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Find places to visit in Britain by name, location, type of attraction, or other keyword.

This listings directory of over 950 entries is being phased out.
It now excludes places and things of interest in North East England.
These can be found in ABAB’s Places.

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MILITARY INTELLIGENCE MUSEUM

A small museum telling the history of British military intelligence from the Boer War onwards. There are additional exhibitions dedicated to BRIXMIS, an intelligence gathering mission based in the former DDR during the Cold War, and to the Intelligence Corps' work with SOE, Special Operations Executive, during WW2.

The museum is on a military base. Visitors are welcomed but need to book visits in advance and brink photo ID with them - eg UK passport or driving licence.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Building 200
Chicksands
Shefford
County
Bedfordshire
Post Code
SG17 5PR
Main Historic Period
Modern
Link to featured article
Tip/Nearby
Shuttleworth Collection, Woburn Safari Park
Primary Management
Military
Cambridge

Cambridge developed around an Anglo-Saxon bridge, the Danes used it as a trading post and William the Conqueror built a castle there.  The city’s greatest fame, however, derives from being home to Britain’s second oldest university, established sometime after 1209.  The first of Cambridge’s residential colleges, Peterhouse, was established in 1284 and it is these self-governing institutions that make up the university.  The entre of Cambridge is King’s Parade, where you’ll find King’s College (founded in 1441) with its breathtaking chapel and, close by, other colleges – like St John’s (1511) and Trinity (1544) – which can be visited.  In parallel with King’s Street are the Backs – a stretch of riverside gardens and lawns linking several colleges.  The university boasts more Nobel Prize winners than you can shake a stick at, as well as a multitude of well-known graduates including politicians, writers and entertainers.

Wander along in and out of colleges, , take a punt on the Cam, stop for a coffee, ice-cream, or a pint.  For visitors, Cambridge also offers notable churches (including one of only 5 round churches in England), outstanding botanic gardens, several museums with interests ranging from archaeology, computing, earth sciences and the polar regions – though the most famous is probably the astonishing Fitzwilliam Museum, which includes world-class artwork as well as major collections from antiquity.  Theatres and cinemas offer a variety of entertainment and there is a large general weekday market as well as specialist arts and crafts ones at weekends.  Nearby attractions include Duxford air museum, and the Cambridge American Cemetery just outside the city is a thought-provoking place to visit.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Cambridge
County
Cambridgeshire
Post Code
CB1 1PS
Main Historic Period
All
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Nearby towns include Ely, St Neots, Saffron Walden, Huntingdon and Stamford.
Primary Management
Local Authority
Cambridge American Cemetery

The Cambridge American Cemetery commemorates almost 9,000 Americans who died while based in the UK, or travelling here, during the Second World War. It is the only World War II American military cemetery in the United Kingdom. The site was established as a temporary military burial ground in 1943, on land donated by the University of Cambridge, and has been granted free use in perpetuity by HM Government. It was dedicated in 1956, covers 30.5 acres and lies on a gentle slope overlooking farmland. Simple, white marble, headstones – mostly crosses – mark the resting place of 3,811 of America’s war dead - the missing are listed on large panels. There is a fascinating, and moving, visitor centre as well as an impressive memorial building.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Madingley Road
Coton
County
Cambridgeshire
Post Code
CB23 7PH
Main Historic Period
Modern
Link to featured article
Tip/Nearby
Just outside Cambridge
Primary Management
Other
Fitzwilliam Museum

The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 with the legacy of the library and art collection of Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Viscount FitzWilliam. Its collections include antiquities from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome; medieval and renaissance art; English and European pottery and glass, furniture, clocks, fans, armour; Chinese, Japanese and Korean art; coins and medals; literary and music manuscripts and rare printed books; paintings, including works by Titian, Rubens, Van Dyck, Canaletto, Hogarth, Gainsborough, Constable, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne and Picasso. The building itself is stunning too!

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Trumpington Street
Cambridge
County
Cambridgeshire
Post Code
CB2 1RB
Main Historic Period
All
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
City Centre location close to other colleges and sights
Primary Management
Educational establisment
Great St Mary's, Cambridge

Great St Mary's (aka 'GSM') is a parish church and the University Church, the first home of the University in 1209. The present building dates from the 15th century. The Protestant reformer, Martin Bucer (1491-1551), preached here, was burnt nearby, and his ashes are interred in the church. Queen Elizabeth I visited the church and Stephen Hawking had his funeral service here. It is famous for its bells, which date from 1515, and its clock, installed in 1793. For a fee, visitors can climb the tower for fabulous views over the city. The picture is the view to the north, showing Gonville and Caius College in the foreground.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
The University Church
Senate House Hill
Cambridge
County
Cambridgeshire
Post Code
CB2 3BQ
Main Historic Period
Medieval
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Cambridge Colleges, including King's
Primary Management
Educational establisment
PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL

The Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew has its roots in Anglo-Saxon times. The first abbey was established at Peterborough (originally called Medeshamstede) in 655 AD and largely destroyed by Viking raiders in 870. In the mid 10th century a Benedictine Abbey was created from what remained. Some buildings were destroyed in Hereward the Wake's resistance to the Norman Conquest in 1069, but the church survived until an accidental fire swept through it in 1116.  The present building was begun in 1118, consecrated in 1238 and the structure of the building remains essentially as it was on completion. Most significantly the original wooden ceiling survives in the nave, the only one of its type in this country and one of only four wooden ceilings of this period surviving in the whole of Europe, having been completed between 1230 and 1250. There is some fine 16th century fan vaulting at the east end of the church. Peterborough grew to be a wealthy monastic house, with 120 monks just before it was dissolved in 1539. However, the abbey church survived as Peterborough Cathedral. Parliamentary troops caused damage to glass and monuments during the Civil War. Two queens were buried in the Cathedral, Katherine of Aragon and Mary Queen of Scots: however, in 1612, James I/VI had his mother re-buried in Westminster and her grave is now empty.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Minster Precincts
Peterborough
County
Cambridgeshire
Post Code
PE1 1XS
Main Historic Period
Norman
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Stamford, Burleigh House, Fotheringhay
Primary Management
Church Authorities
St JOHN the BAPTIST, Peterborough

St John the Baptist is Peterborough's parish church. It was built in 1407 using materials from the previous church, once located on an area prone to flooding. The sexton of St John the Baptist buried two queens in the nearby Cathedral - Katherine of Aragon (1536) and Mary, Queen of Scots (1587). During the Commonwealth, the parish church narrowly escaped being demolished to provide materials for the repair of the cathedral. Its registers show, among other things, the devastation brought by plague between 1665-67. Extensive repairs were carried out in the 19th century, following the removal of its spire, for safety reasons, and the collapse of a portion of the tower in a gale. Among its many features are a fine south porch and a stunning east window.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Cathedral Square
Peterborough
County
Cambridgeshire
Post Code
PE1 1XB
Main Historic Period
Medieval
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
City centre, cathedral
Primary Management
Church Authorities
MWNT

Mwnt is a stretch of coastline, a beach, a hill, a church.  A few miles north of Cardigan on the Wales Coast Path, there is a sheltered sandy cove, popular with families and one of the best places in Ceredigion to spot dolphins, porpoises and seals.  There are easy steps to the beach, a café and toilets at the top and a National Trust car park (pay and display).  Overlooking the beach is the remains of an old lime kiln, but the main feature is the hill, Foel y Mwnt, that towers over the area and which gives it its name: mwnt means ‘mount’.  There are great views over Cardigan Bay from the top, if you have the legs and head to clamber up it.

In the shelter of the hill is the tiny whitewashed Church of the Holy Cross.  It could be named for a cross that once stood on Foel y Mwnt and there may well have been a church on the site since early Christian times.  The present building dates from the 14th century, when it served pilgrims travelling to St Davids or Strata Florida, as well as local sailors.  It has a 13th century font made of stone from the Preseli Hills.

As a final note, Mwnt was raided by Flemings in 1155.  A bloody battle ensued, in which the invaders came off worse.  The event is still commemorated.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Near Cardigan
County
Ceredigion
Post Code
SA43 1QH
Main Historic Period
Medieval
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Cardigan
Primary Management
National Trust
PONTCYSYLLTE AQUEDUCT

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is the longest aqueduct in Britain, the highest navigable aqueduct in the world and a World Heritage Site. It was designed by Thomas Telford (1757-1834) and carries the Llangollen Canal 126 feet (38 m) over the valley of the River Dee. The Aqueduct was built between 1795 and 1805 is 1,008 yards (307 m) long and just 12 feet (3.6 m) wide. You can walk across on a path alongside the canal (the advice is not to look down), or take a boat.

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is considered one of the outstanding examples of the innovations brought about by the Industrial Revolution in Britain and has been described as a masterpiece of creative genius.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Station Rd
Trevor Basin
Wrexham
County
Clwyd
Post Code
LL20 7TG
Main Historic Period
Georgian
Tip/Nearby
Chirk Castle
Primary Management
Other
BOSCASTLE

Picturesque ancient Boscastle perches on the side of a small valley in north Cornwall. It is possibly best known for its long narrow harbour, a natural inlet at the mouth of the River Valency, protected by two stone harbour walls built in 1584 by Sir Richard Grenville. It is packed with history, from the remains of the castle that gives it its name – Boterelescastel (1302), to its old fishermen’s cottages. It has an industrial past, but is now a destination for tourists who come for its potteries, art galleries, the Museum of Witchcraft, views – and walking; the South West Coastal Path runs through Boscastle. It has associations with Thomas Hardy, who met his first wife, Emma Gifford, while working as an architect on the nearby church of St Juliot. Boscastle is ‘Castle Boterel’ in his 1873 novel, ‘A Pair of Blue Eyes’. Beneath Penally Point is a blow-hole known as the Devil's Bellows, which sometimes blows a horizontal spout of water halfway across the harbour entrance.

Severe flash floods in 2004, and to a lesser extent in 2007, turned roads into gushing torrents and caused considerable damage.

Most of the land is owned by the National Trust.

Region/Nation
County
Cornwall
Post Code
PD35 0HD
Main Historic Period
Victorian
Tip/Nearby
Saint Nectan’s Glen, Crackington Haven, Tintagel.
Primary Management
National Trust

If your favourite attraction is not listed yet, and you have a good quality digital photograph of it that you are able to freely send, please get in touch

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