Search Results

Perhaps the most famous date in English history - 1066 is the year the Normans defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.William the Conqueror founded 'Battle' Abbey to commemorate his victory: here, on the site of its high altar, you can stand at...

Among the northern most urban centres in the Roman Empire, Aldborough was the 'capital' of the Romanised Brigantes, the largest tribe in Britain. One corner of the defences is laid out amid a Victorian arboretum, and two mosaic pavements can be viewed in...

The shell of Appuldurcombe, once the grandest house on the Isle of Wight and still an important example of English baroque Architecture: the 1701 east front has now been restored. It stands in 'Capability' Brown-designed grounds. An exhibition...

Apsley House, home of the first Duke of Wellington and his descendants, stands right in the heart of London at Hyde Park Corner. For over 200 years, this great metropolitan mansion has been known colloquially as 'Number 1 London', because it was...

Ashby Castle forms the backdrop to the famous jousting scenes in Sir Walter Scott's classic novel of 1819, Ivanhoe. Now a ruin, the castle began as a manor house in the 12th century. It only achieved castle status in the 15th century, by which time the...

One of England's finest country houses, Audley End is also a mansion with a difference. Following the restoration of its great Service Wing, visitors can now tour the 'parallel world' where armies of servants laboured to ensure the smooth running of...

One of the most important prehistoric archaeological collections in Britain. The admission fee includes access to both the Stables and Barn Galleries. The Barn Gallery contains an interactive display and CD-ROMs which tell the story of this awe-...

One of the finest and most unaltered examples of a 13th-century English manor house, Aydon Castle stands in a secluded woodland setting. It was originally built as an undefended residence, but almost immediately fortified on the outbreak of...

Barnard Castle is spectacularly set on a high rock above the River Tees, on the fringe of an attractive market town. Taking its name from its 12th-century founder, Bernard de Balliol, this huge and imposing fortress was later developed by the Beauchamp...

The impressive ruins of an abbey of Premonstratensian 'white canons', on the Kent-Sussex border. They include much of the 13th to 15th-century church, the chapter house, and a picturesque 14th-century gatehouse.Now set in a landscape designed by...

Spectacularly crowning a sandstone crag towering above the Cheshire Plain, Beeston Castle is among the most dramatically- sited fortresses in England. Its extensive wooded surroundings, rich in wildlife, are now even more fascinating to...

Belsay has something for everyone. A fine medieval castle, enlarged into a Jacobean mansion; the imposing Greek Revival villa which succeeded it; and the outstanding, plant-rich gardens linking the two buildings. The whole ensemble is the creation of...

One of Norfolk's best and largest extant marsh mills, built to grind a constituent of cement and in use until 1951, finally pumping water to drain surrounding marshland.

Tucked away in a steep wooded valley, Berry Pomeroy Castle is the perfect romantic ruin.Within the 15th-century defences of the Pomeroy family castle, still displaying a wall painting of the Three Kings in its gatehouse chamber, looms the dramatic...

Berwick Barracks, among the first in England to be purposebuilt, were begun in 1717 to the design of the distinguished architect Nicholas Hawksmoor. Today the Barracks hosts a number of attractions, including 'By Beat of Drum' - an exhibition on the life...

For those who want an introduction to Hadrian's Wall in Cumbria, or an overview of its history and appearance at one single site, Birdoswald is the place to visit. Not only can a Roman fort, turret and milecastle all be seen here: but also, to the east,...

The ruins of a medieval palace (together with later additions) used by the Bishops and senior clergy of Winchester as they travelled through their diocese. Winchester was the richest diocese in England, and its properties were grandiose and...

'By an unlikely miracle,' wrote the architectural historian Mark Girouard, 'the keep at Bolsover has survived into this century as an almost untouched expression in stone of the lost world of Elizabethan chivalry and romance.' Dominating the countryside...

Boscobel House was built in about 1632, when John Giffard of Whiteladies converted a timber-framed farmhouse into a hunting lodge. The Giffard family were Roman Catholics, at a time when the religion suffered persecution. Tradition holds that the...

The beautiful 12th-century church of the Augustinian priory of Brinkburn survives completely roofed and restored. Picturesquely set by a bend in the River Coquet, it is reached by a scenic 10 minute walk from the car park. Parts of the monastic buildings...