On the Saturday, which was again far too hot!, D and I decided to go into Leominster as a Plant and Craft Fair was being held by Grange Court. After a slight problem in the car park when we realised the ticket machine only took cash and not debit cards :( we walked up the lane towards the Priory.
House Sparrow photo taken by D.
We immediately got sidetracked as there were wild flowers everywhere and we added several new species to the 2026 100 Plants a Year Challenge.
Common Nettle - not new but a better photo than the last one I took.
The following species are all new.
Smooth Sow Thistle
Valerian
Hedgerow Cranesbill
Wall Barley
Common Ragwort
Leominster Priory - sadly I didn't get chance to revisit the door with the carvings by the Herefordshire School of Romanesque Sculpture.
Elderflower - we'd seen this earlier on the holiday but it was the first time I had been able to get a photo - even if it is a poor photo!
Silver Birch - new species although we have them in the garden at home but those were planted by us and I am telling myself this one established itself!!!
Another new species - White Bryony
Grange Court is a Grade II listed timber framed market hall. It was built in 1633 and is one of the last surviving market halls known to have been built by John Abel, a local master carpenter.
The 400 year old building has had many different functions over the years. It originally stood at the top of Broad Street in Leominster where the weekly butter market was held where eggs, chickens and butter were sold. It was called the Butter Crosse.
By the mid 1800's it was becoming a traffic hazard and it was dismantled and lay in pieces in a builder's yard for several years. In 1859 the building was bought by John Arkwright who had it assembled on the Grange park. He leased it to the Moore family.
Grange Court remained a family home until 1939 when Leominster District Council made a compulsory purchase to save it from being moved to South Wales. Various councils had offices in the building until 2008 when it was made into a Community, Enterprise and Heritage Centre.
After having a good look around Grange Court we moved on to the Plant and Craft Fair.
Timothy now wants a bee keeper's outfit!
I bought one of these Ivy Leaved Toadflax plants to plant in a stone wall at home. D bought a chilli plant for the caravan and I treated myself to a Aeonium Schwartzkopf to replace one I had lost.
On our walk afterwards into Leominster Town Centre we saw an Ivy Leaved Toadflax growing in a wall.
We visited Rossiters Bookshop and I bought D a book for his birthday and treated myself to a book on Labyrinths.
We also visited The Roundabout Stationery Shop.
By now my feet and ankles were beginning to hurt and it was feeling horribly hot so we made our way back to the car park.
We added 17 species to the Wild Plant Challenge while we were in Herefordshire and together with a few species seen in the garden we are now up to 75 species.
We came home the following day leaving around lunchtime so we could get home to watch Villa on tv in the last match of the season.
All photos taken by me or my son with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).
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