Elgar in Hereford
Edward Elgar, together with his wife and daughter, moved to Hereford on 1st July 1904. The composer was at the height of his powers and real public recognition was being achieved. A few days after the move he travelled to London to be knighted, and thus as Sir Edward he was to spend many of his happiest and most productive years living and working on the fringes of this small, essentially rural, city.
Elgar's imposing new home was at Plas Gwyn (meaning 'White house' in Welsh) on Hampton Park Road, to the East of the City Centre, and close to the banks of the river Wye. Here he could go salmon fishing, cycle through the surrounding countryside with his friends, or quietly commune with nature at nearby Mordiford Bridge, one of his favourite local haunts. He frequently played the organ in the Cathedral and at St Francis Xavier's Church in Broad Street.
While living in Hereford Elgar wrote much of his best music:
- 1904 Pomp and Circumstance March No. 3
- 1904 Overture: In the South
- 1905 Introduction and Allegro for Strings
- 1906 Oratorio: The Kingdom
- 1907 Wand of Youth suite
- 1907 Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4
- 1908 Symphony No.1
- 1909 Elegy for Strings
- 1910 Violin Concerto
- 1911 Symphony No.2
- 1911 Coronation March
"The Music Makers", the orchestral and choral work that tells of musicians' dreams and aspirations, was also sketched while he was still living at Plas Gwyn, although published just after he moved to London. In December 1911 the Elgars purchased a property in Netherhall Gardens, Hampstead, which they were to name Severn House, and early in the following year their Herefordshire idyll thus came to an end.
After settling in Hampstead, someone remarked that he must be living in clover now. Elgar replied that they "were leaving the clover behind in Hereford"
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Plas Gwyn, Hampton Park Road, Hereford.
Picture by kind permission of the artist: Simon van de Put