Author: Stella May

Alnwick ©www.visitnorthumberland.com

The bustling Northumbrian market town of Alnwick

Alnwick ©www.visitnorthumberland.com Alnwick in Northumberland is a bustling market town. A medieval town, it has a wealth of twisting cobbled streets full of local shops and well known brands. A market is held on Thursdays and Saturdays 9 – 4 at Alnwick Market Place, NE66 1TN. On the Great North Road, the town was an […]

Poole Lighthouse Arts Centre © H Randall
Poole Lighthouse © aka

Poole in Dorset the largest natural harbour in Europe

Poole is a large coastal town with a historic harbour in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. Today, it is a tourist resort, attracting visitors to the natural harbour, its long history, and the Lighthouse arts centre home of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. It is also home to some beautiful Blue Flag […]

Wareham Town Hall dressed with hanging baskets for Britain in Bloom © H Randall
© aka

Wareham in Dorset, a riverside town between the rivers Piddle and Frome

Wareham Town Hall dressed for Britain in Bloom © H Randall Until the C14th, Wareham was a major port but the increasing size of ships and the silting of the river changed its role. It is now a riverside town lying between the rivers Piddle and Frome surrounded by walls dating from the Saxon period. […]

Aerial view of Lincoln Cathedra © Visit Lincoln
Aerial view of Lincoln Cathedral © Visit Lincoln

The historic City of Lincoln in Lincolnshire

Lincoln sits on the site of a Roman fortress. The Romans grouped the local people together in great cities such as Lincoln (and York for example). Enclosed by great walls, the local people in the cities governed themselves but paid taxes to the Romans. Great roads linked the cities. The Roman road known as Ermine […]

A view across the roof tops of kendal with the castle in the background © www.golakes.co.uk
Kendal town with the Castle behind © Ben Barden/ www.golakes.co.u

Kendal a green and beautiful town!

Kendal was already a settlement when the Romans arrived. The local people, the Brigantes, provided goods and services for the newcomers. The Romans built a fort at Watercrook which is just south of the present settlement in a bend of the River Kent. They remained for about 400 years. At the time of the Norman […]

An aerial view of Berwick-on-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed ©www.visitnorthumberland.com.

The town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland

Berwick-upon-Tweed, now an English town, changed from Scots to English and back thirteen times in the last 300 years. Three miles from the border with Scotland, Berwick had a violent past. The Border region once thrived on raids, and disorder was just a way of life. There were raids, pirates, sea battles and occasional truces. […]

Chipping Campden © www.cotswolds.com

The Market Town of Chipping Campden in Gloustershire

Chipping Campden © www.cotswolds.com The C7th town of Chipping Campden derives its name from the Saxon “Campa-denu” or “Campadene”, meaning a valley with fields or enclosures of cultivated land. Chipping means market. In medieval times Chipping Campden was one of the most important wool towns and was famous throughout Europe. Today, it is a small […]

Sherborne in Dorset – a town to paint

Sherborne Castle Capability Brown Orangery and Ginkgo Lawn ©Sherborne Castle An ancient Dorset town, Sherborne is close to the north west boarder with Somerset. Once noted for its woollen trade, silk, lace and button making, it is now a magnet for creative talent. The town was formerly the capital of Wessex. The architecture of Sherborne […]

Boscastle is one of Cornwall’s hidden treasures

Boscastle in Cornwall, is a quaint little fishing village and harbour which is full of pretty, odd-shaped and odd-fitting cottages. The National Trust owns and cares for the harbour, which is one of the unspoilt treasures on the Cornish coast. The harbour and surrounding area is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The white-washed, thatched […]