Attractions

Castles of the North (2)

May 16, 2012

Here is our second fortnightly selection of Northern English Castles. Enjoy touring them online, or even better put something in your diary for a real “in the flesh” visit. The picture to the left is of Brougham Castle by the River Eamont in Cumbria, just outside Penrith. This was one of several castles in Cumbria [...]

A Selection of Northern England’s Castles [1]

May 2, 2012

The North of England from coast to coast was once a dangerous place. These borderlands were fought over for centuries and wealthy local families as well powerful barons erected defensive houses, some of which became more like fortress palaces, to protect themselves and their people. Today many of these great structures are open for public [...]

Visit a Northern England Castle – A Mystery Tour

May 1, 2012

Looking for ideas for a day out? The northern half of England has many splendid castles. Here I’ve put together a set of twentyfour, each of which can provide a good day or half-day out. They are spread from north Lincolnshire upwards, and from coast to coast as far as the Scottish border. Some have [...]

Towneley Hall, Burnley

April 18, 2012

Towneley Hall, Burnley was built over many centuries, from the early-15th to the 19th, as home to the Towneley family. Historically, although many have been eminent public servants, the most famous member of the family was possibly Charles Towneley, the 18th century collector whose marbles and brasses form an important part of collections at the [...]

Lake District History & Now: Axe Heads to SatNavs

February 21, 2012

Today’s title reflects just some of the eclectic content below, with ancient axe heads, charcoal burning, water-powered fulling mills, train crashes, a Roman helmet, today’s forests, map reading skills and even an international treaty. Last week I wrote about books on Lake District history and finished up with some thoughts on its future. Today I [...]

Lake District History and the Future

February 14, 2012

I was writing a piece on my “Lake District in Books” site when it occurred to me how much material I’d written there over recent months referring to the history of the region. This post is substantially a survey of things I’ve written there in the past, brought together for readers of the Around-England blog. [...]

Barnard Castle and the Bowes Museum

February 7, 2012

Last weekend we paid an unscheduled visit to Barnard Castle. Our normal pattern when driving over the A66 between Cumbria and County Durham has been to fly past at 60 to 70 miles per hour on the way to or from somewhere or other. This time, however, a glance at the fuel gauge said quite [...]

River Eden near Appleby on a Wintry Afternoon

January 17, 2012

Three more shots of the beautiful Eden Valley. Before reaching the centre of the town the River Eden passes Bongate (the place where in ancient times the ‘bondsmen’ used to live), down below the cliff where Appleby Castle stands proud. Here is a cold January midday shot of the river, reduced in level from what [...]

Still More Wordsworth Places in the Lake District

January 3, 2012

Recently I’ve written several times about Lake District places associated with William Wordsworth, the great nineteenth century romantic poet. In addition to describing a visit to Wordsworth House in Cockermouth and seeing the tremendous work that has been done to recover from the devastating floods of November 2009, I posted a further article summarising the [...]

Arley Hall and Gardens, Cheshire

December 7, 2011

Recently I promised to include weekly items on attractive places further south than my recent Cumbrian and Pennine posts. Regulars here will have noticed very little activity of any kind since then. I’ve been working on a major new feature of the site (secret! husshhh!) to be launched shortly and was rather distracted from routine [...]

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