An experiment in urban planning in the 1960s and 70s, Milton Keynes is a new town on a grid pattern of boulevards. That alone makes it a fascinating place, as Milton Keynes looks like no other town in the country, with a high-rise central business district, profusion of modern buildings and regimented layout. Much older …
A mining town until the 1980s, Chesterfield’s industrial sites have been regenerated and the town is almost unrecognisable from just a generation ago. The Medieval alleys and courtyards in the old centre are commanded by the postcard landmark, the crooked spire of the Parish Church. At Chesterfield you’re on the east flank of the Peak …
In the Black Country, Wolverhampton is a former industrial town now dominated by the service sector. Manufacturing is still part of the local economy, but the days of coal pits and metal works are in the distant past. Collieries have become parks, while the art and mansions owned by industrialists have been passed over to …
A neat and prosperous market town, Taunton has a newly regenerated and pedestrian-friendly town centre with Perpendicular Gothic churches and Georgian townhouses. Taunton Castle houses the Museum of Somerset, a trip through the history of the county with Roman mosaics and coins, while Vivary Park has lush flowerbeds and carefree outdoor fun for kids in …
A seaside resort on the south coast, Worthing officially became a town at the turn of the 19th century after Princess Amelia, daughter of George III holidayed here. Thanks to a lot of post-war construction, Worthing is now in the middle of a continuous band of seafront development, from Littlehampton in the west to Brighton …
In the English Riviera, Paignton is a polished seaside resort that has beaches and big attractions for all-comers. No attraction is bigger than Paignton Zoo, which was one of the first zoos oriented towards animal conservation and welfare. The crime writer Agatha Christie spent four decades at Greenways, a Georgian estate close to Paignton. The …
Now a cosy seaside town, Falmouth was once the second busiest port in the British Empire. From 1668 to 1851 Falmouth was a Royal Mail packet station, handling post and precious shipments from across Europe and the Empire. The location was no coincidence as Falmouth Harbour (Carrick Roads) is the third largest natural harbour on …
At the Suffolk-Norfolk border, Lowestoft is a seaside resort and port town with an interesting story to tell. In the 20th century the port was one of the pillars of the UK’s fishing industry, while the town developed with the expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling in the North Sea in the 1970s. On …
A fishing village-turned tourist resort, Filey is sits on a cinematic five-mile sandy bay. In the south is the chalky Flamborough Head, a key nesting spot for seabirds, and north is Filey Brigg, a moody peninsula in walking distance of the town. Filey became popular in the middle of the 19th century among well-off holidaymakers …
Cornwall’s northernmost town, Bude is a seaside resort at a gap between sandstone cliffs. The Atlantic beaches in Bude are some of the best surf spots in the country, and whereas Newquay down the coast is all about parties and festivals, Bude is a little more mature and laid-back. There are schools for first-time surfers, …