All posts filed under: English Heritage

Sussex – The 1066 country and county by the sea

Sussex on the south coast of Britain is the county of the South Downs and the sea. The coastal strip of Sussex squeezed between the South Downs and the English Channel. Here are a long string of beach resorts: Bognor, Worthing, Hove and of course Brighton, the most famous of them all. Past Beachy Head […]

Wye Bridge © Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce
Wye Bridge © Visit Herefordshire

Hereford a walled city where the street plan is almost exactly as it was in medieval times.

The modern city of Hereford, on the boarder between England and Wales, is a treasure trove of historic buildings and artefacts. While the Old Market is an up-to-the-minute, and buzzing, shopping destination. Hereford Cathedral The see of Hereford dates from AD 676, and the present Cathedral from C11th-C12th. The columns and arches in the nave […]

Portsmouth by 921563 on Pixabay
Portsmouth by 921563 on Pixabay

The city of Portsmouth, with its historic dockyard, proud home of HMS Victory, is a vibrant and popular destination which blends the old and the new.

At the entrance to the Harbour, The Point and the Camber, visitor to Portsmouth will find some of the oldest, and many listed, buildings. In 1180 a wealthy merchant founded a chapel. In time it became the Parish church for the settlement which grew around the Point and Camber, Portmouth. Richard I granted the town […]

Lavenham Suffolk by MemoryCatcher on Pixabay
Lavenham Suffolk by MemoryCatcher on Pixabay

Visit Lavenham, a Suffolk wool town, to find a treasure chest of medieval timbered buildings. In its heyday it was one of the wealthiest settlements in England.

The history of Lavenham is one of gains and losses. In 1524 the village, a successful wool settlement, paid more in taxes than either Lincoln or York. Yet, 500 years later in 1824 the village was struggling with poverty. Today, it has recovered and is one of the best preserved medieval English villages. Lavenham in […]

People shopping on Rochester High Street © Visit Kent
Shopping in Rochester © 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.

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 […]

Signpost between Milford and Lymington © New Forest Destination Partnership.jpg
Signpost between Milford and Lymington © New Forest Destination Partnership.jpg

The village of Milford-on-Sea in Hampshire has the air of being pleasantly caught in a time warp.

Milford-on-Sea in Hampshire sits on the New Forest Coast and offers something for all ages whatever the weather. It’s one of the few remaining coastal villages in Hampshire, and being on top of the cliff offers wonderful views. Download a map of the village here. All Saints Church Milford-on-Sea All Saints is an C11th church; […]

Scarborough Spa © Welcome to Yorkshire
Scarborough Spa © Welcome to Yorkshire

Scarborough in Yorkshire, was once a town of sailors and fishermen, then a fashionable spa town, and recently a popular, genteel seaside resort.

The history of Scarborough in Yorkshire goes back at least as far as the iron age, with the remains of a hill fort to show it. In Roman times the vantage point up on the cliffs was a signal post. A tower in a courtyard, it was the look-out post against raiding Angles, Saxons and […]

Harlech Castle taken from a Drone © Gwynedd Council
Harlech Castle taken from a Drone © Gwynedd Council

Castle Harlech, in Gwynedd, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a magnificent, cliff-top stronghold.

Edward I built Harlech Castle over 6 years from 1282 to 1289; like a giant clenched fist it symbolised power and domination. It was a response to an uprising led by Llewellyn in 1282 in which the English had big losses. But Edward I drove Llewellyn back to Snowdon and he died in a skirmish. […]

View of the harbour at Fowey © Paul Watts and Visit Cornwall
Fowey © Paul Watts and Visit Cornwall.

The beautiful harbour town of Fowey sits in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, looking out to the Atlantic Ocean

Fowey is pronounced Foy; it rhymes with ahoy and buoy. This area is part of the country’s early naval history. St Catherine’s Point is a rocky headland at the entrance to the River Fowey estuary. It’s also a popular heritage site on the South West Coastal Path. Due to its strategic position, the site has […]

stone buildings in Haltwhistle © visitnorthumberland.com

Visit Haltwhistle in Northumberland at the geographical centre of Britain

Stone houses in Haltwhistle © visitnorthumberland.com Three miles from Hadrian’s wall, Haltwhistle, with its stone built houses, is a great base to stay while visiting Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site and the Northumberland National Park. The National Park contains some fine sections of Hadrian’s Wall. In the past local farmers used it as a handy […]