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A charming, small, seaside town, famous for its colourful beach huts and home to Adnams Brewery. It has a pier, with some quirky slot machines, a boating lake and putting green. Most importantly, there's a decent beach, a mixture of shingle and sand. There's also a lighthouse, museum, other attractions and associations with George Orwell, whose parents lived in the town. he Battle of Solebay took place off-shore in 1672.
Stamford, on the River Welland, is one of Britain’s most attractive small towns. It was once declared the Best Place to live in the UK in the Sunday Times and described by Sir John Betjeman as the finest stone town in England. The Romans were nearby, but it was the Anglo-Saxons who made Stamford a town and it grew as a Danish settlement and one of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw. It was a commercial centre in the middle ages, famous for its pottery and wool – and a convenient stopping-place on the great road north (which now thankfully by-passes it). Stamford contains a huge number of listed properties made from the local limestone, five medieval churches – including the notable All Saints’ - and attractive shops and pubs. There is a Friday market. Stamford has also often been used as a film location in period dramas. The Burghley Horse Trials are held annually in early September at Burghley House, on the outskirts of the town.
St Ives is a former fishing village on the north Cornish coast, which has been a popular tourist destination since Victorian times. It is known for its four beaches - Porthmeor (for surfing), Porthgwidden, Harbour beach and Porthminster - cobbled streets, quaint houses, pavement cafes, pubs, working harbour and well established art scene. The Tate St Ives gallery on the seafront has rotating modern art exhibitions, focusing on British artists. Nearby is the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, situated in the artist’s former studio.
St Ives has been named the best seaside town in the UK, but also the most expensive. It is extremely attractive, but can get very busy. The town is named for Sanctus Ya, or St Ia, a female Irish, possibly Byzantine, saint to whom the church is dedicated.
Tenby perches on a rocky promontory between two sandy bays overlooking the Bristol Channel. It is a picturesque walled town with cobbled streets, a 15th C Merchant’s House and an interesting history. Famously, Henry Tudor sailed into exile from the town, returning later to defeat Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth and found a new dynasty as Henry VII. It’s a popular resort. As well as the usual beach stuff, cafes and so forth, there are boat trips to nearby islands, water sports and walking on offer along the coastal path.
Ventnor developed as a seaside health resort in Victorian times and still retains some of that atmosphere. It was a favourite childhood place of Winston Churchill’s. The town is in a lovely location, built on a steep slope beneath St Boniface Down, has a good beach and, though a little flaky in parts, it also has a quirky character, some nice little shops, decent amenities and is deservedly popular. In the 19th century, Ventnor was referred to as the 'English Mediterranean' and its relatively sheltered location does actually create its own favourable microclimate, with more sunny days and fewer frosts than other places on the Island. It boasts its own botanic gardens on the site of the former Royal National Hospital for Diseases of the Chest.
Wells, the second-smallest city in England (after the City of London) is often missed in favour of larger attractions. Bamber Gascoigne once referred to it being renowned for “the unspoilt perfection of a range of ecclesiastical buildings” – and he was right. Wells’ crowning glory is probably its extraordinary cathedral, with its amazing west front depicting the hierarchy of heaven with some 300 individual statues, and the astonishingly modern-looking scissor arches added to the nave in the 14th C to strengthen the tower. On the north transept is a 24-hour astronomical clock, also 14th C, with knights striking the hours; and the octagonal chapter house is stunning. Outside is Vicars Close, an entire street of 14th C houses. The nearby moated Bishop’s Palace is surrounded by beautiful gardens; swans on the moat ring a bell when they think it’s time for food.
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