In the 18th century Northampton bounced back from its Great Fire of 1675 to become England’s shoemaking and leather capital. And if you need to see a monument to this prosperity, the Neo-Gothic Guildhall (1861-64) is a masterpiece. Long before, Northampton had been the site of one of England’s largest Norman castles, and Parliament regularly …
On the edge of the low-lying Fens, Peterborough is a city commanded by a superlative cathedral. This is one of the few complete examples of 12th-century Romanesque architecture, with a Gothic facade that looks like nothing else in the UK or Europe. Peterborough emerged as an industrial city in the mid 19th century when a …
England’s 9th largest urban centre has the cachet of being both a historic cathedral city and a modern manufacturing hub. The 14th-century St Michael’s Cathedral was bombed out in the war and its ruins have been conserved as a symbol of peace next to a bold, modern cathedral built in the post-war period. In the …
A city with two millennia of history to unpack, York has stupendous historical wonders in a quaint Medieval cityscape. The Romans founded York as a fortress in AD 71, and the emperors Hadrian, Septimus and Constantius I all had their British seat in York while on campaigns. Constantine the Great was declared Roman Emperor at …
The definition of an English seaside resort, Great Yarmouth has enticing golden sands in front of a cheerful beachside dubbed the Golden Mile. The resort is endearingly old-fashioned in its Victorian piers, miniature village and amusement parks with vintage wooden roller coasters. Great Yarmouth has the extra appeal of being a port with military, fishing …
While some English seaside towns can feel downtrodden and garish, Eastbourne bucks the trend for the classy Victorian townhouses and hotels that line its seafront. This sophisticated bearing is exemplified by the Bandstand, a Neo-Grec building, clad with faience and hosting a prom and fireworks display every Wednesday in summer. Eastbourne is on the eastern …
At 0° longitude, where the Eastern and Western Hemispheres meet, Greenwich has astronomy and seafaring in its soul. This corner of southeast London also has a royal past, as Henry VIII resided here in the 16th century, while a line of monarchs spent time at the Queen’s House, still standing in front of Wren’s Old …
The Roman author Pliny the Elder wrote about the town of Colchester in the 1st Century AD. Camulodunum, as it was then known, was once the capital of Roman Britain and is the UK’s oldest town. The place to dip into Camulodunum’s history is an extraordinary monument in its own right: Colchester Castle is a …
Embraced by a loop on the River Severn, Shrewsbury is a market town that wins people over with its Tudor houses, Medieval castle and idyllic riverside park. The watery barrier of the Severn has helped Shrewsbury hang onto more than 600 historic buildings, as well as its “Shuts”, which are sequestered little passageways. Charles Darwin …
A historic inland port on the River Severn, Gloucester is at the entrance to England’s West Country on the cusp of the Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean. Originally this was the Roman fort of Glevum, defending a crossing on the Severn, and gained its town charter under Henry II in 1155. Gloucester’s cathedral has …