All posts filed under: North East England

St Mary in the Castle © Jim Linwood
St Mary in the Castle, Hastings © Jim Linwood

Heritage Open Days – England’s unexplored heritage sites at a town near you. Here’s your starter for ten

In early September the doors will be open on hundreds of unusual and exceptional historic and iconic properties. We start you off with some ideas of where to visit around the country.

Aylsham market place © visitnorthnorfolk.com
Aylsham market place © visitnorthnorfolk.com

Aylsham in Norfolk is a traditional market town with two markets a week, a monthly farmers’ market and a busy town centre.

At the northern terminus of the Bure Valley Railway, Aylsham sits beside the river Bure, one of the busiest rivers in the Norfolk broads. Nestling in the Bure meadows is the National Trusts’ Bickling Estate, the birth place of Anne Boleyn. The Gallery Library in the Jacobean mansion contains the National Trusts’ most precious collection […]

Briggate Leeds © Hannah
Briggate Leeds © Hannah

Enjoy a huge slice of British history in the bustling City of Leeds in West Yorkshire

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 © www.visitnorthumberland.com with Cheviots behind
Wooler © www.visitnorthumberland.com

Wooler in Northumberland lies mid-way between Hadrian’s and the Antonine Walls, and is the gateway to the Cheviot Hills.

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 […]

Castleford Museum © Wakefield Council
Castleford Museum © Wakefield Council

Castleford in West Yorkshire a market town rich in history and archeology

Castleford in West Yorkshire, a C20th coal-mining town, rests above earlier settlements on land which is rich with archaeology. Late C20th building work in the town centre opened the way for digs which reveal the details of earlier times. Today, Wakefield Council has an interesting guide to the archaelogy and some finds are on display […]

Pontefract Liquorice Festival © Wakefield Council
The Pontefract liquorice festival © Wakefield Council

Re-discover liquorice in the bustling market town of Pontefract in West Yorkshire

Pontefract in West Yorkshire is an ancient settlement, but little is known of the area before the Norman occupation. Known as Kirby in Saxon times, the town eventually became Pontefract, the home of liquorice. The origin of the name is a mystery as there appears not to have ever been a bridge, let alone a […]

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 […]

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 […]

Amble clock Tower, Northumberland

Amble, the friendliest port and a haven for bird watchers

Amble town centre ©www.visitnorthumberland.com and Richard Moran Amble is a waterfront town on the river Coquet estuary, and gateway to the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and an SSSI. It is now a popular place for holidays; with a pleasant harbour, a marina, a nearby castle and nearby beautiful beaches. A mile off […]

Morpeth in Northumberland ©www.visitnorthumberland.com
Morpeth in Northumberland ©www.visitnorthumberland.com

Morpeth the historic county town of Northumberland

Morpeth lies on the river Wansbeck. A market town, which has a rich history to explore, it is the historic county town of Northumberland. It is a good base from which to explore the county of Northumbria. Markets Morpeth’s Farmers’ Market takes place on the first Friday of every month 9 – 2pm in the […]