Leatherhead, a historic market town, is the gateway to the beautiful Surrey Hills. This includes Box Hill on the route of the 2012 Olympic road cycle race. The town is a busy business and shopping centre. The High Street is traffic free making it a relaxing and pleasant place to shop. Here you will find […]
St Albans has fascinating history from the Iron Age onward. In Roman times, the town was one of the largest towns in Roman Britain until Budicca destroyed it. Notable former residents of the town include Samuel Ryder (1858-1936). They named the Ryder Cup after him. He ran his gardening business from St Albans, selling his […]
King Edgar established Hertfordshire with Hertford as its County town. The town is now a blend of old and new and set in delightful countryside. The War Memorial, dating from November 1921, has a bronze stag standing on a Portland stone plinth. Some of Henry II’s walls of 1173 have survived, James I demolished the […]
Worthing began to develop as coastal resort in the late C18th. The town had the benefit of the sea air without the hustle and bustle of Brighton. By the end of the century the town had just two shops. The first theatre opened in 1796, and in 1797 the hot and cold saltwater baths opened. […]
Modern Woking has grown up close to the medieval village known today as Old Woking. Here Henry VIII had a Palace and its ruins are a Scheduled Ancient Monument. By the C17th the village was a prosperous market place and some buildings and street layout remain to this day. Buildings In Woking In the heart […]
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.
Roger Montgomery built Arundel Castle in the C11th, and it is now one of the oldest and most complete castles in England. It stands in superb grounds which look over the River Arun in West Sussex. And this year it celebrates the 950th anniversary, and today is the family home of the 18th Duke of […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
