Georgina Smith, a journalism student at the University of Worcester, who spent some time at the Ross Gazette recently, was intrigued by a number of the street names in Ross-on-Wye.

Ross is home to a number of streets with unusual names. Cantilupe Road is one of those, with a notable history dating all the way back to the 1800s.

The name Cantilupe Road is thought to have a connection with the Bishop of Hereford, Thomas De Cantilupe. He was appointed Bishop by the Chapter of Hereford Cathedral in June 1275.

Buildings lining the street have a considerable amount of history to them. Georgina was fascinated when she took a short walk along the street and decided to try and find out a little more about them.

One of the most visited locations in the street must surely be Ross-on-Wye Library. Originally this building was a secondary school named the Board School, or Council School, which closed in 1953. It was built in 1874, extended in 1889 and then closed as the Secondary School in 1953 when John Kyrle High School opened.

It then became the town’s primary school until it closed in 1969, after an inspection found that it was in a dangerous condition. The school was demolished and a new primary school was built for the town, called Ashfield Park. The land was then used as the site for the library.

All that remains of the school now are stone pillars which can be seen adjacent to the library outside a new development of town houses.

Read the full report in this week’s Ross Gazette

Can you think of any other streets in Ross with unusual names? Kyrle Street was obviously named after John Kyrle, the Man of Ross, but what about Edde Cross Street? Perhaps someone knows as much about this street and its history as Cantilupe Road.

Email reporter@rossgazette if you have more information.