Local history

Swindon's unusual history as a large industrial town in the heart of Wiltshire has defined its townscape for the last 200 years.

The East Sussex seaside resort of Eastbourne, at the end of the South Downs alongside the famous Beachy Head, is largely a creation of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

Steeped in history and rich in wildlife, Essex is truly a hidden gem among Britain's counties.

The ancient Suffolk market town of Beccles has a history of more than a thousand years, which saw it flourish as one of the principal trading communities in the county.

Situated in the south-west of Ireland, the port city of Cork is right on the very edge of Western Europe and has always been open to influences from Europe and the wider world.

Historically part of Lancashire, Bury grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution as a mill town producing textiles alongside many other expanding towns in the area and now lies within Greater Manchester.

Barnard Castle and Teesdale in the Durham Dales is the second largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales.

Gloucestershire is a county of great variety with three distinct areas: the Cotswold Hills, the Forest of Dean and the Severn Vale.

Birmingham - Britain's second largest city - lies in the heart of the country.

Gateshead, on the southern bank of the River Tyne, has a rich heritage and distinctive identity.

Wales is said to be the most haunted country in the world.

The history of Greenwich in South East London is defined by its location on the Southbank of the River Thames and its proximity to central London.

Leicestershire is a fascinating and diverse county.

Situated on the Firth of Tay, Dundee is Scotland's fourth largest city and was once a major east coast trading port.

Northallerton is the county town of North Yorkshire, and its location - situated in James Herriot Country and between the two national parks of the North Yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire Dales - makes it a popular destination for visitors.

Its farming and fishing industries yield an impressive harvest of ingredients, so it is no surprise to discover that Sussex also boasts a rich culinary heritage.

For centuries, Twickenham, Teddington, Whitton and the Hamptons were bucolic places, a string of villages alongside the great highway of the Thames.

The city of Portsmouth, on the Hampshire coast, has been an important naval base for centuries and is still home to much of the Royal Navy's fleet today.

One of the UK's largest cities, Leeds is a major commercial, financial and cultural centre in West Yorkshire.

Despite its size the Cheshire town of Knutsford is full of history, beautiful Italianate architecture and quirky buildings.

Famous as the home of the British Army, the small village of Aldershot in the north-east corner of Hampshire grew rapidly around the garrison that was established on the heath there for the British Army during the Crimean War in 1854.

North Shields and Tynemouth, historically united, lie on the north bank of the River Tyne.

Birmingham is Britain's second largest city.

The city of Aberdeen has been shaped by its natural surroundings and location on the North Sea coast.

A Preston Chronicle newspaper headline in 1866 of 'Thievery, Knavery & Harlotry in Preston' described a town struggling with crime and its consequences.

Plymouth is steeped in history, from the prehistoric remains discovered at Cattedown, the Bronze Age trading settlement at Mount Batten and the Roman burial grounds at Stonehouse to the Pilgrim Fathers' departure from the Mayflower Steps, the hard-fought battles of the Civil War and the Blitz during the Second World War.

Harrogate made its name as a spa town, after its waters were discovered in the sixteenth century.

With a coastline that stretches from Plymouth to Seaton, three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Dartmoor National Park, South Devon is a region that has an enviable selection of scenic treasures and cherished destinations.

Monuments are all around us.

Since it was founded in 1810 by Lewis Tregonwell, the Dorset resort of Bournemouth has developed to become a favourite destination for holidaymakers across the decades.

Situated between the rivers Allen and Kenwyn, Truro is an ancient town but a young city.

Long before its rise as a celebrated seat of learning, Cambridge was a small market town on the banks of a river formerly known as the Granta.

Though there were airfields in Shropshire during the First World War, at Shawbury, Tern Hill and Monkmoor, it was in the late 1930s that a massive building programme began to dot the county with new RAF airfields, mostly for training purposes, until there were over sixteen - in some cases they were so close together that their circuits overlapped.

Deal and the adjoining Walmer have long been important towns on the Kent coast.

For centuries visitors to Monmouthshire have been seduced by its picturesque landscape and breathtaking beauty.

Today, Bournemouth is one of the favourite resorts on the south coast, but until the early nineteenth century, the area was just heathland where cattle grazed.

The seaside town of Broadstairs lies on the Isle of Thanet in East Kent.

This book brings to life a selection of the most notorious, and grimmest, murders and other crimes in and around Liverpool from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries.

The historic Wiltshire market town of Chippenham has seen huge changes over the years.

In this book, author Robert Bard guides readers on a spine-tingling journey to discover the paranormal and unexplained happenings that have occurred throughout Berkshire.

Shrewsbury, Shropshire's county town, has been an important trading and administrative centre since medieval times because of its position on the River Severn close to the Welsh border.

By the time of the Norman invasion the Shropshire town of Shrewsbury was thriving.

The Portable Antiquities Scheme celebrated its fifteenth anniversary in 2018, and has been operating in Buckinghamshire since 2003 when the scheme went national.

Originally a county town in Middlesex, Ealing became known as the 'Queen of the Suburbs' at the beginning of the last century.

Readers may be surprised to learn the real origins of Lancashire hotpot and discover that some of those all-time-favourites like Jelly Babies, Vimto, and Fox's biscuits all have their roots in the county.

The island of Anglesey, off the north-west coast of Wales, has a long and fascinating history.

The Staffordshire township of Trentham in the Potteries has a fascinating history.

The Kent coastal town of Folkestone lies at the foot of the North Downs, with France visible across the Strait of Dover.

For almost forty-five years following the end of the Second World War, the world held its breath as the spectre of an even more terrible and devastating conflict hung over it.

The county of Sussex, today divided into East and West Sussex, has a rich military history that stretches back through the centuries.