Category Archives: England

This post starts with brief summaries of the early days of monasteries, the different orders and the effects of the Reformation and Dissolution. Abbeys & Monasteries features: Ampleforth, Bolton Abbey, Buckfastleigh, Byland Abbey, Fountains Abbey, Furness Abbey, Jervaulx Abbey, Kirkstall Abbey, Mount Grace Priory, Rievaulx Abbey, Sawley Abbey, Tintern, Torre Abbey (Torquay), Whalley Abbey andContinue reading “100. Abbeys and Monasteries”

This post features: Worcester, Redditch, Droitwich Spa, Pershore and Evesham Worcester The devastation and loss of heritage assets that occurred during the redevelopment of Worcester city centre led to the creation of the list of “gem towns” in the UK. In 1964 the Council for British Archaeology released a response to the Buchanan report, ‘Traffic inContinue reading “95. Worcestershire”

This post features Hereford, Leominster, Ledbury and Ross on Wye… Hereford The Cathedral: Other Churches: The River Wye: City Walls: The Black and White House: The Market Square: Other City Gems: Wall Art: Leominster The Church: The Marketplace: Town Centre: Station Art: Ledbury The Church of St Michael and All Angels: Church Lane: The MarketContinue reading “94. Herefordshire”

This post features: Lindsey: Caistor, Market Rasen, Woodhall Spa, Stow, Horncastle, Louth, Gainsborough, Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Lincoln Kesteven: Sleaford, Stamford and Grantham Holland: Boston, Spalding and Crowland Lincolnshire is the second largest county in England, after Yorkshire. It was probably split into three administrative areas to make it easier to collect taxes and based onContinue reading “92. Lincolnshire”

This post features: Leek, Tamworth, Stoke on Trent, Stafford and Lichfield Leek Church of St Edward: Nicholson Museum and Art Gallery: The Market Place: The Town: Tamworth Church of St Editha: The Castle: Town Centre: Stoke on Trent Stoke on Trent, also known as the Potteries, is a curious place. The city is a federationContinue reading “91. Staffordshire”

This post features: Buxton, Chesterfield, Derby, Bakewell and Matlock Buxton Georgian and Victorian Splendour: The Town: Pubs: Chesterfield St Mary and All Saints: The Town Centre: Derby Photos from my visits in September 2014 and September 2023… Churches: The Cathedral: St Peter’s: St Mary’s: The Silk Mill: City Streets: Buildings of Interest: Derby In Decay:Continue reading “83. Derbyshire”

This post features: Blackpool, Lancaster, Carnforth, Burnley, Barnoldswick, Colne, Preston, Leyland, Chorley, Clitheroe, Blackburn, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Wigan, St Helen’s, Southport, Morecambe, Downham, Foulridge, Rochdale, Rawtenstall, Ramsbottom, Whalley and Warrington Blackpool The Tower: The Seafront: The Winter Gardens: Art Deco: The Town: Abingdon Street Market: Wall Art: Fleetwood: Bootleg Social: Lancaster Lancaster was given a charterContinue reading “82. Lancashire”

This post features: Durham, Beamish Living Museum, Barnard Castle, Bowes Castle, Shildon, Bishop Auckland and Darlington Durham The Cathedral and Castle: City Centre: Beamish Living Museum Barnard Castle Barnard Castle in Teesdale is a historic market town which takes its name from the castle around which it grew. The castle, an English Heritage property, wasContinue reading “81. County Durham”

This post features: Brough, Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale, Appleby, Carlisle, Kirkby Stephen, Milnthorpe, Barrow in Furness, Workington, Whitehaven and Cockermouth Brough Brough is a small town in the Eden Valley, at the foot of the North Pennines, a few miles north of Kirkby Stephen. It is a twin village – the southern part, Church Brough, liesContinue reading “80. Cumbria”

This post, so far, only features: Daventry, Northampton and Kettering Daventry Northampton Churches: Past Glory: Town Centre: Kettering Kettering is a sad, Maidenhead of a town – what must once have been a thriving market town has been let down by decades of abysmal town planning and under-investment. There are some bright spots and signsContinue reading “79. Northamptonshire”

This post features Burnham Market, Walsingham, Kings Lynn, Diss, Great Yarmouth, Norwich, Sheringham, Aylsham, Caister, Wymondham and Attleborough Around Burnham Market Blakeney Binham Priory Walsingham Little Snoring Burnham Overy Staithe Booton North Creake Kings Lynn The Minster: Medieval Kings Lynn: The Waterfront: St Nicholas: The Town: Diss Eaton Great Yarmouth The Minster: Town Walls: TheContinue reading “72. Norfolk”

This post features: Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Poole, Wimborne, Dorchester, Weymouth, Wareham, Bournemouth and Blandford Forum Shaftesbury Sherborne Poole The Old Town: The Harbour: Wimborne Dorchester St Peter’s Church: The Old Brewery: Town Centre: Weymouth Sea Front: The Town Centre: The Fort: The Harbour: Wareham The River Frome: St Mary’s Church: The Town Walls: Spotted in Wareham:Continue reading “71. Dorset”

This post features: the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Lewes, Chichester, Hastings, Bognor Regis, Horsham, Brighton, Battle, Rye and Winchelsea Weald and Downland Open Air Museum Lewes St Michael’s Church: The Castle: Medieval Lewes: Town Centre: Harvey’s Brewery: Chichester The Cathedral: City Centre: Hastings The Sea Front: The Old Town: The Castle: Street Art:Continue reading “70. Sussex”

This post features: The Eden Project, Newquay, Truro, Redruth, Penzance and St Austell The Eden Project Newquay Truro The Cathedral: Victoria Square: Lemon Quay: City Centre: England’s First Tea Estate: Redruth Kresen Kernow: Penzance St Austell The Holy Trinity Church: The Market House and Museum: The Town:

This post features: Exeter, Plymouth, Barnstaple, Exmouth, Axminster, Ottery St Mary, Torquay, Paignton, Okehampton, Crediton, Tiverton, Cullompton, Newton Abbot, Teignmouth, Totnes and Dartmouth Exeter The Cathedral: Churches: Old Exeter: City Streets: Riverside: Plymouth Panoramas: Harbourside: Street Scenes: Barnstaple Exmouth Axminster Ottery St Mary Ottery: St Mary The Town: Torquay Paignton Okehampton Crediton Tiverton I didn’tContinue reading “68. Devon”

Guildford Guildford’s history as an urban settlement, dates from Saxon times when the first pagans settled around 500AD. The settlement was called Guilden (golden) Ford possibly because of the golden sands on the banks of the river or the golden flowers that grew at the riverside. Despite having a cathedral, Guildford is not a city –Continue reading “67. Surrey”

This post features Oakham and Uppingham Oakham Uppingham Duddington Not sure why I put it here – Duddington is in Northamptonshire…

This post features: Pinner, Twickenham, Staines, Isleworth and Brentford Pinner Twickenham Staines Isleworth The Town Wharf: Brentford

This post features: Hughenden, Chalfont St Peter, Bletchley Park, Buckingham, Fingest, Turville and Wing Hughenden Chalfont St Peter Bletchley Park Buckingham St Peter and St Paul: The Town Centre: Riverside: Fingest Turville Wing

This post features: Market Drayton, Hodnet, Ironbridge, Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Shrewsbury, Whitchurch, Wem, Whittington and Oswestry Market Drayton Hodnet Ironbridge Bridgnorth Churches: The Castle: The High Town: Riverside: Street Scenes: Ludlow Black and White: The Castle: Shrewsbury Shrewsbury was first settled by refugees from the Roman town of Wroxeter (Viroconium Cornoviorum) in the late fifth orContinue reading “62. Shropshire”

This post features: Chippenham, Castle Combe, Corsham, Cricklade, Lacock, Malmesbury, Swindon, Stonehenge, Avebury, Crofton, Warminster, Devizes, Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge, Salisbury, Marlborough and Calne Chippenham The Church of St Andrew: The Town: The River Avon: Castle Combe Castle Combe has been called ‘The Prettiest Village in England’ and it is not hard to see why. OriginallyContinue reading “58. Wiltshire”

This post features: Ely, Wicken Fen, Buckden, St Ives, Peterborough, Wisbech, Cambridge, Huntingdon, March and St Neots Ely The Cathedral: The City Centre: Wicken Fen Buckden St Ives The Bridge Chapel: The Town Centre: Peterborough Until 1888, the Soke of Peterborough was part of Northamptonshire. It then became an independent administrative area until 1965, whenContinue reading “57. Cambridgeshire”

This post features: Cirencester, Newent, Berkeley, Dyrham Park, Bibury, Bourton on the Water, Tewkesbury, Gloucester and Chipping Campden One day I’ll get around to adding Cheltenham, Stroud and Stow in the Wold… Cirencester The Romans established a town here in about 75ad, calling it Corinium. By the second centrury AD it was the second largestContinue reading “56. Gloucestershire”

This post features: Hexham, Alnwick, Warkworth, Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh, Morpeth, Berwick upon Tweed, Chillingham, Seahouses and Prudhoe Hexham The Castle: The Abbey: The Town: Alnwick The Castle: The Town: Warkworth The Castle: The Town: Bamburgh Dunstanburgh Morpeth Berwick upon Tweed Chillingham The Castle: There’s another reason to visit Chillingham: Seahouses Prudhoe Prudhoe is pronounced as inContinue reading “55. Northumberland”

In 1800 the population of London was 1 million but by 1850 it had grown to 2.3 million. Such rapid population growth resulted in a lack of burial space. The city’s small parish churchyards became dangerously overcrowded, leading to decaying matter getting into the water supply and causing epidemics of diseases such as cholera. ThereContinue reading “54. The Magnificent Seven: London’s Cemeteries”