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.
The largest county in England, Yorkshire boasts a huge variety of landscapes, from spectacular mountain and moorland scenery, rugged coastline, a haunting medieval legacy, to the proud imprint of the Industrial Revolution and vibrant modern cities.
From some of the first ever airfields in Great Britain, through the municipal airports of Stoke, Walsall and Wolverhampton, to a total of eighteen RAF airfields in the Second World War, Staffordshire has always embraced aviation.
Northumberland, the northernmost county in England, on the border of Scotland, boasts a spectacular variety of landscapes from the Cheviot Hills in the north-west of the county, high moorland, the Northumberland National Park and Kielder Forest, the spectacular geological feature of the Great Whin Sill to the North Sea coast and the Farne Islands.
The Worcestershire town of Redditch grew up in the Middle Ages but became famous for needle manufacturing, and by the nineteenth century it produced 90 per cent of the world's needles.
From the remains of a tenth/eleventh-century massacre at St John's College through to the biggest exposure of medieval buildings yet seen in Oxford at the Westgate Shopping Centre, excavations in Oxford have continued to uncover exciting new information about the city's past.
Central Manchester History Touris a unique insight into the fascinating history of the former 'Second City of the British Empire', showing just how much it has changed during the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
