Visitors Historic Britain Somerset

Every inch of legendary Somerset is steeped in history, from the towns of Dunster and Taunton in the west, to those of Shepton Mallet and Frome in the east; while also contained within its county boundaries are the cities of Bath and Wells and the mystical and magical Isle of Avalon: Glastonbury. The county, located in southwest England and part of the Ancient Kingdom of Wessex, has played a significant role in many of the nation’s most formative events. These include the Roman occupation, Alfred the Great’s rise to power, the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. And all this epoch-making activity has been played out against a landscape of dramatic and breath-taking beauty, from vast tracts of land such as Exmoor, hill ranges such as Mendip and Blackdown and an abundance of incredible rivers, lakes and streams; many situated within the famous Somerset Levels. Wordsworth, Coleridge and Austen, among many others, have immortalised the county in literature, while everyone from the Celts, Cavaliers and Saxons, to the Roundheads, Romans and rebels have fought over its sought-after resources. The authors, both living in Somerset, guide you on a fascinating and illuminating trip into the past of this most historical and legendary of counties, which boasts among its attractions the last battle fought upon English soil, the scene of the Bloody Assizes and the final resting place of King Arthur.

An illustrated history of one of Britain’s finest counties – Somerset. Using photographs taken from the unique Historic England Archive.

An informative springboard from which to dive deep into the rich and illustrious heritage of the county steeped in the legend of King Arthur. Every inch of legendary Somerset is imbued with history, from the towns of Dunster and Taunton in the west, to those of Shepton Mallet and Frome in the east; while also contained within its county boundaries are the cities of Bath and Wells and the mystical and magical Isle of Avalon: Glastonbury. The county, located in southwest England and part of the Ancient Kingdom of Wessex, has played a significant role in many of the nation’s most formative events. These include the Roman occupation, Alfred the Great’s rise to power, the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. And all this epoch-making activity has been played out against a landscape of dramatic and breathtaking beauty, from vast tracts of land such as Exmoor, hill ranges such as Mendip and Blackdown and an abundance of incredible rivers, lakes and streams; many situated within the famous Somerset Levels. Wordsworth, Coleridge and Austen, among many others, have immortalized the county in literature, while everyone from the Celts, Cavaliers and Saxons, to the Roundheads, Romans and rebels have fought over its sought-after resources. The authors, both living in Somerset, guide you on a fascinating and illuminating trip into the past of this most historical and legendary of counties, which boasts among its attractions the last battle fought upon English soil, the scene of the Bloody Assizes and the final resting place of King Arthur.

An informative springboard from which to dive deep into the rich and illustrious heritage of the county steeped in the legend of King Arthur. Every inch of legendary Somerset is imbued with history, from the towns of Dunster and Taunton in the west, to those of Shepton Mallet and Frome in the east; while also contained within its county boundaries are the cities of Bath and Wells and the mystical and magical Isle of Avalon: Glastonbury. The county, located in southwest England and part of the Ancient Kingdom of Wessex, has played a significant role in many of the nation’s most formative events. These include the Roman occupation, Alfred the Great’s rise to power, the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. And all this epoch-making activity has been played out against a landscape of dramatic and breathtaking beauty, from vast tracts of land such as Exmoor, hill ranges such as Mendip and Blackdown and an abundance of incredible rivers, lakes and streams; many situated within the famous Somerset Levels. Wordsworth, Coleridge and Austen, among many others, have immortalized the county in literature, while everyone from the Celts, Cavaliers and Saxons, to the Roundheads, Romans and rebels have fought over its sought-after resources. The authors, both living in Somerset, guide you on a fascinating and illuminating trip into the past of this most historical and legendary of counties, which boasts among its attractions the last battle fought upon English soil, the scene of the Bloody Assizes and the final resting place of King Arthur.

Reflects the importance of heritage to cities, and cities to the creation and marketing of heritage products, not least within tourism. This book presents a review of the state of urban heritage tourism at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Northumberland…to the Romans it was Ad Fines, the limit of the Empire, the end of the Roman World. It was here in 122 AD that the Emperor Hadrian decided to build a wall stretching from coast-to-coast to provide protection, to show the might of the Empire, and as a statement of his grandeur. Visitors to Northumberland can walk the Wall visiting milecastles, Roman frontier forts and settlements such as Housesteads (where you can see the oldest toilets you’ll ever see) or Vindolanda (where you can take part in an archaeological dig) where wooden tablets detailing life on this frontier (the oldest example of written language in Britain) were discovered, or the remains of Roman temples and shrines (such as the Mithraeum at Carrawburgh). After the Romans left, Northumberland became the heart of one of the greatest kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon Britain, Northumbria. The home of Saints, scholars and warrior kings. Visitors can see the ancient seat of this kingdom at the medieval Bamburgh Castle, visit Hexham Abbey (built in 674 AD), or tour the magnificent remains of the 7th century Priory at Tynemouth (where three kings are buried – Oswin (d. 651), Osred (d. 790), and the Scottish King Malcolm III (d. 1093). No other county in Britain has as many medieval remains as Northumberland. From the most grand such as Alnwick Castle (known as the Windsor of the North, the home of the Dukes of Northumberland, the capital of Northumberland, and, to many, Hogwarts!) to humble remains such as the Chantry at Morpeth. At Warkworth visitors can tour the medieval church (scene of a 12th century Scottish massacre), Warkworth Castle (another Percy possession and the setting for a scene in Shakespeare’s Henry IV), a medieval hermitage, and the fortified bridge gatehouse (one of the only surviving examples in Britain). Northumberland was ravaged during the Anglo-Scottish Wars and this led to the development of family clans of Border Reivers who were active during the 16th and early 17th centuries. Raiders, looters, blackmailers and courageous cavalrymen the Reivers have left many surviving remnants of their harsh time. Peel Towers dot the landscape alongside Bastle Houses. The active can even walk in the footsteps of the Reivers by following the Reivers Way long distance path. Victorian Northumberland was dominated by both farming and, increasingly, by the industrial genius of some of its entrepreneurs. The greatest of these, Lord Armstrong (known as the Magician of the North), has left behind one of the most magnificent tourist sites in Britain; his home at Cragside. Carved from a bare hillside and transplanted with millions of trees and shrubs and crowned with the beautiful Cragside House visitors can walk the grounds taking advantage of various trails and spotting wildlife such as red squirrels before visiting the first house in the world to be lit by electricity!