A land steeped in yesteryear, England boasts of literally hundreds of award-winning heritage attractions, interactive museums, commemorative memorials, and 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
It’s renowned for its mythical and fable characters, legendary monarchs awe-inspiring leaders as well as its horrible histories.
This is the country of Neolithic mounds and Roman ruins, thatched black and white Tudor buildings and voluminous Victorian squares, prehistoric remains and scary medieval gaols and ghost trails.
It’s hard to imagine all that crammed into one tiny island…
Let’s not talk about London…
London, as we all know, as the capital of England, has history oozing out of its very pores.
So, for this blog, we’ve decided to focus on places of historical interest you and your family may not have thought of visiting until you read this…
1. Wrest Park, Bedfordshire
No one, whether you are alone, in a group, part of a couple or with your entire family claiming to love English history can miss the most important day in the year of the English, that of the celebration of St George, the Patron Saint of England.
Both children and adults alike can join in the celebrations over the annual Easter weekend where shows, battles, games, performances and activities take place revelling in the prowess, of brave St. George against the legendary dragon.
Watch the medieval jousts and the splendor of the Roman cavalry who tried to defeat the unsuspecting English.
Each year there’s a different historical theme, around the established St George story.
Discover what life was like, as you wander through the living history encampments, and see first-hand what life was like over 500 years ago including the Romans, Normans, Elizabethans and during the Civil War era.
Relive WWI or II where you can get up close with American and German soldiers or take a peep into how Queen Victoria and her ladies rode their horses!
English history, in all its quintessentially English brilliance, in the beautiful countryside of Bedfordshire.
2. York
For serious history lovers, York is an essential place to put on your travel schedule.
York boasts a Gothic beauty and the largest Medieval cathedral in Northern Europe.
Enter this building of epic proportions through The Shambles, which is an ancient cobbled street, mentioned in the Domesday Book and where the 14th-century timber houses lean together, almost touching point.
The 80-year-old York Castle Museum is an amazing place to witness replicated shop fronts dating from the Georgian era to the modern day.
For those foodies amongst you who don’t like wasting time when you’re on the historical hunt, will delight in Mr P’s Curious Cavern, which is part-restaurant, part-Victorian curiosity shop. Nineteenth-century lanterns, racks of jamon and artificial trophy, animal heads are just part of the ambience.
The Jorvik Viking Centre is an interactive exhibition which houses amazing archaeological discoveries of an 11-century Viking city.
Spooky and spectacular, you can witness first-hand the smells, tastes, sights of yesteryear!
No history trip to York is complete without the Bloody Tour of York set amongst the winding, cobbled streets in the dark evening throughout the year.
With ‘Mad Alice’ to accompany you through the streets, this is definitely not for the faint-hearted!
Don’t forget York has its very own Eye so you can see the full glory of this ancient city from above…
3. Oxford
From the 13th-century, when the first, of the 38 colleges, was established, scholars have descended on Oxford.
History has an extremely noticeable presence in this ancient city with its cobbled streets, medieval halls, ornate chapels, and stunning spires.
Listen out for the 101 bell chimes of Christ Church, which signifies calling in the 101 original students, at 5 minutes west of Greenwich.
This spectacular college was founded in 1525 and is the largest of them all – it counts 13 Prime Ministers amongst its alumni!
The University Church of St Mary the Virgin offers stunning views of the entire city – but not for those of you who dislike climbing!
Take a tour around the 15-century Bodleian Library with its tour of student life, past and present and gives access to Duke Humphrey’s medieval library and the Radcliffe Camera.
You could visit Ashmolean Britain’s oldest museum, founded in 1603 to house Elias Ashmole’s collection of antiquities which include Guy Fawkes’ lantern!
The history housed in this city is too much to mention – definitely worth a visit for those who hanker after the history of learning…
4. Norwich – home to the Normans
No history trip of England is complete without a trip to the city of Norwich which boasts a Norman castle, originally a Royal Palace, dating back over 900 years.
The city dates back to prehistoric times – there are remains for the archaeologists amongst you to get excited over with a Neolithic henge!
Famous names are attributed to Norwich such as Boudicca, Julian of Norwich and Edith Cavell, who may have been overlooked for the most touristy crowd-pullers.
Now a museum and art gallery, it houses some of the most outstanding collections of fine art, archaeology and natural history and is packed with treasures to keep all ages engrossed.
Surrounded by a beautiful part of the English coastline, this is a definite place to visit for all the family.