The church of St Dunstan in the East is essentially an atmospheric garden inside the ruins of a medieval-Baroque church destroyed during the Blitz. The church dates from 1100 and was part of the community for some 800 years. It was severely damaged in the Great Fire of 1666 and repaired, with a new tower
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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
St Dogmael’s Abbey was founded by the Norman lord Robert Fitz-Martin and his wife, Maud Peverel, in 1120. It is reputedly on the site of a Celtic monastery founded by Dogmael, a now obscure 6th-century saint said to have been the son of Ithel ap Ceredig ap Cunedda Wledig and also the cousin of St
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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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Discovered during building work, the remains of London’s Roman Amphitheatre lie 20 feet beneath the Guildhall Art Gallery. Dating from the 2nd century, here up to 7,000 people would watch animal fights, executions and gladitorial contests.
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The ruins of the great Cistercian Fountains Abbey are the largest monastic ruins in the United Kingdom. The monastery stood for some four centuries and can be atmospheric – but also crowded. Highlights include the east window in the Chapel of the Nine Altars, the enormous nave of the abbey church and the cellarium. Fountains Abbey and the adjoining Studley Royal water garden and park, including the Victorian Gothic church of St Mary’s, are all part of a World Heritage Site.
The evocative ruins of Clun Castle are set in magnificent countryside on the edge of the tiny town of Clun, whilst kites soar overhead. It is a dominating position on natural high ground in a loop in the river, built to help dominate the border between Wales and England.
Pentre Ifan, which means Ivan’s village, is the remains of a communal chambered tomb constructed maybe around 3,500 BC. The remaining stones form a doorway with a capstone on top some 17 feet (5.1 metres) long and weighing an estimated 16 tonnes. It is thought the original structure would have been about 120 feet (36
Strata Florida Abbey, founded as a Cistercian order on the banks of the river Teifi in 1201, is the burial place for generations of Welsh princes. Although ruined, it is a focal point for Welsh culture and heritage.
The ruins of the Brocolitia Mithraeum, a 3rd-century temple dedicated to Mithras, are close to the site of the Roman fort of Brocolitia on Hadrian’s Wall. The fort was once home to a garrison of 500 soldiers, but all that can be seen now are grassy mounds.
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Clifford’s Tower, the last remnant of York’s medieval fortress, features a unique quadrilobate shape from the late 13th century. The origin of its name is unclear, linked possibly to Roger de Clifford. Notably, it was the site of a mass suicide by persecuted Jews in 1190.
Egglestone Abbey, founded in the late 12th century, is a ruined Premonstratensian monastery overlooking the River Tees. It was a poor house and had to survive damage by both Scots and English. It was dissolved in 1540 and yet its remains evoke a serene, historic atmosphere.
