Holburne Museum and Sydney Gardens: The Oldest Park and Gallery in Bath
When you visit Bath don’t miss the Holburne Museum and Sydney Gardens. Just a short – and interesting – walk from the city centre, across the Pulteney Bridge and along Great Pulteney Street. Here you’ll find the oldest park in Bath and the city’s first public art...
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Exploring the Museums of Bath
There are so many museums in Bath that it would take a month to explore them all. I’ve spent the last week visiting several of them, but I’ve got a lot more to go! There are the museums and galleries that you might expect, a few more unusual, and a surprising number...
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Discovering Hidden York
I had half a day to spare in York and decided to set myself the challenge of seeing something new. A tall order, perhaps, as this is a city I have been visiting regularly over the last 40 years. But I was determined to try, and managed to discover a “Hidden York”...
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The Antonine Wall, Britain’s Other Roman Wall
You may be familiar with Hadrian’s Wall, the 73-mile defensive structure that the Romans built across the north of England in AD 122. But did you know that they built a second line of defence – the Antonine Wall – across Scotland a few years later? I set out to find...
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In Search of the Callanish Standing Stones
I had been wanting to visit the famous Callanish Standing Stones, on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, for a long time. I finally got my chance last summer, during a road trip around Scotland. The stones were everything I had expected, but I was unprepared for...
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The Merchant Adventurers’ Hall and the Guilds of York
As in many European cities, the social and commercial life of medieval York was dominated by the trade guilds. And in many ways they are still important today. One of the best ways of discovering the history and influence of the guilds is through a visit to the...
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Exploring Roman York
York is better known as a medieval city than for its Roman origins. Yet it was once a very important Roman town. I set out to discover what can still be seen of Roman York today, and to get some clues about how it may have looked in the past. Why Was Roman York So...
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Exploring Nautical History at London’s Cutty Sark
Greenwich was busier than usual. The river was full of sailing ships, here for the Tall Ships Festival, and it seemed as if all London had turned out for the event. So I wasn’t sure about visiting the Cutty Sark, a popular visitor attraction at the best of times. But...
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Discovering the City of Dickens and Shakespeare with a London Walks Tour
Our guide was loud and theatrical, and had no problem making himself heard by the crowd of people clustered hopefully around him. “It had to happen sometime,” he boomed. “A North American telling you about those two icons of English literature, Dickens and...
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Discovering Roman London
London’s long history is one of its many attractions for visitors. Yet less is known of the city’s Roman past than of the Middle Ages or the colourful Tudor period. This is largely due to the fact that most of Roman London has been obliterated or obscured by later...
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