Historical sites in England
With such a rich and varied past it’s really no surprise that England is teeming with places of historical significance. From ruins to carvings, from mines to stone circles to prehistoric coastline – Britain has it all in abundance and much of it is in England. Take a look at some great historic sites to visit across the regions.
East Midlands
There's nowhere in the world quite like the Derwent Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that combines a quintessential English setting with an industrial heritage of international importance. Pay homage at Belper North Mill, a pioneering building acknowledged as the forerunner of the modern skyscraper. At Snibston Discovery park, heave a Mini Cooper off the floor, pit your wits against a robot, control a fire and send a telegram. Otherwise, take a ride on the Great Central Railway (www.gcrailway.co.uk/index.htm), Britain's only main line steam railway, or learn about archaeological techniques at Cresswell Crags (www.creswell-crags.org.uk/), home of the ice-age hunter.
Best historical sites around the region
East of England
Climb down into a 5,000 year old Neolithic flint mine at Grimes Graves (nr. Brandon), or walk along the prehistoric pathway of the Icknield Way. The Bronze Age has left a legacy of stone circles, hill forts and ancient settlement sites, such as Flag Fen (www.visiteastofengland.com/thedms.aspx?dms=13&venue=0223290) at Peterborough, where you can see Britain’s oldest wheel. Meet the Romans - Colchester became their first British capital, and you can try on togas at the Castle Museum. The city of St. Albans was originally ‘Verulamium’ - visit the only completely exposed Roman theatre in the country here.
After the Romans, the region was invaded by the Anglo-Saxons - pay a visit to the reconstructed village at West Stow (nr. Bury St. Edmunds) which provides a good example of life at the time. Sutton Hoo (nr. Woodbridge) is the burial ground of Anglo-Saxon kings, where a treasure-filled ship burial was found in 1939.
The Antiquarian Society's Cambridge tour takes you to the enigmatic Wandlebury earthworks and surrounding ancient landscape. The tour includes mysterious Chalk hill figures, burial mounds and ancient myths. You'll rediscover some of the lost Stones of East Anglia along the 26-mile megalithic alignment known as the ‘loxodrome’. You'll also have the chance to learn and practice the ancient technique of Dowsing, get a taste for local wild foods (those our ancestors would have foraged) and explore the astro-archaeological alignments of the area. This tour includes talks and discussions on local sacred sites, earth energies, ancient myths and leys. Email tours@theantiquariansociety.com for more information about this tour.
Find out more about East of England's rich and turbulent past
London
Take a tour of ancient ‘Londinium’ at The Tower Hill Druidic Mound and then continue to explore the ‘London Stone’ Ley, which incorporates the only surviving Megalithic stone of the capital. This Antiquarian Society tour takes in the Temple of Mithras and the site of St Paul’s Cathedral on Ludgate Hill, where a stone circle is thought to have once stood. You'll then move across the city to Westminster, where several ancient stones have been discovered. There will be talks and discussion about the astronomical alignments encoded within the Masonic architecture, the great London ‘Earth-Star’, well known leylines and Neolithic archaeology and artifacts, all suggesting London was part of Britain’s megalithic culture. Email tours@theantiquariansociety.com for more information on this tour.
North East England
Stroll along Hadrian’s Wall (www.hadrians-wall.org/) and learn about Roman life nearly 2000 years ago. Immerse yourself in seafaring tales and traditions at Hartlepool’s Maritime Experience. Discover how George Stephenson developed the railway at Locomotion, Shildon. Among the National Trust properties you can visit in the region are George Stephenson’s Birthplace in Wylam, Wallington with its Pre-Raphaelite paintings, curios and beautiful gardens, and the 18th century pleasure grounds of Gibside, once owned by the Queen Mother’s family, the Bowes-Lyons. Or you can marvel at the delicate tracery of Finchale Priory in County Durham courtesy of English Heritage, or Gisborough Priory (www.gisboroughpriory.ik.com/) in Tees Valley.
South East England
Striking on the hillside are great white chalk carvings. In Oxfordshire’s Vale of the White Horse (www.visitvale.co.uk/) is the mysterious White Horse at Uffingham. When and how he was cut remains a mystery though t'is said that St George, England’s patron saint, slay the dragon on nearby Dragon Hill (www.ondragonhill.homestead.com/index.html). Keeping a watchful eye over the Sussex Downs (www.visitsouthdowns.com/) is The Long Man of Wilmington. He’s over 230 feet tall but his identity is still unknown.
It is said that if it rains on 15th July, it will rain for forty days and nights. This is St Swithun’s Day, named for the Bishop Swithun. His remains are now in Winchester Cathedral (www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/) but originally he was buried outside. When Bishop Aethelwold enlarged the Minster he moved the remains. On that day – 15th July – it rained for forty days and a legend was born.
The charming Sussex town of Lewes nestles snuggly in the verdant downs just inland of England’s South Coast. Steeped in history and folklore the area has been inhabited since Mesolithic times. A tour with The Antiquarian Society begins at the enigmatic Lewes Priory Mount, also known as ‘the Tump’, and takes in ancient sites within and across the Sussex landscape connected with the Tump. The tour will also feature talks on astro-archaeology, wild food, folklore and, of course, visits to rustic Pubs.
South West
A World Heritage Site, the 95 miles of exposed rocks that make up the Jurassic Coastline (www.jurassiccoastline.com/) of Dorset and East Devon is a fantastic opportunity to explore 185 million years of history. A favourite family day out, this shoreline is rich with fossilised remains and a great place to ‘walk through time’.
Additional sites of interest along this beautiful coastline include the infamous Cerne Abbas Giant, a potent symbol of male fertility carved deep into Dorset's chalk hills; the famous Portland Bill lighthouse whose confident beam still lights up the waters around Weymouth; and Wareham's Lulworth Castle (www.lulworth.com/), an early 17th century hunting lodge whose attractive grounds host numerous fetes and activities throughout the year.
Take a four day tour with The Antiquarian Society taking in Avebury, Stonehenge, Stoney Littleton and Glastonbury and follow the paths walked by pilgrims. Experience this landscape as the ancients might have done! Email tours@theantiquariansociety.com for more information about the tour.
