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| Historical UK day trips: readers' travel tips | Historical UK day trips: readers' travel tips |
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| Winning tip: Cressing Temple, Essex | Winning tip: Cressing Temple, Essex |
| This Grade I-listed medieval moated farmhouse and barns is a jewel in the much-maligned county of Essex. Its barns are considered to be the finest Knights Templar-built examples in Europe. And the Barley Barn may be the oldest standing timber-framed barn in the world. A Tudor herb garden, child-friendly activities, and it’s all free.visitparks.co.ukLesley Wheeler | This Grade I-listed medieval moated farmhouse and barns is a jewel in the much-maligned county of Essex. Its barns are considered to be the finest Knights Templar-built examples in Europe. And the Barley Barn may be the oldest standing timber-framed barn in the world. A Tudor herb garden, child-friendly activities, and it’s all free.visitparks.co.ukLesley Wheeler |
| Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire | Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire |
| Wander around the ruins of 12th-century Bolton Abbey and Barden Tower, and enjoy the walks alongside and over the stepping stones of the river Wharfe. Visit the bodger in Strid wood to see historic woodcrafting and see the 800-year-old Laund Oak. It’s a great place for picnics, and kids can play in the river in summer.boltonabbey.comID8035355 | Wander around the ruins of 12th-century Bolton Abbey and Barden Tower, and enjoy the walks alongside and over the stepping stones of the river Wharfe. Visit the bodger in Strid wood to see historic woodcrafting and see the 800-year-old Laund Oak. It’s a great place for picnics, and kids can play in the river in summer.boltonabbey.comID8035355 |
| Castell Henllys, Pembrokeshire | Castell Henllys, Pembrokeshire |
| This is a superb recreated iron age hill fort in the beautiful Pembrokeshire Coast national park. The roundhouses have been built on top of the excavated remains of the original site, which dates from around 600BC. During the summer, organised activities allow children and adults to join in with stories, grinding flour for bread, and weaving. Visitors can also witness the continuing excavations.pembrokeshirecoast.org.uksmotleyalice | This is a superb recreated iron age hill fort in the beautiful Pembrokeshire Coast national park. The roundhouses have been built on top of the excavated remains of the original site, which dates from around 600BC. During the summer, organised activities allow children and adults to join in with stories, grinding flour for bread, and weaving. Visitors can also witness the continuing excavations.pembrokeshirecoast.org.uksmotleyalice |
| Botallack Mine, Cornwall | Botallack Mine, Cornwall |
| A wonderful place from which to see the sunset on the tranquil Cornish coast. Near St Just, Botallack’s picturesque engine houses overhang the Atlantic and stand as a relic to educate us about Cornwall’s history. Tin was predominantly mined in this region, with the deepest shaft reaching 500 metres below sea level. During the excavation a new copper mineral – Botallackite – was discovered. Visit with plenty of time to explore the coastal paths.cornish-mining.org.uk. Jade Cox | A wonderful place from which to see the sunset on the tranquil Cornish coast. Near St Just, Botallack’s picturesque engine houses overhang the Atlantic and stand as a relic to educate us about Cornwall’s history. Tin was predominantly mined in this region, with the deepest shaft reaching 500 metres below sea level. During the excavation a new copper mineral – Botallackite – was discovered. Visit with plenty of time to explore the coastal paths.cornish-mining.org.uk. Jade Cox |
| St Fagans National History Museum, Cardiff | St Fagans National History Museum, Cardiff |
| Free to visit, this wonderful open air museum comprises of houses, shops, old fashion cottages and a Celtic village to name just a few of the buildings that have been brought to this place from all over Wales. Set in beautiful woodland and gardens you can take a picnic or buy old-fashioned sweets from the authentic sweetshop, or bread from the bakery which sells traditional bara brith (bread fruit loaf) – not to be missed. My top tip is to go at least once in winter, as many of the houses have roaring fires and the smell is so evocative. The staff are only too willing to share fascinating stories of how people used to live, and maybe a few ghost stories as well.museumwales.ac.ukDawn Michelle Brodribb | Free to visit, this wonderful open air museum comprises of houses, shops, old fashion cottages and a Celtic village to name just a few of the buildings that have been brought to this place from all over Wales. Set in beautiful woodland and gardens you can take a picnic or buy old-fashioned sweets from the authentic sweetshop, or bread from the bakery which sells traditional bara brith (bread fruit loaf) – not to be missed. My top tip is to go at least once in winter, as many of the houses have roaring fires and the smell is so evocative. The staff are only too willing to share fascinating stories of how people used to live, and maybe a few ghost stories as well.museumwales.ac.ukDawn Michelle Brodribb |
| Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire | Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire |
| This huge ruined castle, was subject to the longest siege in English history, for six months in 1266. If you go on a re-enactment day you’ll really feel what it must have been like to live under siege. The Tudor gardens also give you a sense of the Earl of Leicester’s lavish attempts to woo Elizabeth I here when she visited for three weeks in 1575, though she may have been put off by the earl’s first wife conveniently dying by falling down the stairs 15 years previously. So mind the steps, a bit uneven there …english-heritage.org.ukcallens17 | This huge ruined castle, was subject to the longest siege in English history, for six months in 1266. If you go on a re-enactment day you’ll really feel what it must have been like to live under siege. The Tudor gardens also give you a sense of the Earl of Leicester’s lavish attempts to woo Elizabeth I here when she visited for three weeks in 1575, though she may have been put off by the earl’s first wife conveniently dying by falling down the stairs 15 years previously. So mind the steps, a bit uneven there …english-heritage.org.ukcallens17 |
| Hereford Cathedral | Hereford Cathedral |
| Surely one of the most overlooked cities in the UK, Hereford is worth a visit for its magnificent medieval cathedral, in which you’ll find a brilliant little museum: the Chained Library. The cathedral has a copy of the 1217 Magna Carta (Henry III’s revision) and the exquisite Mappa Mundi. This is the biggest medieval map in existence, you’ll find yourself pressed against the glass picking out its many peculiarities, from snake-eating troglodytes to a well-endowed unicorn. And that’s even before you try the local cider...herefordcathedral.orgID780450 | Surely one of the most overlooked cities in the UK, Hereford is worth a visit for its magnificent medieval cathedral, in which you’ll find a brilliant little museum: the Chained Library. The cathedral has a copy of the 1217 Magna Carta (Henry III’s revision) and the exquisite Mappa Mundi. This is the biggest medieval map in existence, you’ll find yourself pressed against the glass picking out its many peculiarities, from snake-eating troglodytes to a well-endowed unicorn. And that’s even before you try the local cider...herefordcathedral.orgID780450 |
| Black Country Living Museum, Dudley | Black Country Living Museum, Dudley |
| This is a recreation, using the original buildings of a Victorian town right in the heartland of the Industrial Revolution. You can ride an old tram, sit in a Victorian classroom, steer a canal boat through a tunnel with your legs (which Lenny Henry advertised when a kid by yelling “Leggy Henry!”), drink in an old pub and watch various skilled labourers at work. It’s amazing how we have moved on in such a short space of time but also bizarre that many of the things like the sweet shop and outdoor loo were still around in my early years and I’m not quite 40. Terrific museum by someone who is not a fan of museums.bclm.co.ukcatchytitled | This is a recreation, using the original buildings of a Victorian town right in the heartland of the Industrial Revolution. You can ride an old tram, sit in a Victorian classroom, steer a canal boat through a tunnel with your legs (which Lenny Henry advertised when a kid by yelling “Leggy Henry!”), drink in an old pub and watch various skilled labourers at work. It’s amazing how we have moved on in such a short space of time but also bizarre that many of the things like the sweet shop and outdoor loo were still around in my early years and I’m not quite 40. Terrific museum by someone who is not a fan of museums.bclm.co.ukcatchytitled |
| St Andrews, Fife | St Andrews, Fife |
| Visiting St Andrews must be one of the ultimate historical day trips in the UK. The town itself is almost 1,000 years old and as you walk the cobble streets, you can’t help but wonder about all the events down the centuries that they have seen. The ruins of the 12th-century cathedral and the castle remind us of distant times too and the university stands proud as well, having just celebrated its 600 anniversary. Then there is the golf club formed in 1754, one of the oldest in the world, as well as the gorgeous beaches.visitstandrews.comcamcont | Visiting St Andrews must be one of the ultimate historical day trips in the UK. The town itself is almost 1,000 years old and as you walk the cobble streets, you can’t help but wonder about all the events down the centuries that they have seen. The ruins of the 12th-century cathedral and the castle remind us of distant times too and the university stands proud as well, having just celebrated its 600 anniversary. Then there is the golf club formed in 1754, one of the oldest in the world, as well as the gorgeous beaches.visitstandrews.comcamcont |
| Portsmouth Historic Dockyard | Portsmouth Historic Dockyard |
| Visitors will find a collection of naval ships to explore including the Mary Rose and HMS Victory, plus museums, workshops and child-friendly interactive activities. Don’t miss the waterbus trip across the harbour to immerse yourself in the strange, cramped world of the submariner on board HMS Alliance, cleverly evoked by the ex-submariner guides.historicdockyard.co.ukmarthah | Visitors will find a collection of naval ships to explore including the Mary Rose and HMS Victory, plus museums, workshops and child-friendly interactive activities. Don’t miss the waterbus trip across the harbour to immerse yourself in the strange, cramped world of the submariner on board HMS Alliance, cleverly evoked by the ex-submariner guides.historicdockyard.co.ukmarthah |
| Bosworth battlefield, Leicestershire | Bosworth battlefield, Leicestershire |
| There’s a great variety of stuff to do around the battlefield: walk in woodland and along canal banks, cruise on the water, take a steam train trip, join in falconry training – and in August there are the splendidly staged battle re-enactments. The sense of history from the huge flags of Henry and Richard, flying over green fields is immense, especially with the remains of Richard III now being reinterred in Leicester Cathedral.bosworthbattlefield.comgonca | There’s a great variety of stuff to do around the battlefield: walk in woodland and along canal banks, cruise on the water, take a steam train trip, join in falconry training – and in August there are the splendidly staged battle re-enactments. The sense of history from the huge flags of Henry and Richard, flying over green fields is immense, especially with the remains of Richard III now being reinterred in Leicester Cathedral.bosworthbattlefield.comgonca |
| Calke Abbey, Derbyshire | Calke Abbey, Derbyshire |
| This brilliant Grade I-listed building near Ticknall in Derbyshire is my favourite country house in the UK. A 300-year-old baroque mansion that was handed to the National Trust in 1985, it retains a great charm because a lot of the rooms have been deliberately left in state of decline. With a great collection of stuffed animals, secret tunnels, servants’ quarters, beautiful grounds and a good cafe/farm shop it really is a fantastic day out.nationaltrust.org.ukTom Collin | This brilliant Grade I-listed building near Ticknall in Derbyshire is my favourite country house in the UK. A 300-year-old baroque mansion that was handed to the National Trust in 1985, it retains a great charm because a lot of the rooms have been deliberately left in state of decline. With a great collection of stuffed animals, secret tunnels, servants’ quarters, beautiful grounds and a good cafe/farm shop it really is a fantastic day out.nationaltrust.org.ukTom Collin |
| De la Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, East Sussex | De la Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, East Sussex |
| This interesting Grade I-listed building, now an arts centre, failed to ignite the flame of modernism in the UK when it was built in 1935. Europe and the US had warmly embraced modernism but in the UK change was resisted in favour of traditionalism until the mid-sixties. Just look at our cities now, where it seems every new building displays a spirit of modernist self awareness.dlwp.comBairdedoo | This interesting Grade I-listed building, now an arts centre, failed to ignite the flame of modernism in the UK when it was built in 1935. Europe and the US had warmly embraced modernism but in the UK change was resisted in favour of traditionalism until the mid-sixties. Just look at our cities now, where it seems every new building displays a spirit of modernist self awareness.dlwp.comBairdedoo |
| This article was amended on 27 March 2015. The original picture for the St Andrews entry was actually Edinburgh. |
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