Discover Britain’s Towns | Your online guide to Britain’s unique and distinctive towns.

18 March 2020

Morecambe, from seaside resort to Eden Project

Morecambe is a coastal town on the Irish Sea. It comprised the hamlets of Poulton, Bare and Torrisholme until 1889.…

by Tom Daldry

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16 March 2020

Skipton, Yorkshire

Skipton originally made most of its money trading sheep and wool. Recorded in the Domesday Book, it is a market town.…

by Tom Daldry

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3 February 2020

Braintree, Essex, a silk centre

Braintree’s role in silk manufacture was rather significant. The Courtauld family was famous in the silk industry. George Courtauld established…

by Tom Daldry

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13 January 2020

Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire: a thriving pocket of culture

Hebden Bridge developed into an industrial town in the nineteenth century - as did many of Manchester's surrounding towns. At one…

by Tom Daldry

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Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire: a thriving pocket of culture

Hebden Bridge developed into an industrial town in the nineteenth century – as did many of Manchester’s surrounding towns. At one point, it was known as ‘Trouser Town’. But its distinctive landscape, with hills and streams, made it ideal for water-powered weaving mills. Built in 1897, the Town Hall is a Grade II Listed Building. It has acted […]

Stockport, home of silk, hats and heritage!

Stockport has been a centre for the hatting industry from the 17th century, and it later became a centre for silk production. Stockport was a prototype textile town. Stockport’s first mill opened in 1732 – the first water-powered textile mill in England’s North West. Working conditions were often difficult, because of the boom and bust […]

Worsley, Greater Manchester was one of the first industrialised towns

Worsley expanded significantly from 1761, as a result of the completion of the Bridgewater Canal. Francis Egerton (3rd Duke of Bridgewater) commissioned its construction, and this was to simplify the transportation of coal from his Worsley mines to Manchester. Coal was an important resource, because it fuelled steam engines. Over-reliance on pack horse transport was extant prior to […]

Salford, Manchester

Salford thrived with its silk spinning and weaving industry in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Much of the town’s development was as a result of these industries. However, textile manufactories broadly declined into the twentieth century, and this resulted in economic hardship in parts of the town. Salford Regeneration However, Salford has enjoyed extensive redevelopment in […]

Gorton, Manchester

Gorton is a town in Manchester, and it is rich in cultural heritage. For example, the world-famous Belle Vue Zoological Gardens opened in 1836. In its lifetime it served as a zoo, amusement park, exhibition hall complex and speedway stadium. It developed from containing a small amusements park in the 1870s to the ‘show ground […]

Burnley, Lancashire

Burnley is a historic market town, and is surrounded by breathtaking Penine countryside. It developed into one of the most prosperous mill towns in Lancashire during the Industrial Revolution. Burnley was one of the world’s largest cloth producers at its peak. Located in the town centre is Weavers’ Triangle. Consisting of 19th-century industrial buildings, Weavers’ Triangle has historic interest […]

Macclesfield – Silk Heritage and Modern Attractions

Macclesfield’s Silk History Macclesfield became known as ‘the silk town’ by the 1850s. This came about by silk button making, which was a principal industry of the town by 1749. However, button making declined as horn buttons became dominant. But silk throwing mills could operate, thanks to an extant pool of skilled silk producers. The […]

Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire

In 1839, a Dr Granville was traveling to Tenbury Wells, as he was conducting a survey to find seventy spa spots on the English landscape. Royal Leamington and Cheltenham were already ‘foremost towns’ for ‘taking the waters’. But Tenbury’s waters were found to be high in minerals, and deemed to be of medicinal value. Due […]

Morecambe, from seaside resort to Eden Project

Morecambe is a coastal town on the Irish Sea. It comprised the hamlets of Poulton, Bare and Torrisholme until 1889. Passage of the necessary legislation officially named the area Morecambe. Formed in 1894, the Urban District Council freed the town from governance by the Borough of Lancaster (until 1974, when Lancaster again took charge). But various parties […]

Barnsley

Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, has a proud mining heritage. Monks, who first erected a chapel and then established a market, built the original foundations of the town. Barnsley was also important for linen weaving and has a long history of glass making, but is most well known for its coalmines. Today, the Elsecar Heritage Centre, […]

Barnoldswick

Barnoldswick in Lancashire is at the highest point of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The market town dates back to pre-Roman times, was prominent in the Industrial Revolution and Rolls Royce developed the jet engine there in the Second World War. The steam engine at Bancroft Mill still works and is part of the Stream […]

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

A busy traditional market town, and the county town of Buckinghamshire, Aylesbury has significant buildings dating back to the Middle Ages, particularly around its large central market square with an imposing clock tower, built in 1876. These days it’s a popular choice for commuters to London, and is a significant transport hub, though its bus […]

Braintree, Essex, a silk centre

Braintree’s role in silk manufacture was rather significant. The Courtauld family was famous in the silk industry. George Courtauld established a silk throwing business in 1799 near Braintree, moving into the town in 1818. In 1825, the family began making crêpe (crimped silk gauze). This made the company famous. The Courtaulds used their enormous wealth […]

Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire: a thriving pocket of culture

Stockport, home of silk, hats and heritage!

Haverhill

A small 18th century market town, Haverhill was originally settled in Roman times, but burned down during the 17th century and mostly rebuilt 100 years later. As a result, it’s an intriguing mish-mash of styles, most of them pleasing, but with some early elements like 11th century stonework occurring next to things a lot younger, but sometimes older. […]