THE country mourns the death of one of the world’s greatest minds, Stephen Hawking, at the age of 76.

The physicist and author of A Brief History of Time died at his home in Cambridge.

The Hereford Times wrote about his visit to a Hereford wine bar in April 2014.

Prof Hawking popped into Saxtys to enjoy a champagne tasting event – and also sampled the Widemarsh Street bar’s cocktails.

His visit was part of a long stay in the county that saw him take in the city's cathedral the previous day.

Edward Symonds, owner of Saxtys said at the time: "We had a phone call saying that Stephen and his people were going to come in on Friday.

"We couldn't believe it at first, but we were told that he was staying locally and that he wanted to attend.

"He asked for a Bloody Mary and had a couple of glasses of champagne.

"He took part in what was going on and stayed for about two-and-a-half hours."