Discover Lugwardine

You can get to know Lugwardine through its historic architecture, commemorative heritage and connection to the River Lugg valley. The parish church of St Peter shows several building phases; Lugwardine Chapel offers another historical perspective with its tiled floor. The war memorial, Conservation Area and a protected hillfort site add to the picture of the village. If you are planning a trip, these themes can help you consider which aspects of Lugwardine should shape your choice of destination.

Church and chapel: different building periods

The Church of St Peter is a parish church with fabric dating from the 13th and late 14th centuries; one surviving window dates from the 12th century. The west tower also dates from the late 14th century. Its features include a battlemented parapet and stepped diagonal buttresses. The parapet has an upper edge divided by battlements; the buttresses are set diagonally and stepped. When considering the architecture, you can therefore take into account both the different building periods and the tower’s specific design. The window belongs to an earlier phase than the elements mentioned from the 13th and late 14th centuries.

Lugwardine Chapel was built in the last quarter of the 19th century. Its Godwin tiled floor comprises approximately 5,000 encaustic tiles. With this type of tile, the pattern is embedded in the clay rather than being painted on exclusively. The two religious buildings thus offer different chronological and architectural highlights: the Church of St Peter features medieval elements from several centuries, while the Chapel stands out for its later construction date and tiled floor.

Commemoration and the development of the village

The Lugwardine War Memorial dates from 1919 and was later extended to include additions relating to the Second World War. It commemorates 27 members of the local community who died in the First World War. The year it was erected and the later additions mark different stages in its history of commemoration. The memorial can therefore be considered both in relation to the remembrance of those 27 people and to the references to the Second World War added later. It is listed as a Grade II structure.

The Lugwardine Conservation Area was designated in 1988 around the historic village centre, north and south of the A438. The village’s character includes older buildings, among them timber-framed and listed buildings, as well as later bungalows and houses. This mix makes the development of the village a subject in its own right: older buildings and later forms of housing represent different phases, without reducing Lugwardine to a single historical period.

North of Lugwardine, the Hemhill hillfort is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It offers another historical reference point, distinct from the designation of the Conservation Area: here, the status applies to an individual site, whereas there it applies to an area around the historic village centre. Those interested in the village’s history can therefore consider its development and archaeological heritage as separate topics.

The River Lugg valley and practical planning

Lugwardine is associated with the River Lugg valley. The Lugg Meadows at Lugwardine Bridge are designated an SSSI. Alongside architecture and local history, the landscape and its protected status are therefore also features you can take into account when deciding on your trip.

At Lugwardine Bridge, fishing is available on the right bank, both upstream and downstream of the bridge. The description specifies both the side of the river and the direction along it. As conditions in the fishing area may change, check them before making specific plans.

For most of its length, Lumber Lane is a practically single-track country road with passing places. If you plan to use the road, take this into account; conditions may change. Check the current situation before travelling. The valley setting, historic buildings and fishing at Lugwardine Bridge offer different focal points for a trip to Lugwardine.

Discover more destinations: Leintwardine, Much Cowarne, Upper Sapey, Mathon, Eardisland, Hereford, Kinnersley, Whitney-On-Wye

For the main travel overview: County Of Herefordshire.