South East pier of the Romanesque crossing showing the base for the springing of the arch. The earliest part of the present Norman building dates from 1123 in 12th century when Benedictine monks from Reading Abbey started building a Priory. It was dedicated to St Peter. The town grew prosperous and the church became too small for the parish and so additional naves were built. The central nave, built in 1239, was dedicated to St Paul and the south nave in 1320 - so the church is unusual in that it has three naves. In 1539 Henry Vlll 8 dissolved the monasteries and although the Priory was destroyed the main church was saved. A fire in 1699 nearly destroyed the church but money was raised by the congregation (The equivalent of £500, 000 today) to restore it. In 1861, after years of neglect, restoration began under Sir Gilbert Scott. The central south window together with the Gothic arcade of pillars between the centre center and south naves come from this time. The West Door (under the Tower) has some beautiful 12th century carving unique to Herefordshire. There are also several fine examples of Romanesque sculpture and paintings also from 12th century.
