The Romans founded York by the River Ouse in AD71, and of the three Roman Legions in Britain one was in York. Stretching for three miles, the town walls are one of the country’s most complete ancient city defences. The four medieval gateways – known as Bars – also remain in tact, and two of […]
Malmesbury in Wiltshire…a town buzzing with vibrancy and charm, there is so much to discover! History of Malmesbury Malmesbury is full of history stretching back centuries. It’s a town with a story to tell. In 2012 a metal detectorist found The Malmesbury Coin Hoard in a field in Milbourne, Malmesbury. This is a rare collection […]
Dunster, in Somerset, is a quaint old medieval English village in a country setting. As the best-preserved medieval village in England it punches well above its weight for interesting heritage features. There’s an ancient castle, a watermill, the stunning Old Yarn Market built in 1609, and a C16th tithe barn. The ancient eight-gabled Yarn Market […]
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 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. […]
The Kings Head in the Square, Wimborne © H Randall 2017 The town of Wimborne Minster in Dorset owes its name to the C8th Monastery paid for by the King’s sisters. It was a Saxon settlement on the river Stour, but today the town boasts the largest indoor market in the South of England and […]
Wakefield is a settlement in West Yorkshire on the banks of the Calder. The first record of the town is in the Domesday Book, but archaeological finds pre-date that. There is evidence of coal mining in the area in Roman times. The river and then canals were always central to Wakefield’s thriving industrial growth by […]
Stratford in Warwickshire is a market town with more than 800 years of history. Many of the buildings we see today would have been familiar to Shakespeare, the world’s most loved bard. The town is also a thriving community offering a wide variety of leisure, places to stay and shopping. Visitors to Stratford can make […]
Keswick was a settlement in prehistoric times. In the C13th Edward I granted a licence for a Market here which continues today. In the Tudor era Keswick was a mining area, but since the C18th it has been a popular destination for visitors Buildings in Keswick The town has a Moot Hall (or court house) […]
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 […]
