Kendal was already a settlement when the Romans arrived. The local people, the Brigantes, provided goods and services for the newcomers. The Romans built a fort at Watercrook which is just south of the present settlement in a bend of the River Kent. They remained for about 400 years. At the time of the Norman […]
Berwick-upon-Tweed, now an English town, changed from Scots to English and back thirteen times in the last 300 years. Three miles from the border with Scotland, Berwick had a violent past. The Border region once thrived on raids, and disorder was just a way of life. There were raids, pirates, sea battles and occasional truces. […]
Sir Walter Scott once said that Stamford in Lincolnshire was ‘the finest sight on the road between Edinburgh and London’. Stamford has a lot to be proud of. It has 600 listed buildings, some unspoilt Georgian streets and lots of mellow limestone. In 2017 the town will mark the 50th year of its status as Britain’s first urban Conservation Area. This helps to […]
Steam train arriving at Haworth © John Huxley With its cobbled Main Street, Haworth in West Yorkshire is famous the world over for the Bronte family who lived at the Parsonage. The Bronte sisters, Anne (1820 – 49), Charlotte (1816 -55) and Emily (1818 – 48), lived here, as the daughters of the curate. Their […]
Chipping Campden © www.cotswolds.com The C7th town of Chipping Campden derives its name from the Saxon “Campa-denu” or “Campadene”, meaning a valley with fields or enclosures of cultivated land. Chipping means market. In medieval times Chipping Campden was one of the most important wool towns and was famous throughout Europe. Today, it is a small […]
Helmsley is on the North York Moor equi-distant between Thirsk and Pickering. There is evidence of settlement here since 3000BC, including Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Viking. The town is one of the 17 with a mention in Magna Carta. The medieval Canon Garth, the vicarage, is the oldest surviving house in Helmsley. Helmsley […]
Stow-on-the-Wold © www.cotswolds.com Stow-on-the-Wold, is a market town in Gloucestershire. It is the highest town in the Cotswolds with views over the lovely rolling hills (the wolds). It has been a market town since 1107 when Henry I granted the right to hold a weekly market. In 1330 Edward III granted a charter allowing an […]
Devizes is a vibrant market town with a medieval past, wealth of history and architectural heritage. National Express recently quizzed the nation to uncover the top 15 UK streets you need to see. The people they questioned rated Devizes Market Place one of the prettiest streets in Britain. A Roman settlement existed here and several […]
History of the town Situated in the north of Wiltshire, Cricklade has been called the most intact example of a late Saxon new town in Britain. It is also the first town on the River Thames and southern gateway to the Cotswolds. The name Cricklade means the place by the river crossing. It is one […]
Sherborne Castle Capability Brown Orangery and Ginkgo Lawn ©Sherborne Castle An ancient Dorset town, Sherborne is close to the north west boarder with Somerset. Once noted for its woollen trade, silk, lace and button making, it is now a magnet for creative talent. The town was formerly the capital of Wessex. The architecture of Sherborne […]
