All posts filed under: Medieval

Chichester Market Cross1 © Picklecat 2017
Chichester Market Cross © Picklecat 2017

Chichester in West Sussex is a busy market town with resident Peregrine Falcons nesting in the Cathedral. Be prepared, bring a shopping bag and a pair of birdwatcher’s binoculars!

Bishop Edward Storey gave the Market Cross to Chichester in 1501 to shelter the itinerant merchants. As he market grew, the town added more market buildings. The Buttermarket of 1807, built by John Nash, still survives with its six Doric columns and Coat of Arms. It leads now to an indoor market. West from the […]

Copford Church fresco © visitessex.com
Fresco at Copford Church in Essex © visitessex.com

The county of Essex has some historic churches which are well worth a visit

Thaxted church, described as the cathedral of Essex, is very grand. It is a ‘cathedral style’ church with a narrow crossing between the nave and the chancel. The medieval stone spire, unique and tallest in the county, is now 181 feet high, and so dominates the countryside. For more information visit The church has 3 […]

Harlech Castle taken from a Drone © Gwynedd Council
Harlech Castle taken from a Drone © Gwynedd Council

Castle Harlech, in Gwynedd, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a magnificent, cliff-top stronghold.

Edward I built Harlech Castle over 6 years from 1282 to 1289; like a giant clenched fist it symbolised power and domination. It was a response to an uprising led by Llewellyn in 1282 in which the English had big losses. But Edward I drove Llewellyn back to Snowdon and he died in a skirmish. […]

A pretty row of old cottages in Castle Street Saffron Walden © Visit Essex
Castle Street Saffron Walden © Visit Essex

Pay a visit to Saffron Walden, in rural Essex, is a quaint medieval market town about 50 miles from London

The town has an ancient heritage, and since medieval times has been prosperous. The name Saffron comes from the valuable Crocus sativus crop, which was cultivated here between the 15th and 18th centuries and was used as a dye, flavouring and medicine. The Woolcombers Hall survives from this period. The area is a good place […]

Witney buttercross and town hall © The Cotswolds
Witney buttercross and town hall © The Cotswold

Witney a beautiful ancient market town in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds.

Witney is situated 12 miles west of Oxford and was once an important river crossing on the River Windrush.  The place-name Witney is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as Wyttannige; it appears as Witenie in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means Witta’s island. A charming and bustling market town, there’s […]

Hailsham Street Market © Hailsham Town Council
© Hailsham Town Council

Hailsham, in the Wealden District of East Sussex, at the gateway to the South Downs National Park.

Hailsham is a small town in the Wealden District of East Sussex, at the gateway to the South Downs National Park. It is convenient for travel having easy access to the coast and coastal towns, airports, and London. The town has a mix of old and new and there are interesting medieval buildings. It was […]

Great Yarmouth seafront showing miles of sandy beach © Great Yarmouth Borough Council
Great Yarmouth seafront © Great Yarmouth Borough Council

Great Yarmouth a beach resort with a tradition that goes right back to the C18th

Great Yarmouth is one of the UK’s top seaside resorts with stunning beaches and a newly revived seafront. It has a fascinating maritime past with a wide range of period architecture. As the beautiful countryside around includes the famous Norfolk Broads, Great Yarmouth is hard to beat as a holiday base. Its coastal location, almost […]

View of the harbour at Fowey © Paul Watts and Visit Cornwall
Fowey © Paul Watts and Visit Cornwall.

The beautiful harbour town of Fowey sits in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, looking out to the Atlantic Ocean

Fowey is pronounced Foy; it rhymes with ahoy and buoy. This area is part of the country’s early naval history. St Catherine’s Point is a rocky headland at the entrance to the River Fowey estuary. It’s also a popular heritage site on the South West Coastal Path. Due to its strategic position, the site has […]

Alnwick ©www.visitnorthumberland.com

The bustling Northumbrian market town of Alnwick

Alnwick ©www.visitnorthumberland.com Alnwick in Northumberland is a bustling market town. A medieval town, it has a wealth of twisting cobbled streets full of local shops and well known brands. A market is held on Thursdays and Saturdays 9 – 4 at Alnwick Market Place, NE66 1TN. On the Great North Road, the town was an […]

Faversham Market Place © Visit Kent
Faversham Market Place © Visit Kent

Visit a market in historic Faversham in the beautiful county of Kent

Faversham Market Place © Visit Kent The history of Faversham dates back to pre-Roman times. Its quaint charm and setting, between the beautiful Kentish Downs and the coast, makes it a popular choice for visitors. Markets in Faversham There is a market here three times a week; it’s the oldest in the county. It takes […]