Many of Britain’s towns are given additional character by public artworks and statues. In this issue’s Discover Towns we look at a selection of statues that reflect upon the towns’ connections with art and politics. Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire A busy market town, and the county town of Buckinghamshire, Aylesbury has significant buildings dating back to the […]
Cotton is a mainstay of the textile industry, and it remains a crucial resource to this day. The East India Company first imported cotton to Britain in the 16th century. As a result, cotton’s popularity grew, and its value soared. The spinning frame (1769) generated large-scale industrial production. Consequently, the cultural and social impact upon […]
Rochdale sits at the foothills of the South Pennines. It flourished into a centre of Northern England’s wool trade from the 13th century. Rochdale was also a prominent boomtown during the first Industrial Revolution. With textile manufacture as key industry, the area subsequently developed as one of Britain’s first industrial towns. The town’s rapid development was partly due to Rochdale […]
Textile production has been a key part of the history of many British towns – for instance, the cotton towns of Lancashire and the wool towns of Yorkshire. But silk manufacture is also a strong British tradition and a number of towns justly celebrate this history. There are even places that still produce and create […]
Droitwich Spa was referred to as ‘Saltwich’, according to Anglo-Saxon charters. It was changed to ‘Droitwich’ (‘droit’ means ‘right’ in French) in 1215, when the town was given its charter. ‘Spa’ was added in the 19th century, when the town’s spa facilities underwent development. Droitwich Spa is located on huge deposits of salt, and salt has been […]
The wells of Llandrindod had been resorted to as early as 1696. Rock Water (the chalybeate spring) was rediscovered by a Mrs Jenkins in 1732, tenant of the lower Bach-y Graig Farm. She began selling the waters to travellers, and news of their ‘healing qualities’ spread. In 1749, William Grosvenor converted a deserted farmhouse into […]
The Chalybeate Spring gives Tunbridge Wells its name. Dudley Lord North, who noticed the reddish-brown waters foaming from the ground, discovered it was drinkable in 1606. North was returning to London after a stay at the Abergavenny Estate, and hoped to quench his hangover-thirst with the Spring water. North declared it to be health-giving, and […]
Matlock Bath’s warm springs were discovered in 1698. The waters were applied for medicinal purposes at first, and the first bath house was built in the same year – to attract visitors. However, access to the village was difficult and it wasn’t until a bridge was built (over the Derwent in Matlock), and the opening […]
Britain is rich in ghost stories, some of which go back centuries and relate to places and names that are no longer familiar. Other towns have remained close to their eerie pasts, and Discover Towns has made a selection of places that offer group-friendly ghost trails and walks. York In 2002, Ghost Research Foundation International […]
Britain has a rich variety of spa towns – which became popular from the 17th century as the health benefits of local mineral waters were realised. As drinking and bathing became fashionable, the towns developed additional facilities, and a tourism boom resulted. Discover Towns profiles a number of towns that could provide a focus for […]
