Author: Stella May

Telford's Menai Bridge © SueCG on Pixabay

Our great engineers were drivers for change in the industrial revolution which shaped so many of our towns. We’ve taken a look at some of them and the towns where they lived.

Published by Stella May

Telford’s Langholm Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway was the childhood home of one of the greatest civil engineers ever, Thomas Telford. He was born in Westerkirk, Langholm in Dumfries-shire, the son of a poor farmer who died soon after Telford’s birth. He grew up in Langholm, where he was an apprentice to a stone mason, […]

Silver Street © www.visitwiltshire.co.uk

Silver Street Warminster © www.visitwiltshire.co.uk

Make spring time for Warminster nestled between Cley Hill and Battlesbury Hill, the area offers wonderful spring walks along ancient routes.

Published by Stella May

Situated beneath the chalk downland, with its abundant flora and fauna, Warminster lies on the edge of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The area around Warminster shows evidence of early settlers with Iron Age forts. In the middle ages the town thrived on the wool and cloth industries, […]

High Street © Gulidford Borough Council

Historic Guildford in the centre of Surrey has architecture from Saxon times through to the C20th. Enjoy a walk along the tow path by the River Wey, or take a boat trip from Dapdune Wharf.

Published by Stella May

The early town grew in importance because of its situation on the River Wey. It was a resting place for pilgrims on the medieval Pilgrims Way. Later the town was a coaching stop on the route from London to Portsmouth. The Angel Inn, a medieval timber-framed building on the High Street, remains a hotel to […]

Derby © Visitderby.co.uk

Derby has been in the middle of it all for thousands of years, boasting Bronze Age artefacts, to Neronian forts, and Georgian arts, there’s plenty for visitors to see and do.

Published by Stella May

The centre of the City of Derby is an eclectic blend of old and new. The mix includes the Cathedral, Georgian buildings in Friargate and cobbled streets, next to C20th urban townscape. The once splendid Friar Gate Bridge dates from 1878. Local iron foundry Andrew Handyman & Co. designed the bridge for the Great Northern […]

Windsor is famous world wide for its Royal connections which go back to William the Conqueror

Published by Stella May

Windsor Castle has the distinction to be the residence of the Royal Family. And is the oldest and the largest occupied castle anywhere in the world. It has been home to 39 monarchs. The first Norman castle was the typical motte and bailey, which was part of the Conqueror’s ring of castles surrounding London. It […]

Lower High Street Harpenden showing trees coming into leaf in spring with red tulips and spring flowers on the ground © Harpenden Town Council

Lower High Street © Harpenden Town Council

Harpenden the bustling town with a traditional English village feel.

Published by Stella May

Harpenden has 30,000 residents and a growing number of businesses, but still has a village feel. It has an unspoiled tree-lined High Street, town greens, and period cottages. The Common with 96.39 hectares of open space that supports cricket, football and Golf clubs is a County Wildlife Site. Harpenden Shopping Centre The Town Centre offers […]

St Mary's Chepstow showing the town, the Castle and the 1816 bridge© John Burrows

Chepstow © John Burrows

Chepstow has always been a forward looking, modern town. At the gateway to the Wales Coast Path, you can stand on its Bridge and have one foot in Wales and the other foot in England.

Published by Stella May

William FitzOsbern, cousin of William the Conqueror, founded the Castle, Priory, and Town at Chepstow. He was joint 2nd in command of the Normans in the Norman conquest of 1066. So afterward, William I made him Earl of Hereford. Chepstow Castle The priority for both the Conqueror and FitzOsbern was to secure the English-Welsh border. […]

Morris Dancers at Apple Day © www.golakes.co.uk.

Penrith in the Lake District is right in the middle of it all! It’s a market town with cobbled lanes, and surrounded by Bronze Age monuments.

Published by Stella May

In the heart of Cumbria, Penrith is the social and commercial centre of the Eden District. It is the perfect base from which visitors can explore the Eden Valley and the Lake District National Park. The cobbled lanes in the town centre have independent shops and a range of eateries which range from cafes to […]

People shopping on Rochester High Street © Visit Kent

Rochester in Kent, is a historic town on the route between London and Dover, and home to one of England’s greatest novelists.

Published by Stella May

Rochester is a very old city, within the walls of a Roman town where Watling Street crosses the river Medway. Later Anglo Saxons built Rochester Bridge which has ten timber spans across the Medway; a great achievement. Named landowners were responsible for the upkeep of piers or spans. Rochester Castle The first castle dates from […]

Chichester Market Cross1 © Picklecat 2017

Chichester in West Sussex is a busy market town with resident Peregrine Falcons nesting in the Cathedral. Be prepared, bring a shopping bag and a pair of birdwatcher’s binoculars!

Published by Stella May

Bishop Edward Storey gave the Market Cross to Chichester in 1501 to shelter the itinerant merchants. As he market grew, the town added more market buildings. The Buttermarket of 1807, built by John Nash, still survives with its six Doric columns and Coat of Arms. It leads now to an indoor market. West from the […]