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 […]
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 […]
Sussex on the south coast of Britain is the county of the South Downs and the sea. The coastal strip of Sussex squeezed between the South Downs and the English Channel. Here are a long string of beach resorts: Bognor, Worthing, Hove and of course Brighton, the most famous of them all. Past Beachy Head […]
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 […]
Welshpool is the fourth largest town in Powys (a Welsh principality that emerged after Roman rule). Originally named ‘Pool’, it became ‘Welshpool’ in 1835, to distinguish it from the English town of Poole. A major attraction is Powys Castle, which was the ancestral home of the Earl of Powys, and it is known for holding […]
It is 200 years since the birth of Queen Victoria, and there’s a range of celebrations after 118 years after her 64-year reign. Distinctive Victorian architecture is now a major genre, and included all manner of imposing palace buildings – and a collection of impressive clock towers, quite a few of which survive as town […]
The Great West Way is a new touring route between London and Bristol, being promoted by a marketing initiative undertaken as one of the projects supported from the government’s Discover England fund. The historic route, once defined by Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Great Western Railway line and the A4 road, now a lot quieter since the construction […]
Britain’s quirky towns and picture-postcard villages offer a perfect location for period dramas and blockbusters. Some towns have become iconic for hosting films such as Harry Potter and Notting Hill. Nothing can give you a greater insight into your favourite film or TV programme like exploring the location it was filmed. At Discover Britain’s Delightful Towns […]
Penkridge in Staffordshire is an old market town which had a collegiate church. The Domesday Book 1086 notes the town’s economy as agricultural and it had a watermill. The town has a wealth of Listed buildings and several timber-framed buildings. Parish Church Penkridge There has been a church on the site of St Michael and […]
Teignmouth in Devon sits on the mouth of the Teign estuary about 14 miles from Exeter. Some of the town is a conservation area and has a wealth of Georgian buildings. The Grade II Listed Church of St Michael dates from the 1821, but retains its Norman entrance. The five-stage west tower, in Early English […]
