Latest News from the Guides
A Load of Old Bulldog?
Dan the Dog Replacement Project
Since 2002 there has been a wooden statue of Dan the Bulldog on the south
bank of the Wye on Bishop’s Meadow, Hereford. Dan was the inspiration for
Sir Edward Elgar’s 11th Enigma Variation after he witnessed Dan’s antic’s in
the river on a walk with his great friend George Robertson Sinclair, Cathedral
organist. Repeated flooding of the site has caused the gradual degradation of
the statue, to the point that it is almost unrecognisable and beyond repair.
The Guild of Mayor’s Guides are proud to announce that we have successfully
secured funds to replace the statue with the generous support of Hereford City
Council, The Elmley Foundation and The Herefordshire Community
Foundation. We have commissioned the Cathedral stonemasons to recreate
Dan in Forest of Dean stone.
The ‘New Dan’ will be officially unveiled on the first Saturday of the Three
Choirs Festival, 26th July at 3pm. The 9 winning prizes of a Herefordshire
primary schools’ art competition to depict Dan’s story will be on public display
for the duration of the festival.
New Talks for Winter 2024-25
We take bookings all the year round from groups for our Walks and Talks.
You can go to our
Booked Walks
page for more information on the walks available and our
Booked Talks
page for more details of all our available talks.
Our Bookings Officer, Stephen Pugh, will be happy to discuss your requirements with you.
He can be contacted by e-mail here
Bookings Secretary
or by phone on
07947 924494
Welcome to Hereford
Hereford is an historic Cathedral City with a fascinating past and a busy
present. Its modern origins lie in the 7th century and its strategic site on the Wye, in the much
disputed borderland between England and Wales, made it as important to the Saxons as to the
Normans and their successors.
The City played a leading part in the events before and after the Norman Conquest, through the
turbulent Middle Ages and during the Civil War. It developed as a quiet market town and Cathedral
City. Today it is vigorous and thriving, a home for 53,000 people and a focal point of a rich
farming area.
Booked Talks
We are also able to offer talks to groups who may not
be able to come on a walk and would like to learn more about the history of our city.
If you would like to make a booking for 2025 then please contact the
Booking Secretary
to discuss your requirements.
Visit the Heritage Suite
Blackfriars Rose Garden
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