The modern city of Southend-on-Sea has come a long way since its eighteenth-century origins as an oyster fishing hamlet at the south end of Prittlewell parish.
The North Staffordshire Coalfield is concentrated around the Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme areas, with a small outlying area around Leek and Cheadle.
Truro grew up around its medieval castle, deriving its wealth as an inland port, lying on the confluence of two rivers 9 miles from the sea, and as a stannary town.
Chester's history goes back 2,000 years, from the Romans to recent times, and in the course of the centuries the city has witnessed many dark deeds and events.
During Roman times, Northwich was known as 'Salinae' or the 'salt works', and later by the Celtic name 'Hellath Dhu', or the black salt town by the Ancient Britons.
Pennine hills, unspoilt moorland, dramatic dales, picturesque villages, market towns and a magnificent coastline are all part of the scenery of County Durham.
Middlesbrough boasts a rich, diverse history and heritage that brings together tales of unprecedented industrial development, rapid urban expansion, the cultivation of new cultural institutions and a proud sporting heritage that has helped put the town on the map.
In the eighteenth century, Liverpool's position as a favoured port for Britain's growing Atlantic trade to the West Indies and America allowed it to expand rapidly.
Bristol's importance in medieval England was demonstrated when it became the first borough in the country outside of London to be given county status in 1373.
Regarded worldwide as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, the Black Country has a long and diverse history, where countless ghostly tales are born.
Glasgow Harbour, the port and shipbuilding centre along the River Clyde from Glasgow Green to the River Kelvin and beyond to Clydebank, became the greatest seaport in Scotland and one of the largest in Britain.
In this collection of haunting images, photographers James Lacey and David Gooch have brought to the light the fascination of derelict and abandoned buildings and other structures around Liverpool and Merseyside.
The north-east of England - Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside - has witnessed many grisly and tragic events over the centuries and it is no surprise that it is one of the most haunted parts of the country.
Preston was awarded city status in 2002 and has played an important part in Lancashire's history since the Middle Ages, when it was a centre for wool production and weaving.
Although the story of Jack the Ripper has been told many times, the crime scene locations and the killing ground which he and his unfortunate victims would have been familiar with has been largely left unknown.
The county of Berkshire is home to a through route from east to west following the River Thames, the ancient Ridgeway, the A4 trunk road, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Great Western Railway.
