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Britain, places to visit, attractions, heritage
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 the North of England, including Yorkshire.
These can be found in ABAB’s Places.
Places to visit in England’s East Midlands are currently being moved to ABAB’s Places.

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64 Baker Street

From 1940 - 1946, 64 Baker Street was the world headquarters of the Special Operations Executive, SOE, a clandestine organisation ordered to be set up by Churchill with the instruction to 'set Europe ablaze' by helping local resistance movements and conducting espionage and sabotage in enemy-held territories. A plaque was unveiled on the building in May 2010 by Margaret Jackson MBE, who was PA to Brigadier, later Major-General, Colin Gubbins, head of SOE from 1943 known by the initial 'M'. Margaret Jackson, herself a remarkable woman, was just 23 years old in 1940; she died in Croydon on 2 June 2013.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
64 Baker Street
County
London
Post Code
W1U 7GB
Main Historic Period
Modern
Link to featured article
Tip/Nearby
Madame Tussauds
Primary Management
Private - not open to the public
Abbey Park, Leicester

Abbey Park is Leicester’s premier park and opened in 1882.  It includes gardens, lakes, a café, sports pitches and facilities for bowling, tennis and boating.  It is a place for families and lies about a mile north of the city centre.  The River Soar divides it into two distinct parts – a Victorian park with shrubberies, boating lake and miniature railway, and the western part which includes the remains of the 12th century Leicester Abbey, where Cardinal Wolsey died and was buried, and the ruins of the 17th century Cavendish House, a mansion which was Charles I’s HQ before the Battle of Naseby.  It was destroyed and plundered by Royalist troops.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Abbey Park Road
Leicester
County
Leicestershire
Post Code
LE4 5AQ
Main Historic Period
Victorian
Useful Website Address
Primary Management
Local Authority
ADAM SMITH, statue

Statue of Adam Smith outside St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh.  Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith (1723-1790) is probably best known as the author of 'Wealth of Nations'. The bronze statue is by Alexander Stoddart and was unveiled in 2008.

The post code is for St Giles' Cathedral.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Outside St Giles' Cathedral
The Royal Mile
Edinburgh
County
Lothian
Post Code
EH1 1RE
Main Historic Period
Modern
Tip/Nearby
St Giles' Cathedral
Primary Management
Local Authority
ALDEBURGH

Popular Suffolk seaside sailing town, famous for its fresh fish sold from the seashore, the Scallop sculpture by Maggi Hambling and the Aldeburgh Festival, started by the composer Benjamin Britten, who lived in the town and whose house, the Red House, can be viewed. The main concert venue is at Snape Maltings, just up the road. Aldeburgh also boasts a fine Tudor Moot Hall and a Napoleonic Martello Tower - the latter is not open to the public, but is available for holidays. Aldeburgh is a fairly buzzy place, with a variety of shops, pubs, restaurants and a cinema.

Region/Nation
County
Suffolk
Post Code
IP15 5DS
Main Historic Period
Victorian
Link to featured article
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Orford Castle, Orford Ness, Thorpeness
Primary Management
Local Authority
ALFRED MEMORIAL, Athelney

The Alfred Memorial at Athelney is a Victorian memorial on the site of the abbey, said to have been founded by King Alfred in 878, on the site of his refuge from the Danes on the Isle of Athelney.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Field near Athelney Farm
Cuts Road
Athelney
County
Somerset
Post Code
TA7 0SD
Main Historic Period
Victorian
Link to featured article
Tip/Nearby
Burrow Mump is just down the road. Muchelney Abbey isn't far.
Primary Management
Unknown
ALL HALLOWS by the TOWER

All Hallows by the Tower was founded in 675AD - it is the oldest church in the City of London. An arch from this original church remains and, beneath that, a fragment of Roman pavement. The church has looked after the bodies of those beheaded on nearby tower hill, including Thomas More's and, from the tower of the church, Samuel Pepys watched London burn in 1666. The founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn, was baptised here and notable weddings included those of John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the USA, and Judge Jeffries, famous for his 'bloody assizes' in the aftermath of the Battle of Sedgemoor of 1685. All Hallows survived the Great Fire, thanks to the efforts of Pepys' friend Admiral Penn, but was fairly comprehensively bombed during WW2 and rebuilt in the 1950s. A long-serving vicar of the church was 'Tubby' Clayton, founder of 'Toc H', the rest and recuperation centre for troops in Belgium during WW1.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Byward Street
County
London
Post Code
EC3R 5BJ
Main Historic Period
Tudor
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Tower of London
Primary Management
Church authorities
Alloway Auld Kirk

Alloway Auld Kirk, the ruined old church at Alloway dates from the 16th century, though the site could be much older. It is most famous now due to it being featured in Robert Burns' poem 'Tam o' Shanter' (1791), as the place where witches and warlocks gather. The churchyard is fascinating and includes the graves of Burns' father, William Burnes, and sister, Isabella Burns Begg. Combine with a visit to the Robert Burns' Museum, his birthplace, Burns Monument and Brig o' Doon.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
40 Alloway
County
Ayrshire
Post Code
KA7 4PQ
Main Historic Period
Tudor
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
The Robert Burns' Museum, the cottage where he was born, the Burns Monument and Brig o' Doon are all within walking distance.
Primary Management
National Trust for Scotland
Surgery

The Anaesthesia Museum is part of the Anaesthesia Heritage Centre of the Association of Anaethatists and contains objects relating to the history of anaesthesia. The earliest object in the collection is a resuscitation set of 1774. The museum gives an insight into the history of anaesthesia, resuscitation and pain relief.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
21 Portland Place
County
London
Post Code
W1B 1PY
Main Historic Period
Modern
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
BBC, Regent's Park
Primary Management
Educational establisment
APPULDURCOMBE HOUSE

Begun in the early 18th century as the seat of the Worsley family, Appuldurcombe was once the grandest house on the Isle of Wight. Sir Richard Worsley, the 7th baronet, gained notoriety for a 1782 court case in which his wife, Seymour, admitted to having had 27 lovers.  Appuldurcombe was a masterpiece of English Baroque architecture. Following war damage, it is now a graceful shell, but still retains some of its former dignity and many fine architectural details. The celebrated landscape designer 'Capability' Brown enhanced the rolling grounds in the 1780s. Now, they're a great place for a picnic.

Photo via Pixabay

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Appuldurcombe Road
Wroxall
County
Isle of Wight
Post Code
PE38 3EW
Main Historic Period
Georgian
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Godshill, Ventnor Botanic Gardens
Primary Management
English Heritage
ARNSIDE KNOTT

A limestone/sandstone hill offering grassland, meadow and woodland walks, with great views over the Kent estuary and Morecambe Bay. Famous for wildflowers and butterflies. Nearby Jack Scout's cliffs are good for bird watching and sun sets. Limited parking. Signposted from Arnside.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Arnside
County
Cumbria
Post Code
LA5 0BP
Main Historic Period
N/A
Tip/Nearby
Arnside, Sizergh Castle, Morecambe
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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