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'.
The medieval Suffolk market town of Bungay on the River Waveney was dominated by its castle, owned by the Bigod family, the Earls of Norfolk, and its Benedictine priory.
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.
Unlike many other small villages in the UK, Lesmahagow has many claims to fame because of its location and geological heritage and due to many of its sometime residents having taken up influential roles in the history of the nation.
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.
The town of Arundel in West Sussex is overlooked by Arundel Castle and the Roman Catholic cathedral, which was built through the support of the Duke of Norfolk, but the history of Arundel is built on much more than the castle and the dukes and earls.
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.
Keswick is one of the most popular towns in Cumbria, beloved by local residents and the thousands of holidaymakers who visit the Lake District every year.
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.
The north Norfolk coastal towns of Cromer and Sheringham, roughly 4 miles apart, were both small fishing villages until their development in the nineteenth century.
In Illustrated Tales of Shropshire author and historian David Paul brings us a selection of the county's strange and mythical tales, from its hills and lakes and rural landscapes to its ancient and more modern towns, villages and cities.
Hove, west of its immediate neighbour Brighton, was a small fishing village on the Sussex coast until its development in the early nineteenth century as a fashionable seaside resort for wealthy Londoners following the patronage of the prince regent, later George IV.
Author and historian David Paul brings us a selection of strange and mythical tales from across Yorkshire, from the Wolds, Dales and Moors to its lesser-known rural landscape, from the coast to its towns, villages and cities, including a whole range of places, events and people that are seldom mentioned in standard histories or guides.
The Surrey town of Cobham grew up around two centres - Church Cobham, around the medieval church of St Andrew, which also developed as the main commercial centre of the town in Victorian times, and Street Cobham along the old London-Portsmouth road, characterised by several large eighteenth-century coaching inns.
