Referred to as the Cornish Riviera, St Austell is an old market town not far from the beautiful South Cornish coast line. It is the largest town in Cornwall and overlooked by the white peaks of the China Clay industry. Holy Trinity (above) is an ancient Grade I Listed church and is unusual as parts date back to […]
Southwold near Aldeburgh in Suffolk has always had a strong connection with seafaring and shipbuilding. As long ago as 1512 the town sent six shipwrights to help build Henri Grace a Dieu for Henry VIII. The town saw action during the C17th Anglo Dutch wars. In the third Dutch War the town was the headquarters […]
Until the mid C19th Southwick was a farming and fishing village. There were a few cottages and a tithe barn on the west of The Green. A notable Roman Villa sat to the east of Southwick Street (a Scheduled Ancient Monument), and finds are on show in the Manor Cottage Heritage Centre. Manor Cottage dates […]
Brewing is an art in Burton-Upon-Trent which at one time produced one in four pints of beer sold in Britain. Now less so but still known as the capital of brewing today. Despite this Burton is home to the National Brewery Museum, which reopened in 2010. The town sits above the National Forest and on the River […]
Recent excavations at Warwick have found evidence of Neolithic people living in the area. Since then, it was a Saxon settlement, afforded protection to William the Conqueror and his army, and survived The Great Fire of 1694. The town boasts buildings from every period of the last thousand years, even though the Great Fire of […]
An ancient market town, Oswestry stands by an Iron Age Hill Fort named Caer Ogyrfan. According to legend, this was the name of King Arthur’s father in law. Gwinevere may have been born here. Of the 25 hill forts on the Welsh borders, this is the largest and is very impressive. The fort shows that […]
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 […]
The early town grew around the Royal Palace which Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and brother of Henry V, built in 1427. A grand palace, it had battlements and a moat, and became a favourite of the Tudors. Greenwich Park was the ‘garden’ of the Royal Palace. It was the playground and hunting ground for the […]
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 […]
The Royal connections in Brighton go back before the Prince Regent. Sussex Yatch Club organises the Royal Escape Race from Brighton to Fecamp in Normandy. The race celebrates the escape to France of King Charles 11 in 1651. Today a bunch of hardy volunteers organises the race and raises funds for sailing charities such as […]
