England page 9-13
Southern EnglandA mecca for lovers of culture. The region has world class museums and art galleries in many of its historic cities and famous monuments and buildings are evidence of magnificent architectural excellence and Fashion and designis well represented in many local museums, Eastleigh in Hampshire is the country’s largest contemporary art gallery outside London.
Home to the renowned Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Beautiful concert halls and theatres, such as the Mayflower in Southampton, that provide delightful backdrops for Shakespeare plays, ballet, dance and opera.
Oxford,Winchester and Salisbury are a magnet for history lovers whilst Southamptonand Portsmouth both have a strong maritime heritage.
Winchester was in ancient times the capital of England lays claim to being the home of legacy King Arthur, the home of his Round Table. The Norman cathedral and it’s environs are also the burial places for many early English monarchs and clergy. Jane Austen also lived and was buried in the city.
Salisbury is dominated by the spire of its stunning cathedral. At 404 foot high it is the tallest cathedral spire in the country. Below it lies the architecture of eight centuries and nearby is Old Sarum, the historic site of the original city.
Royal Windsor is home not only to the royal residence of Windsor Castle, one of the finest castles in Europe, but also the internationally famous Eton school and Ascot Racecourse.
Eton, steepped with 1000 years of history, Home of the World Heritage sites of Windsor Castle and Eton College,
Portsmouth a city steeped in maritime heritage, a seaside resort. Portsmouth has been home to the Royal Navy for well over 500 years and that legacy still lives on in an array of Historic Ships.
Southampton has a rich and varied heritage, five excellent museums covering all aspects of the city's past and the remains of the medieval town walls.
The Cherwell Valley
Banbury is famous for its Cross, Cakes and Nursery Rhyme. Bicester is a small traditional market town and home to the Bicester outlet shopping Village.
Over sixty villages in the area, much golden stone and thatch in evidence and plentiful supply of country pubs. Beautiful churches with features from the arts and craft movement, stone carvings and many medieval items of interest.
The smaller villages often have strong historic connections such as Cropredy and Islip, scenes of battles in the 1600s; and the Heyfords and Somerton linked with the Oxford Canal built in the 1770s.
Blenheim Palace, Sulgrave Manor, Broughton Castle, Stowe Landscape Gardens, Upton House, Waddesdon Manor, Gaydon Motor Heritage Centre, Bicester Village, As well as Oxford, Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon and the Cotswolds surround North Oxfordshire,
Dominated by the River Thames, its tributaries and the Chiltern Hills, 'Thames and Chilterns Country' a mixture of internationally famous cities and sporting events, royal pomp and traditional English country life.
In Buckinghamshire it is easy to forget that you are only a few miles from London. With stunning countryside stretching from the Thames to the open boulevards of the ‘new town’ of Milton Keynes, it’s easy to understand why Poet Laureate John Betjeman enthused so much about "Beechy Bucks".
In the Royal county of Berkshire are the world famous landmarks such as Windsor Castle and Eton College, as well as traditional villages with their local ‘pubs’. The west of the county is a walkers delight with many paths through unspoilt and peaceful countryside.
Oxfordshire is best known for the ‘dreaming spires’ of its university colleges but there is more to the county than that. The riverside towns of Abingdon, Wallingfordand Henley offer a host of fascinating museums,
The New Forest in Hampshire attracts visitors from home and overseas. It was here long ago that William the Conquerer hunted deer. Open woodland, dense forests and wild heathland can all be found in this timeless corner of England.
Wiltshire and Dorset boast of Stately homes like Wilton House boast internationally renowned art collections, and the Thomas Hardy’s birthplace near Dorchester
The heritage coastline and maritime historic sites which are abundant along the 'South Coast'. The beaches of Dorset along the coast,to the magnificent cliff top views, the resort town of Bournemouth and the popular seaside towns of Swanage and Weymouthattract.
Portsmouth will always be famous for it’s connections with the Royal Navy - fleets have left here to go to war from the time of the Romans right up to the Falklands conflict. Southampton also boasts a rich merchant marine heritage, and it was from here that the Titanic began her first and last voyage.
A dramatic coastline fringes an area of outstanding beauty, from the peaceful Dorset countryside to the ancient woodlands and wild heathlands of the New Forest once the ancient hunting ground of English Kings
The area has many associations with acclaimed authors, notably Thomas Hardy who wrote so passionately about "Wessex". Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and T E Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, have connections with the area.
One third of the Thames & Chilterns Country, is a fascinating county of contrasts stretching from the beautiful Burnham Beeches, only a few miles from London, to the quaint villages of the Chiltern District in the heart of the country and to the vibrant new city of Milton Keynes on the doorstep of the Midlands.
Steeped in history Buckinghamshire, home to the influential Rothschild and Grenville families, Chequers, the country residence of the Prime Minister, and Bletchley Park, where the wartime codebreakers developed the world's first computer.
Buckinghamshire as many charming Market Towns From Marlow and Amersham to Buckingham and Olney,
The county has provided an inspiration to countless artists from Shakespeare and Milton to Rupert Brooke, Roald Dahl and former Poet Laureate John Betjeman who enthused so much about Beechy Bucks.
Steeped in naval history, the maritime town of Gosport now looks forward to an exciting future as part of the Renaissance of Portsmouth Harbour Millennium Scheme.
A legacy of Gosport's military heritage are many fine historic buildings and attractions such as the famous Royal Navy Submarine Museum and Fort Brockhurst.
Wiltshire, home of Stonehenge,steepedin ,history, heritage Home of the five historic towns of Bradford-on-Avon, Westbury, Melksham, Warminster and Trowbridge where the cloth trade produced a legacy of rich and varied architecture.
The Isle of Wight, nestled between the Solent and the English Channel, really is England in miniature with its delightful villages with whitewashed, thatched cottages. It is also home to Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s favourite royal residence, and Carisbrooke Castlewhere King Charles I was incarcerated after the English Civil War
Over a third of the Island is recognised as an area of outstanding natural beauty while much of the seashore is designated Heritage Coast.
Queen Victoria's home at Osborne House and the medieval castle at Carisbrooke are just two of the many historical sites
Just 90 minutes from London and with 6,000 years of history, Salisbury and South Wiltshire, two beautiful, Medieval Cities, Cities of Cathedrals, museums and historic houses and explore the medieval streets
Stonehenge, stately homes, glorious gardens, farm parks and the ruins of a castle - all set in beautiful countryside.
A coastal countryside steeped in Roman history, research suggests links to the Holy Grail, woodlands, sea shores.Roman history abounds and local research suggests links to the Holy Grail.
The picturesque villages of Emsworth and Langstone adjoin the harbour with the historic hamlet of Warblington just in land. Havant, Bedhampton and Waterlooville.
The Oxfordshire Cotswolds are a place of enchantment and romance, from the mystery of the ruins of the Minster Lovell Hall to the regal splendour of Blenheim Palace, from the time forgotten village of Great Tew to the confident historic market town of Chipping Norton.
Gently rolling hills, sheep cropped meadows, dry stone walls and willow banked rivers. villages of honey coloured stone with traditional pubs and village shops
Home of the Cotswold Wildlife Park, Cotswold Woollen Weavers, Kelmscott Manor (summer home of William Morris), Cogges Manor Farm Museum, Rousham House, North Leigh Roman Villa, The Oxfordshire Museum, the Tolsey Museum in Burford.
