The Midlands & the Marches
The village of Wall was once the Roman settlement of Letocetum, which became a key staging post on the Roman road to Wales, and the remains of its inn and…
Must-see attractions in The Midlands & the Marches
Shropshire
Built in 1793, this was a working prison as recently as 2013. Today tours are led by former prison guards: when you arrive, you're 'processed' as a…
Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum
The Midlands & the Marches
This absorbing museum charts the life of the pioneering lexicographer, wit, poet and critic Samuel Johnson, who moved to London from his native Lichfield…
Peak District
Topping the ridge to the south of Castleton, a 350m walk from the town centre, this evocative castle has been so ravaged by the centuries that it almost…
The Midlands & the Marches
The ancestral home of the Spencer family, Althorp House – pronounced 'altrup' – is the final resting place of Diana, Princess of Wales, commemorated by a…
The Midlands & the Marches
Mills and presses, glassware, watercolours, photographs and films are among the displays at this former cider-making factory (Bulmer's original premises),…
Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre
Lincolnshire
An original WWII Bomber Command airfield complete with its original wartime control tower is now home to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, with…
Shropshire
The fabulous interior of this tall-spired medieval church contains an impressive collection of stained glass, including a 1340 window depicting the Tree…
Warwickshire
This magnificent 1123-founded Norman church was badly damaged in the Great Fire of Warwick in 1694, but is packed with 16th- and 17th-century tombs…
The Midlands & the Marches
Friar St was largely chock-a-block with historic architecture until the iconoclastic 1960s when much was demolished, including the lovely medieval Lich…
Shropshire
Set at the top of the Hay Inclined Plane (a cable lift that once transported coal barges uphill from the Shropshire Canal), Blists Hill is a lovingly…
Nottingham
Taking aim at the castle gates with his bow and arrow from Nottingham Castle's former moat, this 1952-unveiled bronze statue of Nottingham's famous outlaw…
The Midlands & the Marches
This museum exploring the history of Leicester from Roman times to the modern day was undergoing renovations at the time of writing, and is expected to…
The Midlands & the Marches
This impressively preserved Tudor mansion was built by Lawrence Washington in 1539. The Washington family lived here for almost 120 years before Colonel…
Peak District
Bakewell's local-history museum occupies a time-worn stone house that was built as a tax collector's premises during Henry VIII's rule and was expanded in…
Shropshire
Just uphill from the Museum of Iron, these beautifully restored 18th-century homes housed generations of the Darby family in gracious but modest Quaker…
The Midlands & the Marches
Highlights of this grand Victorian museum include the dinosaur galleries, the painting collection (with works by Turner and Degas), ceramics by Picasso,…
The Midlands & the Marches
In a pretty park overlooking the River Trent, the ruins of Newark Castle include an impressive Norman gate and a series of underground passages and…
Lincolnshire
Before escaping to the New World, the Pilgrim Fathers were briefly imprisoned in the 14th-century Guildhall. It's one of Lincolnshire's oldest brick…
The Midlands & the Marches
If you only have time to visit one Herefordshire cider-maker, make it Westons Cider Mills, whose house brew is even served in the Houses of Parliament…
Lincolnshire
About 800m northeast of Market Pl, England's tallest working windmill, with five sails rather than the usual four, has seven creaking, trembling floors…
Shropshire
On the sprawling Acton Scott Estate, 4 miles south of Church Stretton, this historic working farm has traditional breeds of poultry and livestock, and…
Lincolnshire
Beside Lincoln Cathedral lie the time-ravaged but still imposing ruins of the 12th-century Bishops' Palace, gutted by parliamentary forces during the…
Peak District
Captivating Treak Cliff has a forest of stalactites and exposed seams of colourful Blue John stone, which is still mined to supply the jewellery trade…
Lincolnshire
Archaeology bursts into life at this museum, with loads of hands-on displays. Kids can handle artefacts and dress up in period costume. Check out the…
Birmingham
Surrounded by the footprints of vanished factories, the Millennium Point development incorporates this entertaining and ambitious attempt to make science…
Shropshire
The former lead- and silver-mining village of Snailbeach is littered with intriguing, rusting machinery relics. You can download a self-guided trail from…
The Midlands & the Marches
Located 13 miles southwest of Hereford in the Golden Valley village of Abbey Dore, Dore Abbey dates from the 12th century. The majority of the site has…
Shropshire
The maudlin Cluniac ruins of Wenlock Priory rise up from vivid green lawns, sprinkled with animal-shaped topiary. The priory was raised by Norman monks…
Nottingham
In the grand Georgian Shire Hall, the National Justice Museum offers a ghoulish stroll through centuries of British justice, including medieval trials by…
Birmingham
Set in lush grounds 3 miles north of the city centre, this well-preserved hall was built in extravagant Jacobean style between 1618 and 1635. The…
The Midlands & the Marches
The town's history museum is housed in a splendid Tudor building that served as King Charles II's headquarters during the Battle of Worcester. Engaging…
The Midlands & the Marches
On the road to Newark, 1 mile east of the village centre, the Southwell Workhouse is a sobering reminder of the tough life faced by paupers in the 19th…
Shropshire
As ironmaking fell into decline, Ironbridge diversified into manufacturing china pots, using the fine clay mined around Blists Hill. Dominated by a pair…
Stratford-upon-Avon
Fun, hands-on exhibits at Stratford's Mechanical Art & Design Museum (aka MAD) make physics accessible for kids, who can build their own gravity-propelled…
Shropshire
Set in the brooding buildings of Abraham Darby's original iron foundry, the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron contains some excellent interactive exhibits. As…
Birmingham
Within the glitzy Brindley Pl development of banking offices and designer restaurants, a converted Gothic schoolhouse contains the cutting-edge Ikon…
Nottingham
Over the centuries, the sandstone underneath Nottingham has been carved into a honeycomb of caverns and passageways. Tours lead you from the top level of…
Peak District
Just over half a mile west of Castleton at the mouth of Winnats Pass, this claustrophobe's nightmare is reached by descending 106 steps for an eerie boat…
Peak District
Castleton's most convenient cave is easily reached by a pretty streamside 250m walk south of the village centre. It has the largest natural cave entrance…
