Leeds has more listed buildings than any other city outside London. The built heritage here is one to marvel at and enjoy. For a slice of British history the city has plenty to offer. It has a number of nearby historic houses, including Harewood House and Temple Newsam. While Kirkstall Abbey, is one of the […]
Wooler in Northumberland, a market town, became a health resort and a base from which to visit the Cheviot Hills. The town is a popular base for walkers, and is on the edge of the Northumberland National Park. Its visitors include Sir Walter Scott and Daniel Defoe. The town lies on St Cuthbert’s Way between […]
For anyone with an interest in church buildings Reigate has plenty to offer. St Mary’s is another large parish church. It possibly dates from the C12th but the exterior appears Perpendicular, it also had some restoration in the C19th. An interesting point is that the Nave has no clerestory. There is a tower with embattled […]
Chertsey is a market town on the banks of the Thames which grew around a Benedictine Abbey founded in 666. The Vikings destroyed the Abbey in 871 killing the Abbott and 90 monks. King Edgar refounded the Abbey in 964 and some ruins, mostly the gardens, still remain. The Abbey fishponds remain and fill with […]
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 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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
