Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery contains almost 5,000 German and Austrian graves. Following an agreement between the UK and what was then the Federal Republic of Germany in 1959, the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgraberfursorge) made arrangements to transfer the graves of German servicemen and civilians who had died in Britain during World
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The spire of Salisbury Cathedral is a landmark for miles around. At 404 feet (123 m) high, it is the tallest in Britain. The first cathedral, however, was completed in 1092 at the now deserted site of Old Sarum, about 3 miles to the north of ‘new Sarum’ – modern Salisbury. Work on the present
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The small village of Harby in Nottinghamshire is just a few miles west of the City of Lincoln. Harby’s main claim to fame is that it was where Eleanor of Castille, wife of King Edward I of England, died on 28 November 1290, aged 49. There is little to see. It is thought she had
The site of Hardknott Roman Fort (Mediobogdum) is one of the most spectacular in England. The fort was built in the 2nd century AD, probably by men of the 4th Cohort of Dalmatia, to protect the trade route across the fells to/from the vital port of Ravenglass (Glennaventa). The ruins, which consist of well-marked layouts
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Established by an Act of Parliament in 1753, the British Museum opened its doors in Montagu House, on its present site in London’s then fashionable Bloomsbury area, on 15 January 1759. It is an astonishing place that, in its own words, tells the story of cultural achievement throughout the world, from the dawn of human
The castle at Newark upon Trent occupies a strategic position in the English Midlands, where the Roman Fosse Way meets the Great North Road at the River Trent. Developed from an original timber episcopal fortress, the impressive ruins of 12th century Newark Castle sit on the bank of the river, the interior now home to
Whernside is the highest of the Yorkshire Dale’s Three Peaks at 2,415 feet (736 metres). There are good paths to the top from most directions, the most popular being from Ribblehead via the famous viaduct, where you can learn a bit about the shanty towns that existed when the railway was being built. The path
The spot where King John and his barons agreed Magna Carta (the Great Charter) on 15 June 1215 is marked by a memorial commissioned by the American Bar Association , built in 1957. It is in the custody of the Magna Carta Trust under the chairmanship of the Master of the Rolls, the head of
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Lincoln Cathedral, dedicated to St Mary, is a magnificent Gothic building which, together with the adjacent castle, dominates the city. It dates from the 11th century and is believed to be the fourth largest cathedral in area in Britain (after Liverpool, St Paul’s and York Minster). For almost 240 years, from 1311 to 1549, when
Lacock Abbey was established between 1229 and 1232 by Lady Ela, Countess of Salisbury. After the Reformation, it became a family home in the hands of the Sharingtons, followed by the Talbots. The most famous Talbot, William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-77) was an accomplished scientist and inventor of the negative/positive photographic process. Thus, Lacock is
Viroconium – Roman Wroxeter – was the fourth largest Roman city in Britain, equal in size to Pompeii and with a population of maybe 10,000 people. It began as a frontier fort, then a legionary fortress and went on to have a 500-year history before fading away. Now, it largely lies under the Shropshire countryside
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The Battle of Hastings took place on 14 October 1066. It is probably the most famous battle in British history, when the invading Normans under William the Conqueror beat the English (Saxons) led by King Harold. The consequences changed England – and Britain – forever. The battle actually took place several miles north of Hastings
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