Britain, places to visit, attractions, heritage
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ANTONINE WALL

The Antonine Wall has World Heritage status alongside Hadrian's Wall to the south. It was built in 140 AD on the orders of Hadrian’s successor, Emperor Antoninus Pius. It ran 37 miles (60km) from Old Kilpatrick in the west to near Bo’ness in the east and formed the north-west frontier of the Roman Empire, but was abandoned after 20 years and the frontier shifted back south to Hadrian’s Wall. Unlike the latter, the Antonine Wall was constructed mostly out of layers of turf. These ramparts reached a height of almost 10 feet (3 m). In front, to the north, ran an enormous ditch, up to 16 feet (5 m) deep. Behind the wall ran a road to enable the movement of troops and supplies. There were 17 manned forts along the wall, plus additional ‘fortlets’. The Antonine Wall website calls it “the biggest, most awe-inspiring building project the people of Scotland had ever seen” – which is true but for the fact that Scotland did not exist at the time. There are several stretches of the wall that can be seen today – one of the best is at Rough Castle (address below). See the World Heritage website for details of all locations. The largest collection of Antonine Wall artefacts is held by the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Bonnyside Road
Bonnybridge
County
Stirlingshire
Post Code
FK4 2AA
Main Historic Period
Roman
Tip/Nearby
Runs through Scotland's Central Belt.
Primary Management
Historic Scotland

The enormous Neolithic stone henge and bank at Avebury surrounds the entire village of Avebury.  Dating from c2600BC, it is part of a wider complex of prehistoric sites nearby that include West Kennet Avenbue and Longbarrow, Silbury Hill and Windmill Hill. Get up close and personal with the stones - which you cannot normally do at nearby Stonehenge.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Avebury
County
Wiltshire
Post Code
SN8 1RF
Main Historic Period
Prehistory
Link to featured article
Tip/Nearby
Huge number of prehistoric sites, including West Kennet Long Barrow, Silbury Hill and Windmill Hill, within walking distance. Stonehenge not far away by road.
Primary Management
National Trust
BATH

“Who can ever be tired of Bath?” Jane Austen enquired. Apart from being a favourite of one of England’s most-loved novelists, Bath is probably most famed for its Roman and Regency heritage. The Romans built extensive baths there and called the town Aquae Sulis (the waters of Sul, a local Celtic deity similar to Minerva). The remains of the complex were discovered in the 18th C, by which time the healing waters of Bath had again become fashionable, with the help of the dandy, Beau Nash, and the town evolved into a go-to Regency place. Thus Bath is also loved for its surviving honey-coloured Georgian architecture, not least its elegant Royal Crescent and unusual Pulteney Bridge over the Avon, designed by Robert Adam and containing shops built across its full span.  Among Bath’s many other attractions is the Gothic 15th C Abbey, where a monastery was founded in the 7th century. Bath is a World Heritage Site, one of Britain’s tourist magnets and features heavily on overseas visitors’ itineraries, as well as being a desirable romantic weekend destination.

Region/Nation
County
Somerset
Post Code
BA1 1LT
Main Historic Period
Georgian
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Handy for the Cotswolds, Marlborough Downs and Mendips.
Primary Management
Local Authority
BEAUMARIS CASTLE

Beaumaris was the last and largest of the massive castles constructed by English King Edward I to keep the Welsh subjugated.  Construction began in 1295, but Beaumaris was never finished.  Even so, it is often regarded as the most technically perfect medieval castle in Britain.  And it is a World Heritage Site.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Castle Street, Beaumaris
County
Isle of Anglesey
Post Code
LL58 8AP
Main Historic Period
Medieval
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Conwy Castle
Primary Management
Cadw
BLENHEIM PALACE

Enormous 18th century home of the Dukes of Marlborough.  The estate was given to the 1st Duke, John Churchill, as a reward for his military victories against the French.  The house was desuigned by John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor and the park was landscaped by Capability Brown.  Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim and has many associations with it - he proposed to Clementine in the Temple of Diana in the grounds.  The estate is a World Heritage Site and one of the 'treasure houses of England."

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Woodstock
County
Oxfordshire
Post Code
OX20 1PP
Main Historic Period
Georgian
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Bladon Church
Primary Management
Independent – Historic Houses member
CAERNARFON CASTLE

Enormous medieval castle, with iconic polygonal towers, constructed from the late 13th century on the orders of Edward I as part of his strategy to subjugate the Welsh. It was built on the site of an earlier Norman castle and close to where a Roman fortress had once stood. The castle and town then became the English administrative HQ for North Wales and was besieged many times - and captured too.

Caernarfon Castle is part of the World Heritage Site "Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd".

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Castle Ditch
Caernarfon
County
Gwynedd
Post Code
LL55 2AY
Main Historic Period
Medieval
Tip/Nearby
Harlech, Conwy and Beaumaris castles are part of the same World Heritage Site.
Primary Management
Cadw
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Cathedral was founded by St Augustine in 597AD, though the present building dates mostly from the late medieval period. Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered here in 1170 and it thereafter became a place of pilgrimage. The Cathedral is a holy place and part of a World Heritage Site.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Cathedral House, 11 The Precincts, Canterbury
County
Kent
Post Code
CT1 2EH
Main Historic Period
Medieval
Useful Website Address
Primary Management
Church authorities
EDINBURGH CASTLE

Perched on castle rock above the old town, Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland's iconic images and a must-see if you're visiting the city. Your problem will be time - the place is huge and there is a lot to see and take in. The castle was at the centre of the wars with the English and, as well as being a fortress has been a prison, Royal Palace and garrison. It was the birthplace of James VI who, as James I of England, became the first monarch of both countries in 1603.

Castle Rock was used in the Iron Age, but there is no evidence of a stronghold until the 7th century. The oldest building there now (and in Edinburgh) is the 12th century chapel dedicated to St Margaret, built by her son, David I, in his mother's memory. The Castle also includes several museums - for example the National War Museum and various regimental museums. Not to be missed - the Honours (Crown Jewels) of Scotland.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Castle Hill
Edinburgh
County
Lothian
Post Code
EH1 2NG
Main Historic Period
Victorian
Link to featured article
Tip/Nearby
St Giles' Cathedral, Palace of Holyrood
Primary Management
Historic Scotland
FORTH BRIDGE

The Forth Bridge is a railway bridge that spans the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. It was the world’s first major steel structure when it was opened by the then Prince of Wales on 4 March 1890 and is still the world’s longest cantilever bridge. When it opened, it provided an unbroken railway line between London and Aberdeen. It took 7 years to build, employing more than 4,000 men at the peak of its construction, and 57 lives were lost building it. It is 8,904 feet (2,467 metres) long and stands 361 feet (110 metres) above the water at high tide. It requires 52,793 gallons (240,000 litres) of paint.

Two hundred trains use the Forth Bridge each day carrying 3 million passengers a year. In 2015, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You cannot visit the Forth Bridge but there are viewpoints at South Queensferry.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
South Queensferry
Edinburgh
County
West Lothian
Post Code
EH30 9QU
Main Historic Period
Victorian
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Edinburgh
Primary Management
HM Government
HARLECH CASTLE

Harlech Castle was built in a spectacular position atop a sheer rocky crag, the peaks of Snowdonia behind and the Irish Sea (now a little distant) lapping in front.  Thanks to the ‘Way from the Sea’, a path of 108 steps cut into the rock face, besieged defenders could be kept supplied by ship, as indeed they were during the siege of Madog ap Llewelyn in 1294-5.  The castle took seven years to build under the guidance of master mason James of St George, who was also responsible for three of Edward I’s other castles in North Wales - Conwy, Caernarfon and Beaumaris; together, the four are a designated World Heritage Site.

Harlech Castle fell to Owain Glyndŵr, the last native Welsh Prince of Wales, in 1404, becoming his headquarters until 1409, when it was recaptured by the English.  The Lancastrians held the castle during the Wars of the Roses, until surrendering to the Yorkists in 1468; during the English Civil War it was held by Royalists until, in 1647, the garrison surrendered to Parliamentary forces.

Region/Nation
Location/Address
Harlech
County
Gwynedd
Post Code
LL46 2YH
Main Historic Period
Medieval
Useful Website Address
Tip/Nearby
Criccieth, Portmeirion, Snowdonia
Primary Management
Cadw

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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