England ’s eventful history and scenic diversity render it one of the world’s most popular visitor destinations. Although only united as a single nation little over 1000 years ago, its origins go back to the dawn of civilization, and the variety of interest it offers reflects this.
From prehistoric Stonehenge to 21st-century attractions like London’s Millennium Eye, its inhabitants have (and do) contributed much to the appeal of the UK’s largest constituent country. This is not restricted to a material legacy, either - England’s cultural mix is rich, thanks to the many invaders, settlers and immigrants who have arrived on her shores through the millennia. Countless others around the globe share aspects of customs, language and history with the English themselves.
England’s heritage, and therefore her appeal as a destination, is many faceted and deeply rooted, ranging from the literary genius of Shakespeare to ‘everyday’ pageantry in the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
The variety and contrast in the nation’s countryside is enormous, too, and is often a source of surprise to many visitors venturing beyond the cities for the first time - as is the vast range of visitor attractions, resorts and sights to see and enjoy.
This guide comprises five regional sections, with another highlighting seven of the most popular destinations outside London. These are Bath, Cambridge, The Cotswolds, the Lake District, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon and York. The London section covers the capital, while the Southeast includes counties surrounding it, plus East Anglia. The South and Southwest encompasses the remainder of southern England and two sections cover the rest of the country; the Midlands and the North of England.
Consult the central website for England’s tourist boards (website: www.official-touristboards.co.uk) for further information. Many historic properties and other attractions are administered by the National Trust (tel: (0870) 458 4000; fax: (020) 8466 6824; e-mail: enquiries@thenationaltrust.org.uk; website: www.thenationaltrust.org.uk) and English Heritage (tel: (0870) 333 1181; fax: (01793) 414 926; e-mail: customers@english-heritage.org.uk; website: www.english-heritage.org.uk). The Association of National Park Authorities (website: www.anpa.gov.uk) gives an overview of the 11 National Parks in England (and Wales).
Top Seven Destinations
Outside London, there are seven places known worldwide as prime attractions. Each has a different appeal, and each lies in a different part of the country - cross-references to the appropriate regional section appear in each entry.
Bath
Bath first came to prominence as ‘Aquae Sulis’ in Roman times. It was a fashionable spa resort nearly 2000 years ago, and rediscovered its ancient glories in the 18th century. Much of its beauty dates from the latter period, fine Georgian sandstone architecture dominating the modern cityscape. The original Roman Baths and Pump Rooms, though, remain open to visitors. Bath’s 500-year-old Abbey, built on the site of a Saxon monastery, stands above the Heritage Vaults, which tell the story of 1600 years of Christianity in the area. Architectural highlights include John Wood’s Royal Crescent, a remarkable curving Georgian terrace, and Pulteney Bridge, lined with shops and built by Robert Adam in the late 18th century.
Cambridge
Home of England’s second-oldest university, dating from the early 13th century. The individual colleges are the prime attractions of interest in the city, including the oldest, Peterhouse (1284), 16th-century Trinity College, and King’s College, whose chapel is regarded as one of Europe’s finest late-medieval structures. Other attractions include the Fitzwilliam Museum, the University’s Museum of Archaeology and Museum of Zoology, and The Backs, an area of parkland along the River Cam behind the colleges, where punting is a popular activity. The American War Cemetery at Madingley is close to the city, while the Imperial War Museum Duxford aviation section lies a short way south of Cambridge. Also near Cambridge is Grantchester, home of World War I poet Rupert Brooke.
The Cotswolds
Covering some 2000 sq km (800 sq miles), primarily in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, this area is famed for its picturesque villages and beautiful rolling hills. Highlights among the villages include Broadway, Bourton-on-the-Water, Chipping Campden and Moreton-in-Marsh, part of whose attraction is the distinctive honey-colored local stone used in their construction. Attractions include England’s second-largest parish church, Tewkesbury Abbey, Jacobean stately home Chastleton House, Chedworth Roman Villa near Cheltenham and imposing Sudeley Castle at Winchcombe. The Cotswold Wildlife Park at Burford, itself another very attractive town, is a popular family outing.
The Lake District
England’s best-known national park occupies a huge swathe of Cumbria and, as its name suggests, there are many large bodies of water. But mountains also feature in this spectacular landscape, among them England’s highest, the 978m- (3208 ft-) tall Scafell Pike. Visitors flock to the lakes for walking and other outdoor activities, and to trace the roots of literary figures such as Beatrix Potter, Arthur Ransome and William Wordsworth. Wordsworth’s former home, Dove Cottage at Grasmere, is open to visitors - his tomb is in the nearby churchyard. A good starting point is the National Park Visitor Center at Brockhole, while the World of Beatrix Potter at Bowness-on-Windermere draws people from all over the world. The restored Victorian Steam Yacht Gondola plies Coniston Water offering pleasure trips.
Oxford
Known as the ‘City of Dreaming Spires’, Oxford grew around England’s oldest university, whose origins lie in the 11th century. Among 36 colleges in the city center are Christ Church, which has an excellent Art Gallery, Trinity College and Balliol. ‘The Oxford Story’ presents a multimedia introduction to the city, with the help of a ‘dark ride’ through 800 years of history. St Martin’s Church’s Carfax Tower affords good views of the cityscape. Other major attractions include the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, the University Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the Bodleian Library. There is a wide range of themed guided walking tours available.
Stratford-upon-Avon
Once home to William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Stratford draws visitors in their millions. Attractions associated with the Bard include Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, former home of his wife, Mary Arden’s House, home of the playwright’s mother, and Holy Trinity Church, where he and his family lie buried. The Royal Shakespeare Theater, venue for regular RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) performances, stands on the riverbank. Non-Shakespearean diversions in town include Europe’s largest Butterfly Farm and the unusual Teddy Bear Museum.
York
Northern England’s most visited city contains a plethora of attractions. Foremost is the massive York Minster, northern Europe’s biggest Gothic cathedral. The City Wall still almost completely surrounds the central area, and The Shambles is one of the world’s best-preserved medieval streets. York’s past as Danish capital of Viking England is explored at the recently refurbished Jorvik Viking Center, while its more recent status as a railway center is celebrated at the National Railway Museum. The extensive Castle Museum deals with all aspects of history, including York’s associations with chocolate making and Dick Turpin, the notorious 18th-century highwayman. The Yorkshire Museum and City Art Gallery are also major attractions. Historic buildings, such as timbered St William’s College and 14th-century Merchant Venturers’ Hall, abound. Walking tours and sightseeing boat trips on the River Ouse are available year round.
London
London Tourist Board and Convention Bureau London has no obvious center, because it grew out of two formerly distinct cities. The City of London was the site of the original Roman settlement and, later, commercial and trading center. Meanwhile, Westminster became the seat of government after transfer of England’s administrative capital from Winchester in the 11th century. Over the centuries, they fused, and engulfed surrounding villages and hamlets. Not until ‘Green Belt’ legislation of the 1950s did expansion slow. Today, 33 London boroughs and the City of London cover an area of nearly 385 sq km (148 sq miles), but contain a great deal of open parkland, common land and even woods. A wide range of guided walking, bus and car tours is available in London. For further details, contact the Tourist Board.
Central London
Roughly bounded by the Underground Circle Line, this area includes the West End, Westminster and the City. The West End contains many of the principal theaters, cinemas, restaurants, cafes, hotels and nightclubs, as well as the best-known shopping areas, like Oxford, Regent and Bond Street, as well as Covent Garden.
Places of interest include Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, the buildings of the Horse Guards and Downing Street in Whitehall, and the Tate Britain gallery on Millbank. The London Theater Museum is in Russell Street.
The Royal Opera House, home of both Royal Ballet and Royal Opera, is in Covent Garden. Backstage tours are available. The London Transport Museum is also in this area, whose former fruit and vegetable market is now filled with cafes, pubs, restaurants and shops.
Rock Circus, by Piccadilly Circus, brings the story of rock and pop music to life. The Courtauld Institute paintings are on display at Somerset House (which formerly housed records of births, marriages and deaths).
A short distance to the north is Baker Street, location of Madame Tussauds, and the adjacent London Planetarium. The Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221B Baker Street contains a representation of the fictional detective’s apartment.
Further west, in Kensington and Chelsea, are several other famous shopping streets (King’s Road, Knightsbridge - site of Harrods - and Portobello Road, with its antiques market). Three of London’s largest museums (the Victoria and Albert, Science and Natural History), and the Royal Albert Hall, home of the summer Promenade Concerts, are also here. The British National Army Museum is in Chelsea’s Royal Hospital Road.
Central London also contains four parks: Hyde Park (by far the largest), St James’ Park, Green Park and, slightly further north, Regent’s Park, location of London Zoo.
City of London
The City, with a resident population of less than 5000, is, during the day, the workplace of over 500,000 people. It covers just 259 hectares (1 sq mile), hence its nickname of the ‘Square Mile’.
Its best-known building is Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral, completed in 1711. The Museum of London, near St Paul’s, tells the story of London from prehistoric times to the present day. On permanent display is the famous Lord Mayor of London’s coach, which carries the Lord Mayor through the City streets during the annual Lord Mayor’s Show. Close to the City is the Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century. Near here is Tower Hill Pageant, which tells London’s history in relation to the River Thames. The Bank of England, the Stock Exchange, Lloyd’s of London (the world’s leading insurance market), Mansion House (official residence of the Lord Mayor) and the Central Criminal Court (’The Old Bailey’) all stand within the City boundaries.
Dr Johnson’s House is close to Fleet Street, former center of London’s newspaper industry. The Monument (to the Great Fire of 1666) and the Royal Exchange are other famous landmarks; a more recent addition is the Barbican Center, which contains a major arts complex - used by the Royal Shakespeare Company and home to the London Symphony Orchestra.
Tower Bridge, although little over 100 years old, is one of the world’s most famous such structures, and it is possible to visit the control room containing the machinery for raising and lowering the central section and to walk along the overhead walkway. Moored on the South Bank close to the bridge is World War II battleship HMS Belfast, also open to visitors.
South of the Thames
Immediately at the southern end of Westminster Bridge stands the former County Hall, now redeveloped to include the London Aquarium, one of Europe’s largest.
The South Bank Arts Center, near Waterloo Station, is among the most famous attractions south of the river. It comprises the Royal National Theater and the Royal Festival Hall.
Nearby is The Old Vic, one of London’s best known theaters. Southwark Cathedral, near London Bridge, is one of the finest Gothic churches in the city. Also in Southwark is an authentic reconstruction of the famous Shakespeare Globe Theater, now open to visitors, and the site of the similar Rose Theater. The brave may also be tempted to visit the ghoulish London Dungeon, which dwells upon less pleasant aspects of the capital’s history.
The redeveloped Bankside Power Station houses the Tate Modern gallery. Its collection includes major works by Monet, Picasso and Warhol, among many others. For lovers of even more contemporary and controversial artwork, the Saatchi Gallery hosts works by modern artists such as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and the Chapman Brothers. Also along the South Bank is the Dali Universe, a celebration and gallery of the surrealist legend’s works. The pedestrianized Millenium Bridge by Norman Foster connects the two riverbanks, beginning outside the Tate Modern gallery and ending across the river near to St Paul’s Cathedral.
By Bankside Quay is Vinopolis City of Wine, while another attraction in the area is the overwhelmingly popular London Eye ferris wheel which, at 137m (450 ft), is the world’s tallest, offering stunning views from its enclosed capsules.
Other attractions near the river include the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth. Portraying the history of 20th-century conflict, its features include the Blitz Experience and a section dedicated to the Holocaust. Lambeth Palace, official home of the Archbishop of Canterbury; the Florence Nightingale Museum, at St Thomas’ Hospital; Battersea Park; and the Design Museum are all in the vicinity.
A short tube ride to the east is Greenwich, with the National Maritime Museum, the clipper Cutty Sark, the Royal Naval College and the Royal Observatory, through which runs the Greenwich Meridian, zero degrees longitude. The Queen’s House, recently restored to its 17th-century glory, is also in Greenwich, as is the Fan Museum, with its collection of over 2000 fans.
At the Woolwich site of the former Royal Arsenal, a new interactive exhibition, Firepower, has opened in the Museum of the Royal Artillery Regiment.
Further south, London attractions include the Crystal Palace National Sports Center and the All England Tennis Club and Lawn Tennis Museum at Wimbledon. Dulwich Village has England’s oldest art gallery, while Brunel’s Engine House at Rotherhithe is site of the world’s first underwater tunnel. Further west are the Botanical Gardens (and palace) at Kew, and Richmond Park, where thousands of deer graze freely.
West London
London’s two major exhibition centers, Earl’s Court and Olympia, stand slightly to the west of the central area. The Boat Show and the Ideal Home Exhibition are among their principal events. Not far away, Whiteley’s of Bayswater is an Edwardian shopping center comprising over 80 shops, restaurants and a multi-screen cinema.
Chiswick House in Chiswick is a superb Italian-style villa. In Fulham, Chelsea Football Club offers tours of its redeveloped Stamford Bridge stadium. Further west are Syon Park in Brentford (which includes a beautiful 16th-century house) and the London Butterfly House; nearby is the Musical Museum, the Living Steam Museum and the Waterman’s Arts Center.
South of Brentford and Chiswick is Hampton Court Palace, former official royal residence before Buckingham Palace, built by Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century and added to by Henry VIII, Charles I, Charles II and William III. Other local houses include the Orleans House Gallery, Ham House and Marble Hill House.
Wembley Arena and Conference Center is in northwest London, and the new 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium is scheduled for completion in early 2006. The late August holiday weekend is marked in the Notting Hill area with the famous Carnival.
North London
North London contains fashionable Hampstead, set on a steep hill. Hampstead Heath is one of the largest expanses of parkland in any big city anywhere in the world. Hampstead itself has narrow twisting streets and numerous cafes, restaurants, wine bars and shops. Places to visit include Burgh House, Kenwood House (a Georgian country house, which contains a fine collection of paintings, set in parkland) and Keats’ House (the poet’s former home, now a museum). To the east, and also on a hill, is Highgate, another attractive former village best known for its cemetery which holds the graves of Karl Marx and George Eliot. In St John’s Wood, visitors can tour Lords’ Cricket Ground. Camden Town is home to a well-known weekend market at Camden Lock - the Jewish Museum is also in this area. Further out of town at Hendon is the Royal Air Force Museum with its collection of historic aircraft.
East London
The East End (Whitechapel, Bethnal Green, Mile End and Bow) is in many ways the ‘real’ London, although this part of the capital suffered badly both during the World War II Blitz and at the hands of 1960s urban planners. This is where the Cockneys hail from (it is said that to be a true Cockney, one must be born within earshot of the bells in Bow Church).
Cockney traditions linger here: ‘Pearly Kings and Queens’ make occasional appearances, and there are plenty of ‘pie and mash’ shops still in evidence.
In the heart of the ‘old’ East End, the Whitechapel Art Gallery is a source of local pride. Another major attraction is the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Middlesex Street, on the City boundary, is location of Petticoat Lane Market. Within walking distance from Petticoat Lane is the lively and trendy Spitalfields Market which has an excellent organic food and arts and crafts market on Sundays. Today the City is encroaching on the traditional East End areas. But its success has indirectly led to London’s biggest regeneration project - transformation of Docklands from 22 sq km (8.5 sq miles) of dereliction to an important business area and leisure attraction.
Renovated St Katharine’s Dock, close to Tower Bridge, is now an attractive marina surrounded by wine bars and restaurants, and at Wapping there are many old warehouses, the majority of which have been converted into homes and leisure amenities - a process underway throughout East London. The Prospect of Whitby pub on the Wapping foreshore is a tourist attraction in itself. Nearby Tobacco Dock is a large leisure complex with shops, restaurants and entertainment.
Moored at the quayside are two replica 18th-century pirate ships.The whole area has undergone intensive redevelopment along its 88km (55 miles) of waterfront, and the Docklands Light Railway opened in 1987, providing easy access from the City. The Canary Wharf development boasts a 245m- (800ft-) high office tower, Britain’s tallest building. London City Airport provides quick connections to short-haul destinations. Walks along the river and in the former docks areas are rewarding, offering unexpected glimpses of 18th- and 19th-century London.
The new Docklands Museum, which highlights the history of London’s river and port industry and communities, occupies a listed warehouse on West India Quay.
Elsewhere in East London, Lea Valley Park stretches from Hertfordshire to Bromley-by-Bow in the East End and offers extensive recreational facilities. Attractions include the 16th-century Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge in Chingford and the 11th-century Waltham Abbey. Hackney’s Victoria Park is another green space in the heart of urban sprawl. Boat trips are available to the Thames Flood Barrier, situated down-river from Greenwich.
Southeast and East Anglia
South East England Tourist Board . East of England Tourist Board . Southern Tourist Board. Covering the ‘Home Counties’ of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, East Sussex, and West Sussex, plus the East Anglian counties of Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. The Southeast is England’s most populous, and prosperous, region. Despite the degree of development, though, there is huge variety of rural and heritage attractions, together with many major coastal resorts. Interests range from the traditional seaside attractions of Brighton, Great Yarmouth and Southend-on-Sea to historic cities like Cambridge, Colchester, Norwich and St Albans. The rural charms of ‘Constable Country’, straddling the Suffolk/Essex border, draw many visitors, as do the more urban attractions of Windsor and Dover, with their mighty castles.
Kent
Known as the ‘Garden of England’ for its copious production of fruit, hops and garden produce, Kent is the southeasternmost county in England. Canterbury is the major visitor magnet, retaining much of its Medieval charm. Canterbury Cathedral, where Thomas a Becket was slain in 1170, is also headquarters of the Anglican Church. Nearby, St Martin’s Church is one of the oldest churches in use in the country, having held services since AD 500.
At Dover, the main cross-channel port, massive Norman Dover Castle rises above the famous White Cliffs, while the White Cliffs Experience portrays a multimedia interpretation of the town’s importance over the centuries. Rochester is a charming old town with strong Dickensian connections, including Restoration House, thought to be the prototype for Miss Haversham’s home in ‘Great Expectations’.
Tunbridge Wells, in the west of the county, is an elegant 18th-century spa town. Historic highlights in the county include Hever Castle, childhood home of Anne Boleyn, and Leeds Castle, said to be the world’s most beautiful.
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