The Herefordshire School is a name first given by polist-English scholar George Zarnecki

George Zarnecki

George Jerzy Zarnecki, CBE, FBA, FSA was a Polish-English Professor of Art history. He was a scholar of Medieval art and English Romanesque sculpture, an area of study where he did pioneering research....

 to a hypothetical group of master-masons working in modern Herefordshire

Herefordshire

Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...

 and Worcestershire

Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...

 (in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

) during the 12th century. Their distinctive Romanesque sandstone and limestone carvings are to be found in several parish churches in the area, most notably Kilpeck

Kilpeck

Kilpeck is a small village in Herefordshire, England. It is about southwest of Hereford, just south of the A465 road to Abergavenny, and about from the border with Wales....

, but also Eardisley

Eardisley

Eardisley is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire about south of the centre of Kington. Eardisley is in the Wye valley in the northwest of the county, close to the border with Wales....

, Shobdon

Shobdon

Shobdon is a small village in Herefordshire, England situated north of Hereford and west of Leominster. It is also only 2 miles north of the Mortimer's Cross. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the parish of Shobdon was 769, consisting of 386 males and 383 females.- Village places :The...

 and Castle Frome in Herefordshire, and Rock, Worcestershire

Rock, Worcestershire

Rock is a village and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, which lies south-west of Bewdley. It has a population of 2,366. The Bewdley School and Sixth Form Centre provides secondary education for pupils from the area....

. Their work draws on a variety of cultural sources for its religious and mystical images; Norman military figures, Saxon animals and Celtic abstract patterns combine to create a unique and beautiful synthesis. Despite its overtly religious nature, Herefordshire School work also has a playful, occasionally bawdy approach.