Eardisland ( ) is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

on the River Arrow, about west of the market town of Leominster,

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Upper Hardwick, Lower Hardwick and Lower Burton. Eardisland is part of The

Black and White Village Trail The term black and white village refers to several old English villages, typically in the county of Herefordshire, West Midlands of England. The term "black and white" derives from presence of many timbered and half-timbered houses in the area ...

, which explores the villages of half-timbered, black and white houses to be found in this area of northern Herefordshire. The parish has rolling arable and pastoral farmland and ancient apple and cider apple orchards. The

A44 A44 may refer to : * A44 road (Great Britain), a road connecting Oxford, England and Aberystwyth, Wales * A44 motorway (Germany), a road connecting Aachen at the German-Belgian border and Kassel * A44 motorway (Netherlands), a motorway in the Nethe ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

road bypasses the south of Eardisland. (It formerly ran through the village centre, crossing the River Arrow there.) To the east the A4110 runs north/south, a little to the east of the course of the

Watling Street Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main R ...

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

which here, marks the eastern boundary of the parish. The

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

of St. Mary the Virgin has an early 13th-century

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, two early 14th-century tomb recesses and a 14th-century porch.Pevsner, 1963, page 119 The architect Henry Curzon substantially renewed the building in 1864. The Motte, Eardisland - geograph

Just north of the church is the overgrown motte of Eardisland Castle, surrounded by a moat. Eardisland has a 17th-century dovecote,Pevsner, 1963, page 120 two

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s, tea rooms and a restored AA box which is the oldest in England. On 1 May 2010, a community shop was opened on the ground floor of the dovecote, staffed and run by volunteers. Burton Court, about south of Eardisland, includes an early 14th-century hall. Much of the remainder of the house was added in the 18th century. The architect Clough Williams-Ellis added the Tudor Revival front in 1912.

Twinning

Notes

Sources

External links

Eardisland Community Website

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, EardislandLocal to Leominster
{{authority control Civil parishes in Herefordshire Villages in Herefordshire