The history of the Welsh Marches – an area on the England Wales border – is one of violent struggle, bloody battles and near constant conflict. It’s also an history of market towns and trade between two very different peoples: the English and Welsh. This is a brief history of this area – one of the prettiest in the UK, but relatively untouched by tourism.

The so-called ‘Black and White Villages’ of the Welsh Marches, the historic border landscape between England and Wales, are settlements containing gorgeous timber-framed houses in close clusters: dark oak beams set against pale panels, with rooflines that lean and settle in ways that make it clear these buildings have been standing for centuries. The effect… Read more: The Black & White Villages of the Welsh Marches

The city of Salisbury isn’t 5,000 years old like Stonehenge, but is still a pretty historic place, originating at the Iron Age hillfort of Old Sarum. Occupied by Romans, Saxons, and Normans, the settlement featured a royal castle and the first cathedral. In 1220, due to space constraints and friction between the military and clergy,… Read more: Salisbury Cathedral | Famous For Its Spire

Stonehenge sits on a flat, open plain in Wiltshire, England – a circle of massive prehistoric stones that has drawn visitors, scholars, and worshippers for centuries. Few ancient sites have inspired as much research, debate, and fascination, and the monument continues to resist easy explanation. A Monument Five Thousand Years in the Making Stonehenge was… Read more: Stonehenge | Guide To England’s Ancient Monument

Cambridgeshire, to the north east of London, is one of those places that isn’t all that well defined. It’s not the home counties, not as closely associated with East Anglia as neighbouring Norfolk and Suffolk, and not quite London suburbia. What’s more, it is dominated in most people’s perceptions by its main town — Cambridge… Read more: Cambridgeshire | 10 Great Places to See & Go

Daffodils, Blooms & More Springtime in the English countryside is a riot of colour, new life on farms and the land waking up after the winter. The results can be seen everywhere, but the following places are especially great to experience a rural spring in England. Farndale Daffodil Walk The wild daffodils of Farndale have… Read more: Places to Experience an English Rural Spring

Our guide to London’s eight Royal Parks: Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James’s Park, Green Park, Regent’s Park, Richmond Park, Bushy Park & Greenwich Park

Here’s our pick of the best 20 British Castles, in no particular order… 1. Leeds Castle Leeds Castle is one of England’s most picturesque historic sites, set on two islands within a lake and surrounded by extensive parkland. Originally built as a Norman stronghold in the 12th century, it later became a royal residence and… Read more: Best 20 British Castles | The Finest In England, Scotland & Wales

St Michael’s Mount is a small tidal island located in Cornwall, sitting about 500 meters off the coast near the town of Marazion. The island is best known for its old castle, gardens, and legends. It is one of the most popular places to visit in Cornwall. Getting to the Island The way you get… Read more: St Michael’s Mount

Cornwall has been attracting visitors for centuries, due to its fine climate (for England), plentiful beaches and pretty fishing villages. It’s a place of smugglers coves, surfy beaches and fine seafood. Here, then, are ten places to sample the best that Cornwall has to offer: Porthcurno Beach Porthcurno Beach is a piece of paradise with… Read more: Cornwall: What To See & Do

Castle Drogo, located in Devon, UK, was built by Julius Drewe, a wealthy businessman and founder of the Home and Colonial Stores. It was designed by the renowned architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and constructed between 1911 and 1930. Itis notable for being the last castle built in England, blending traditional medieval styles with modern elements… Read more: Castle Drogo | The Last Castle Built In England

Most of have an idea of what a castle should look like. stone walls, a keep, turrets, a moat perhaps. And it should be several hundred years old. Well there are some structures in Britain that are deemed castles which don’t really conform to this traditional view. And some of these are the focus of… Read more: Britain’s Most Unusual Castles

Our regular feature ‘Great Figures From British History’ has profiled many people you’ve probably heard of: Shakespeare, Isombard Kingdom Brunel and Charles Darwin for example. Well this month we’ve chosen someone almost cetainly unknown to you – but we think that should change. Major Walter Clopton Wingfield was not only a wonderful character but also,… Read more: Major Walter Clopton Wingfield | Inventor Of Lawn Tennis

How many of the following 20 questions about the Wimbledon tennis tournament can you get right (answers below). Scroll down for answers Quiz Answers: 1.1877; 2. Church Road, Wimbledon, London; 3.It is the third Grand Slam tournament of the tennis calendar year; 4.Grass; 5.Roger Federer (8 titles); 6. The Venus Rosewater Dish; 7. Andy Murray;… Read more: Wimbledon Tennis Quiz

Wimbledon is not just about tennis—it’s a vibrant neighbourhood with a thriving social and cultural scene. The suburb is in West London, one of several leafy suburbs such as Kingston, Richmond popular with middle class families who commute to jobs in London. It’s therefore a comfortably off sort of place which, due to its proximity… Read more: Explore Wimbledon, London | More Than Just The Tennis

The Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis Championship is one of main sporting and social events of the English Summer. For two weeks in July the finest players on the planet battle it out at the All England club in a leafy West London suburb in what most would say was the premier tennis event in… Read more: Wimbledon | The History Of The All England Lawn Tennis Championship

Wales is renowned for its magnificent castles. While Edward I’s grand castles like Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech are well- known symbols of conquest by the English, Wales also boasts a collection of native Welsh castles built by its own princes. These fortifications reflect a distinct architectural style, with rugged stonework and strategic placements that now… Read more: The Castles Of The Welsh Princes

There’s something about the English seaside and in addition to its many seaside resorts England has some lovely villages along its lengthy coastline. Here are our choices of the 20 prettiest: 1. Clovelly, Devon Clovelly is a truly unique village where cobbled streets wind steeply down a hillside to a 14th-century harbour. With no cars… Read more: The Prettiest English Seaside Villages

Lancelot “Capability” Brown (1716–1783) was one of Britain’s most influential landscape gardeners, renowned for transforming formal gardens into rolling, naturalistic parklands. He worked on over 170 estates, but here are ten of the most celebrated and representative gardens attributed to him: 1. Stowe, Buckinghamshire Located near Buckingham, Stowe was a formative project for Brown, where… Read more: Top Ten Gardens Designed By Capability Brown.

Cambridgeshire in eastern England is dominated by the university town of Cambridge, but has also a number of lovely villages. Here are our pick of the prettiest: 1. Grantchester Just a short stroll or punt ride from Cambridge along the River Cam, Grantchester is steeped in literary and bohemian history. The village is known for… Read more: The 20 Prettiest Villages In Cambridgeshire, England

Britain boasts some of the most breathtaking castles in the world. And while these remarkable buildings have played their own part in centuries of real-life drama, today they make the perfect setting for all manner of modern productions, as locations in movies and TV shows loved around the world. From historical epics to fantasy and… Read more: British Castles From Film & TV

Further to our posts on the Potteries and Staffordshire, here are some gorgeous images from this often overlooked region: The Bottle Kiln At Middleport Pottery Wedgwood Jasperware Teapot Made At Burslem Minton Decorative Tiles The Canal Near Etruria Gladstone Pottery Museum View From Ilam House A Spode Teacup And Saucer Dovedale Lichfield Cathedral Boiler At… Read more: Staffordshire & The Potteries Gallery

No single name is more closely associated with fine pottery than that of Josiah Wedgwood. Born in 1730 in Burslem, Staffordshire into a modest family of potters, Wedgwood would go on to revolutionise both the art and commerce of ceramics. His innovations in materials, manufacturing and marketing elevated Staffordshire earthenware to the drawing-rooms of Europe’s… Read more: Josiah Wedgwood | Pottery Pioneer

Staffordshire, often overlooked between the big-hitters of the Peak District and the Cotswolds, is home to a wealth of landscapes, heritage sites and cultural experiences. From river valleys where limestone ravines carve dramatic scenery, to the heartland of britain’s ceramics industry, the county has much to offer. Staffordshire makes for a great short break, with… Read more: Staffordshire | Potteries, Cathedrals & More

How much do you know about Staffordshire and the Potteries? 1. Which river runs through the heart of the Staffordshire Potteries? 2. Name the six towns that comprised The Potteries before they federated into Stoke‑on‑Trent. 3. In what year were the six towns officially united as the county borough of Stoke‑on‑Trent? 4. What local clay,… Read more: Staffordshire & The Potteries Quiz

The River Trent winds its way through north Staffordshire, where six towns once known simply as The Potteries evolved into the heart of Britain’s ceramics industry. From the late 1600s, a fortunate mix of local clays, plentiful coal and entrepreneurial potters transformed this corner of the Midlands into a global centre for everyone from kitchen-table… Read more: The Potteries | Global Centre Of Ceramics For 300 Years

Scroll down for answers Answers 1. Berkshire; 2. The Weald; 3. Ricky Gervais; 4. Surrey; 5. Kent; 6. Roald Dahl; 7. Epping Forest; 8. Bedfordshire; 9. Hertfordshire; 10. Daniel Craig; 11. Surrey; 12. Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex; 13. Kate Bush; 14. Five – Berkshire, Hampshire, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex; 15. Aylesbury; 16. J.R.R. Tolkien; 17.… Read more: The Home Counties Quiz

No poet has more affectionately – or more precisely – captured the essence of the Home Counties than Sir John Betjeman. Eccentric and endearing, Betjeman wrote of lawn-mowers and lunchtimes, of red-brick houses and commuter railway stations. To him, the suburban commuter belt of the south-east was a landscape of quiet drama and gentle comedy.… Read more: Sir John Betjeman | Poet Laureate Of The Home Counties

A few places in England are granted the title ‘Royal’, owing to their connection to the monarchy, and it’s the epic working residence of Windsor Castle that led to the creation of the county of ‘Royal’ Berkshire. With Ascot Racecourse, and its proximity to the Thames, the county has long been a favoured destination for… Read more: Royal Berkshire | Windsor, Reading & More

The Home Counties – Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, and Surrey – surround London on all sides and form the larger part of the South East of England. It’s an affluent, attractive part of the country which probably took its name from its proximity to the capital – where merchants, civil servants and politicians were able… Read more: The Home Counties | Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, and Surrey

How much do you know about events in April in the UK? Take our quiz to find out (scroll down after questions for answers). Scroll down for answers Answers:

Few figures in British politics wielded power for as long, or have had the same impact, as Robert Walpole, the man widely regarded as Britain’s first Prime Minister. Though the title was unofficial during his long career, Walpole’s dominance in government from 1721 to 1742 created the blueprint for the modern premiership. His leadership brought… Read more: Robert Walpole | Britain’s First Prime Minister

As the days grow longer, the countryside bursts into life and all those romantic images of rural England start to make sense. With the winter behind us, it’s the perfect time to lace up your walking boots and explore some of the country’s most scenic trails. Here’s a selection of five of our favourite English… Read more: English Walks In Spring

The English countryside is beautiful at any time of year, from summer’s sunshine and autumn’s dramatic colours, to the frosty winter whiteout. But there’s something about springtime that really sets the pulse racing. As the daffodils and bluebells emerge and the new year comes to life, England offers some of the most glorious rural destinations.… Read more: Springtime In Rural England

As one of Britain’s most influential artists, known for his satirical and moralistic paintings and engravings, William Hogar