church. 2 related planning applications.

Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Ethelbert

WRENN ID
seventh-steeple-heron
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
Herefordshire, County of
Constituency
Hereford and South Herefordshire MP: Jesse Norman (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
10 June 1952
Type
Church
Address
Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Ethelbert, Cathedral Close, Hereford, HR1 2NG
OS grid reference
SO 509 397
Coordinates
52.05432, -2.71603
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: EPC · related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Ethelbert, located in Hereford, is a Grade I listed building that dates from the 11th to the 15th centuries. It has undergone restoration and alterations by notable architects including Wyatt, Cottingham, Sir Gilbert Scott, and Oldried Scott. The structure is built of ashlar sandstone and features lead roofs.

The exterior includes north and south aisles, transepts, the Lady Chapel, a crypt, a north porch, a crossing tower, and the 15th-century Bishops Cloisters, with both east and west walks still intact.

Inside, the cathedral is renowned for its stained glass, particularly in the Lady Chapel, the north-east and north transepts, and the south aisle. It also features a Norman font adorned with arcaded figures, choir stalls, misericordes, and other woodwork. The chained library is significant as it houses the largest collection of its kind in England, with around 2,000 volumes and five oak bookcases dating from around 1600. The choir stalls and the bishop's throne from 1375 are exceptionally fine and elaborate.

Among the notable monuments are those of Bishop Aquablanca from 1268 and St Thomas of Cantilupe. Other memorials include Johanna de Bohun from 1327, Peter de Grandison from 1352, Richard de la Barr from 1386, Andrew Jones and his wife from 1497, Swinefields from the 14th century, Richard Rudhall from 1476, and bishops such as Coke from 1646, Bennet from 1617, Meyew from 1516, Trelleck from 1360, Frowsetoure from 1529, and Charlton from 1343, as well as Richard de la Mare from 1435. The cathedral also features much notable work from the 19th century.

Local climate

Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Ethelbert receives an average of 780 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 62% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 65% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 44 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 86% of listed buildings. Of these, 21 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • Related listed building consents — 2 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
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  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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