St Peter’s Street, Hereford 1978

The historic timber-framed heritage of Hereford is captured in this authentic 1970s colour photograph from 1978. The archival image focuses on St Peter’s Street and High Town, dominated by the Old House (now the Black and White House Museum), a remarkably well-preserved Jacobean building with striking black beams and white plasterwork. A young birch tree stands near the corner of the structure. The surrounding streetscape shows a pedestrianised zone with dark cobbled paving and traditional red-brick commercial buildings to the left, featuring shopfronts for businesses such as Linnards. In the background, the elegant white neoclassical facade of a bank building with a prominent clock tower sits next to the distant, slender stone spire of St Peter’s Church. Modern 1970s elements include circular “no entry” and “except buses” traffic signs and contemporary street lighting. This factual record documents the architectural contrast of Hereford’s city centre during the late 1970s, showcasing its blend of medieval, Stuart, and Georgian influences.