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 Devon, with its coastline north and south, wild moorland, and rolling rural countryside, villages, market towns, many characterised by local industries, and historic cities of Exeter and Plymouth, has a rich military history that stretches back through centuries.
Cornwall has a long and fascinating history of ghost stories, from ghostly ships seen traversing the coastline, phantom smugglers and pirates to grisly murders and lonely suicides.
The Cotswold Hills run in a large swathe through south central England, chiefly in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, but also parts of Somerset, Wiltshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
Although within close proximity to London, the county of Surrey is blessed with green open spaces, including the North Downs, the Weald and the Surrey Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
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.
Lying 7 miles south-east of Manchester, the town of Stockport can trace its history back to the foundation of a castle in the area in the late twelfth century and the granting of a borough charter around 1220.
The towns and villages west of Birmingham, around Dudley, Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Wallsall, became known as the Black Country during the Industrial Revolution due to the intense industrialisation of the area, particularly coal mining and ironworking.
The Somerset town of Bridgwater was an important port on the River Parrett in the Middle Ages, linked inland during the Industrial Revolution with the construction of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal.
From its heyday in the nineteenth century as a major centre of wire making, textiles, chemical production and brewing through to its Second World War role as the largest US Army Air Force base in Europe and subsequent reinvention as a new town in the late 1960s, Warrington is now the largest town in Cheshire, with a proud heritage and distinctive identity.
Over the last few years Bristol has received many accolades such as the UK's 'happiest city', 'most desirable location to live', 'kindest and most selfless people', and 'most artistic city'.
Warwickshire is a county steeped in the supernatural, as befits the county of Shakespeare and the many ghosts and spirits that he conjured up in his works.
For many the vibrant seaside village of Mumbles is the gateway to the beautiful Gower Peninsula, and both have fascinating history and fine scenery to offer.
The Gloucestershire town of Cirencester has a rich and diverse history dating back to Roman times when, known as Corinium, it was the second largest settlement outside London.
The seaside town of Bournemouth was founded as a watering place in the early nineteenth century in an area of barren land on the south coast known for smuggling.
Whitehaven was just a fishing village on the Cumbrian coast until the port was developed by the Lowther family in the seventeenth century to export coal from the Cumberland coalfield.
Crowds of visitors flock to Whitby to explore the ancient abbey, walk the narrow streets, pass Captain Cook's home and see the replica of his ship Endeavour, but the history of Whitby is much richer, as revealed in this tour of its significant, interesting and unusual buildings.
Truro has been an important port since the Middle Ages, and its status as a stannary town, allowing it to assay and stamp copper and tin from Cornish mines, also brought prosperity to the town.
Although Blackpool is not an old town, it has a wealth of fascinating buildings that represent its growth from a small village on the Lancashire coast to a centre for tourism.
The ancient walled city of Chester has an illustrious military history dating back to Roman times when a fort, four times the size of anything else in Britannia, was built here.
A red and white dragon fighting tooth and claw in the moonlit sky; mischievous fairy folk luring unwary travellers deep into their underground lairs; a kind-hearted mermaid saving the lives of those in peril on the high seas; and a charmed boy who transforms into an otter and a bird to outrun a wicked witch.
The county of Worcestershire in the West Midlands is characterised by its beautiful cathedral city of Worcester, attractive market towns and villages and its industrial heritage, particularly in the north-east of the county.
The town of Watford, in Hertfordshire, began as a settlement in the twelfth century when the Abbot of St Albans, who owned the land here, was given permission to hold a weekly market.
Located immediately to the south of London, between the capital and the English Channel, Surrey has long played a significant part in the defence of the nation.
Located on the north bank of the River Thames opposite Gravesend, with which there has been a ferry link for centuries, Tilbury Landing Stage is a fine vantage point for viewing shipping passing to and from upriver berths.
Stirling is associated with two of the most notable names and battles in Scottish history: William Wallace and the Battle of Stirling Bridge, and Robert the Bruce and the Battle of Bannockburn.
