Must-see cities in England?
July 16, 2012 11:33 PM Subscribe
Going to London, England for a bit and would like to see another city or two while I'm there. What other cities in England are must-sees?
I'm going to be visiting a friend in London this fall, and since I haven't been to England before I would like to see another city or two in the country while I'm there. I'm not looking for an extensive travel around the country, just to take a train and spend a few days somewhere else. My big interest to look at is history, especially anything medieval or Ancient Roman, but that is all over the country so I don't know where to start!
More informations: I am a single young woman travelling alone, so I want to be somewhere pretty safe. I am not on a super-tight budget but would prefer to keep costs moderate. Any recommendations? What are your must-see places in England?
I'm going to be visiting a friend in London this fall, and since I haven't been to England before I would like to see another city or two in the country while I'm there. I'm not looking for an extensive travel around the country, just to take a train and spend a few days somewhere else. My big interest to look at is history, especially anything medieval or Ancient Roman, but that is all over the country so I don't know where to start!
More informations: I am a single young woman travelling alone, so I want to be somewhere pretty safe. I am not on a super-tight budget but would prefer to keep costs moderate. Any recommendations? What are your must-see places in England?
How do you feel about Shakespeare? Stratford is quite nice and quite historical, though not really a "city" per se.
posted by drjimmy11 at 11:48 PM on July 16, 2012
posted by drjimmy11 at 11:48 PM on July 16, 2012
I'd also recommend you spend a day or two in beautiful Georgian-Roman Bath, with a side trip to see Wells Cathedral. An easy train or coach ride from London, safe and you certainly won't lack for things to see or do.
posted by Scram at 11:49 PM on July 16, 2012
posted by Scram at 11:49 PM on July 16, 2012
I really liked Bristol. Lots of history, very beautiful, and vibrant and pulsing. It's quite close to Bath as well - you could see them both on the same trip very easily.
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:52 PM on July 16, 2012
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:52 PM on July 16, 2012
- Oxford, Cambridge [both 1 hour from London]
- Bath [1.5 hrs from London] - you could do Salisbury + Stonehenge in the same trip
- York [2 hours from London]
A leftfield choice would be to go up to Northumberland and explore Durham, Alnick and you could even go see Hadrian's Wall. It's not quite up there with the majesty of Bath, but if you planned to come back one day and do the easy stuff, this would be an interesting one. There are tons of medieval castles built to keep those pesky Scots and the wild coast is lovely.
posted by MuffinMan at 12:08 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
- Bath [1.5 hrs from London] - you could do Salisbury + Stonehenge in the same trip
- York [2 hours from London]
A leftfield choice would be to go up to Northumberland and explore Durham, Alnick and you could even go see Hadrian's Wall. It's not quite up there with the majesty of Bath, but if you planned to come back one day and do the easy stuff, this would be an interesting one. There are tons of medieval castles built to keep those pesky Scots and the wild coast is lovely.
posted by MuffinMan at 12:08 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
York was founded by the Romans and remained a major city throughout the medieval period. You could easily spend a weekend or longer exploring the Roman remains, Viking York (audio on opening link), and York Minster, arguably the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. The warren of medieval streets around the Minster are really charming.
Oxford's a great day trip from London, under two hours by bus or an hour by train. Cambridge is another easy day trip by train if you enjoy university towns. Both of them have spectacular architecture and history from the Norman period onwards, and there are plenty of B&Bs if you want to stay longer to explore. Try going in early autumn for a few days, and relax while all the students are scurrying about for the start of term. The pubs are great too, and many of them are in medieval/early modern buildings.
posted by pickingupsticks at 12:11 AM on July 17, 2012
Oxford's a great day trip from London, under two hours by bus or an hour by train. Cambridge is another easy day trip by train if you enjoy university towns. Both of them have spectacular architecture and history from the Norman period onwards, and there are plenty of B&Bs if you want to stay longer to explore. Try going in early autumn for a few days, and relax while all the students are scurrying about for the start of term. The pubs are great too, and many of them are in medieval/early modern buildings.
posted by pickingupsticks at 12:11 AM on July 17, 2012
Seconding a York, Durham and (perhaps - hard without a car) Northumberland coast trip.
posted by cromagnon at 12:14 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by cromagnon at 12:14 AM on July 17, 2012
Thirding York - lovely city and steeped in history. Beyond the major museums there (including the National Railway Museum which is great) there's plently of good Roman stuff there (it's where Constantine was first proclaimed Emperor) and some nice stretches of walls to walk. There's also a temple to Mithras in the basement of a pub and lots of other things like that. The Richard III Museum is also great.
It's very easy to get to from London as well - fast, regular trains out of Kings Cross and if you book far enough in advance they're not too expensive.
Basically as a history person myself, if I didn't live in London I'd want to live in York.
posted by garius at 12:28 AM on July 17, 2012
It's very easy to get to from London as well - fast, regular trains out of Kings Cross and if you book far enough in advance they're not too expensive.
Basically as a history person myself, if I didn't live in London I'd want to live in York.
posted by garius at 12:28 AM on July 17, 2012
Oxford or Cambridge is definitely worth a visit (though if you go to one you probably won't need to go to the other - they're architecturally and historically pretty similar). Cambridge is a sleepy little town and has a much more intimate feel, with the city basically consisting of the university; it's 50 minutes from London King's Cross. Oxford is more of a city in its own right and it's about 1 hour from London Paddington.
Otherwise, nthing Bath as somewhere convenient and steeped in history.
posted by pikeandshield at 12:30 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
Otherwise, nthing Bath as somewhere convenient and steeped in history.
posted by pikeandshield at 12:30 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
One other thing worth mentioning about York: it's pretty pedestrian friendly and virtually everything is within walking distance of the town centre and each other
posted by garius at 12:30 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by garius at 12:30 AM on July 17, 2012
Yes, York would be a really good choice for a few days away from London. If you can, book your train tickets in advance (as far in advance as possible) - they'll probably be significantly cheaper that way.
If you fancy the odd day trip from within London, here are a few suggestions within the London commuter belt:
You could make a very quick trip out to St Albans, a small cathedral city less than half an hour by train from St Pancras mainline station in London. It has both mediaeval and Roman remains.
Cambridge is 50 minutes from King's Cross (over the road from St Pancras). As everyone says, it's architecturally lovely; beyond that, here's a detailed "things to do in Cambridge" answer I gave to a question last year. If you run out of things to look at in Cambridge, then another 15-20 minutes north on the train brings you to Ely, a tiny and rather pretty cathedral city.
Colchester, about an hour from Liverpool Street, is our oldest recorded town and has plenty of Roman remains - I particularly like the Norman castle, whose vaults are actually Roman. (Inside is a museum with a lot of Roman artefacts.)
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 12:49 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
If you fancy the odd day trip from within London, here are a few suggestions within the London commuter belt:
You could make a very quick trip out to St Albans, a small cathedral city less than half an hour by train from St Pancras mainline station in London. It has both mediaeval and Roman remains.
Cambridge is 50 minutes from King's Cross (over the road from St Pancras). As everyone says, it's architecturally lovely; beyond that, here's a detailed "things to do in Cambridge" answer I gave to a question last year. If you run out of things to look at in Cambridge, then another 15-20 minutes north on the train brings you to Ely, a tiny and rather pretty cathedral city.
Colchester, about an hour from Liverpool Street, is our oldest recorded town and has plenty of Roman remains - I particularly like the Norman castle, whose vaults are actually Roman. (Inside is a museum with a lot of Roman artefacts.)
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 12:49 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
I've also found Bath very charming, definitely do the audio tour at the Roman Baths, it's really well done. I haven't been to York but I would like to go there as I've heard nice things about it too.
posted by like_neon at 1:34 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by like_neon at 1:34 AM on July 17, 2012
How about adding Lincoln to the mix? It has a spectacular cathedral opposite a Norman castle, beautiful topography, a medieval cathedral close, a lively city center, and it's a little off the beaten path so not as touristy as York or Bath.
I'm living in Oxford at the moment, and it is a lovely place to visit, but full of tourists. That can be good--there's a nice tourist bus, for instance, and plenty of places to eat and drink--but finding inexpensive lodging can be a challenge. Oxford Rooms offers B&B accommodations in Oxford colleges during university vacations. If you do come to Oxford, I'd strongly recommend spending at least half a day visiting Blenheim Palace and Woodstock, about 30 minutes north of Oxford by the S3 bus from Gloucester Green. If you like walking, I'd also recommend following the Thames Path south along the river from Folly Bridge to the Iffley Lock, and then visiting the Romanesque church in Iffley. The free museums--Ashmolean, Natural History and Pitt Rivers--and the Christ Church Picture Gallery (small admission charge) are worthwhile.
posted by brianogilvie at 2:04 AM on July 17, 2012
I'm living in Oxford at the moment, and it is a lovely place to visit, but full of tourists. That can be good--there's a nice tourist bus, for instance, and plenty of places to eat and drink--but finding inexpensive lodging can be a challenge. Oxford Rooms offers B&B accommodations in Oxford colleges during university vacations. If you do come to Oxford, I'd strongly recommend spending at least half a day visiting Blenheim Palace and Woodstock, about 30 minutes north of Oxford by the S3 bus from Gloucester Green. If you like walking, I'd also recommend following the Thames Path south along the river from Folly Bridge to the Iffley Lock, and then visiting the Romanesque church in Iffley. The free museums--Ashmolean, Natural History and Pitt Rivers--and the Christ Church Picture Gallery (small admission charge) are worthwhile.
posted by brianogilvie at 2:04 AM on July 17, 2012
Thirding York. I love York. To me, it offers a much more present history than Bath does.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:42 AM on July 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 2:42 AM on July 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
Brighton! Can't be beaten for faded seaside grandeur.
posted by peppermintfreddo at 3:07 AM on July 17, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by peppermintfreddo at 3:07 AM on July 17, 2012 [5 favorites]
Absolutely York, but if you wanted a slightly shorter train ride, I'd also recommend Chester.
It's a walled city, like York and one that's done a pretty good job of incorporating thousands of years of historical features into usable modern structures. So the children's section of the local bookstore is a medieval crypt, the downstairs seating area of the fast food place has a Roman hypocaust in it and all the shops in the main part of town are still arranged in the double-decker style that the medieval Cestrians used when they had to build on top of all the crap the Romans had left behind.
Chester also has England's largest Roman ampitheatre. It's only been partially excavated, since there's a Victorian convent built on top of part of it, which is itself a listed building. If anybody asked me to sum up what it was like in Chester that was always my go to example. We had history that we couldn't even dig up because there was too much extra history sitting on top of it.
On the other hand, (and you're going back a good few years here, so things may have changed) I remember the actual museums in Chester as being universally disappointing. No innovation, little effort on presentation, nothing that made the past come alive for you. I always felt far more connected to the city's history when I was just stumble across old buildings in the shopping district or having mock swordfights with my college buddies in the ampitheatre.
But seriously, York.
posted by the latin mouse at 3:11 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
It's a walled city, like York and one that's done a pretty good job of incorporating thousands of years of historical features into usable modern structures. So the children's section of the local bookstore is a medieval crypt, the downstairs seating area of the fast food place has a Roman hypocaust in it and all the shops in the main part of town are still arranged in the double-decker style that the medieval Cestrians used when they had to build on top of all the crap the Romans had left behind.
Chester also has England's largest Roman ampitheatre. It's only been partially excavated, since there's a Victorian convent built on top of part of it, which is itself a listed building. If anybody asked me to sum up what it was like in Chester that was always my go to example. We had history that we couldn't even dig up because there was too much extra history sitting on top of it.
On the other hand, (and you're going back a good few years here, so things may have changed) I remember the actual museums in Chester as being universally disappointing. No innovation, little effort on presentation, nothing that made the past come alive for you. I always felt far more connected to the city's history when I was just stumble across old buildings in the shopping district or having mock swordfights with my college buddies in the ampitheatre.
But seriously, York.
posted by the latin mouse at 3:11 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
Chester (has the only Spud-u-Like in the country with a real Roman hypocaust!) and York (lots of windy narrow streets).
posted by run"monty at 3:23 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by run"monty at 3:23 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
Oxford and Cambridge are both pretty awesome! I'd probably recommend Cambridge just because you can go on one of the (overpriced, touristy -- but fun!) punt tours of the Backs. Also the train from Kings Cross to Cambridge is really good.
posted by katrielalex at 3:36 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by katrielalex at 3:36 AM on July 17, 2012
York. If you want Roman and mediaeval, York is your place. Bath as a second choice.
posted by andraste at 4:13 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by andraste at 4:13 AM on July 17, 2012
Blackpool
posted by pick_the_flowers at 4:30 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by pick_the_flowers at 4:30 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
And if you visit York you might get a free tour guide (me, as I've lived there for over 30 years).
posted by hardcode at 4:42 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by hardcode at 4:42 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
Bath, Salisbury, Stonehenge - a great little trip out of London
posted by Flood at 4:43 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by Flood at 4:43 AM on July 17, 2012
Good suggestions but I would put Canterbury well above St Albans or Colchester. I also second Brighton though you can have different experiences of that ambivalent city.
posted by Segundus at 4:43 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by Segundus at 4:43 AM on July 17, 2012
If you're going to do Bath (and it sounds like you will - Roman + Medieval = Bath), you might consider stopping over on the way to stay at the Red Lion in Avebury. Sure, it's just a pub in a small town, but it's a pub in a small town that is completely surrounded by the largest stone circle in all of Europe. My wife and I stayed there and it was totally worth the night, even though too much pub meant that the only ghosts we saw were of our dinners the night before.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:01 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:01 AM on July 17, 2012
I highly highly recommend Lincoln! Absolutely loved it.
posted by xicana63 at 5:20 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by xicana63 at 5:20 AM on July 17, 2012
If you're going to do Bath (and it sounds like you will - Roman + Medieval = Bath)
robocop: There isn't really much medieval in Bath, unfortunately. Bath is a fairly new town, having been reconstructed in the Regency and Georgian. It does have some of the most beautiful architecture around, but definitely not medieval. The Roman bath, in Bath, however, is incredible.
If you were doing a driving tour, I'd recommend stopping on the way to Bath at Chedworth Roman Villa and at Cirencester (the Roman town of Corinium, the largest Roman town after London) with its Roman museum.
However I do second Avebury over Stonehenge, if you want to see really old stuff though also not Roman or Medieval.
I'd also slightly recommend Oxford over Cambridge but thats because I love the Bodleian and the area around it and anything to do with it.
posted by vacapinta at 5:39 AM on July 17, 2012
robocop: There isn't really much medieval in Bath, unfortunately. Bath is a fairly new town, having been reconstructed in the Regency and Georgian. It does have some of the most beautiful architecture around, but definitely not medieval. The Roman bath, in Bath, however, is incredible.
If you were doing a driving tour, I'd recommend stopping on the way to Bath at Chedworth Roman Villa and at Cirencester (the Roman town of Corinium, the largest Roman town after London) with its Roman museum.
However I do second Avebury over Stonehenge, if you want to see really old stuff though also not Roman or Medieval.
I'd also slightly recommend Oxford over Cambridge but thats because I love the Bodleian and the area around it and anything to do with it.
posted by vacapinta at 5:39 AM on July 17, 2012
Cheddar! It's not far from Bath, it's home to both Cheddar Gorge, which one can drive through, and Cheddar Man, a preserved 9000-year-old Englishman, the oldest complete skeleton found. (The Man is not on display anywhere, but a replica of his skeleton can be seen in Cheddar.) Cheddar is famous in general for its caves, which made it friendly to cheesemaking. Be sure to pick up some of the famous local cheese.. oh, what's it called....
posted by Sunburnt at 6:22 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Sunburnt at 6:22 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'd also recommend Lancaster. The castle is interesting, you can walk around the city and it was the site of the Pendle witch trials.
posted by ersatz at 6:32 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by ersatz at 6:32 AM on July 17, 2012
Bath's lovely and I love, love, love it as a place to live, but I don't think there's a huge amount of history to keep you occupied. Apart from the baths, everything museum wise is Georgian or industrial history, which there's a decent amount of. And it's beautiful. If you do come here, hire bikes and ride to Bradford on Avon, 10 miles along the canal, which was a prosperous town in the wool trade, and has less of the planned town feel. You also get to ride over some beautiful aquaducts and there's some nice pubs to stop in along the way. Also, Lacock & Mells are beautiful old villages to visit in the area. So that might be fun.
For a day trip from London, St Albans is a must. It's great for Roman history, including some amazing mosaics, and there's a huge cathedral and town walls still intact. Really, don't miss it.
posted by ambrosen at 6:50 AM on July 17, 2012
For a day trip from London, St Albans is a must. It's great for Roman history, including some amazing mosaics, and there's a huge cathedral and town walls still intact. Really, don't miss it.
posted by ambrosen at 6:50 AM on July 17, 2012
It's a bit cheesy and touristy, but Warwick is a lovely town and has a great castle and and is very close to stratford-upon-avon. Whatever you do, don't go to Coventry though.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 7:04 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 7:04 AM on July 17, 2012
York will knock your socks off. I've been there loads over three decades, and the inner town is an endless delight to walk around. It's simply one of the nicest cities in England to spend a couple of days: walkable, old, fairly laid back, lovely people, oodles of history, and easy to get to. Indeed, the train ride will let you get a feel for what England as a while looks like.
posted by Jehan at 7:34 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by Jehan at 7:34 AM on July 17, 2012
especially anything medieval or Ancient Roman
I was also coming in to say Bath - perhaps with a day trip to Glastonbury (even in ruins, the Abbey is stunning, and the Tor amazing). I took my mother there for her first (and so far only) visit to Britain - we did a very historically oriented vacation (I'm a historian, my husband's a historian, we traveled with a flatmate who did her PhD in Anglo-Saxon studies...)
I found Bath sufficiently Roman for my needs - but maybe that's because I happily spent forever exploring the Roman Bath's themselves. Next door is a beautiful medieval church, more recently upgraded into a cathedral. The Roman baths have a terrific audio tour - it's work getting and listening to the whole of it, and there is an excellent museum under the baths to explore as well.
Being cheap, we stayed at the Bath YHA Hostel, which is a very nice, family oriented hostel. From Bath, we took a day tour to Stonehenge and Avebury - with a long lunch at the still very medieval village of Lacock - with Mad Max tours - the price is reasonable, their bus is small and the tours quite personal. (London Walks also does a tour from London of Stonehenge and Salisbury - I kind of regret not seeing Salisbury, what with the cathedral being the inspiration for Follett's Pillars of the Earth).
We also took a day-trip to Glastonbury by taking the train to Bristol and the local bus to Glastonbury - took about 1.5 hours and cost only a few pounds. Glastonbury was so awesome - the audio tour of the Abbey is even better than the Roman Baths (it has ranges from kid-level to historian/archeologist level, depending on what options you chose). We then climbed the Tor while my mom went to the farming museum - she said that was great (and I was so sorry I didn't have time for both).
For more Roman and Medieval fix: the British Museum's British section is awesome. It's not as famous as the classical wing where they keep the stuff they stole from other countries, but the artifacts are all the more interesting for all being from Romano-Britain and very oriented in place -- the Roman blends right into Anglo-Saxon, Viking and high medieval stuff. And the Museum of London has the most awesome dioramas of Roman London - what the docks would have looked like, etc. It may have changed since I was there (they were in the middle of re-doing the post 1650 section), but Roman and Medieval London were the best bits.
While in London, I also got a wonderful medieval/early modern fix by taking one of the more historically oriented of the London Walks - Secret London - ending at the medievaly-inspired but really art deco Black Friar's Pub (awesome pies).
Edinburgh is also a fascinating city with a surviving medieval/early modern core. It's only 3 or so hours away from London by train. But it's actually so awesome that I would want to dedicate a special trip just for Edinburgh (I was there for 5 days, and still missed a great deal).
posted by jb at 7:49 AM on July 17, 2012
I was also coming in to say Bath - perhaps with a day trip to Glastonbury (even in ruins, the Abbey is stunning, and the Tor amazing). I took my mother there for her first (and so far only) visit to Britain - we did a very historically oriented vacation (I'm a historian, my husband's a historian, we traveled with a flatmate who did her PhD in Anglo-Saxon studies...)
I found Bath sufficiently Roman for my needs - but maybe that's because I happily spent forever exploring the Roman Bath's themselves. Next door is a beautiful medieval church, more recently upgraded into a cathedral. The Roman baths have a terrific audio tour - it's work getting and listening to the whole of it, and there is an excellent museum under the baths to explore as well.
Being cheap, we stayed at the Bath YHA Hostel, which is a very nice, family oriented hostel. From Bath, we took a day tour to Stonehenge and Avebury - with a long lunch at the still very medieval village of Lacock - with Mad Max tours - the price is reasonable, their bus is small and the tours quite personal. (London Walks also does a tour from London of Stonehenge and Salisbury - I kind of regret not seeing Salisbury, what with the cathedral being the inspiration for Follett's Pillars of the Earth).
We also took a day-trip to Glastonbury by taking the train to Bristol and the local bus to Glastonbury - took about 1.5 hours and cost only a few pounds. Glastonbury was so awesome - the audio tour of the Abbey is even better than the Roman Baths (it has ranges from kid-level to historian/archeologist level, depending on what options you chose). We then climbed the Tor while my mom went to the farming museum - she said that was great (and I was so sorry I didn't have time for both).
For more Roman and Medieval fix: the British Museum's British section is awesome. It's not as famous as the classical wing where they keep the stuff they stole from other countries, but the artifacts are all the more interesting for all being from Romano-Britain and very oriented in place -- the Roman blends right into Anglo-Saxon, Viking and high medieval stuff. And the Museum of London has the most awesome dioramas of Roman London - what the docks would have looked like, etc. It may have changed since I was there (they were in the middle of re-doing the post 1650 section), but Roman and Medieval London were the best bits.
While in London, I also got a wonderful medieval/early modern fix by taking one of the more historically oriented of the London Walks - Secret London - ending at the medievaly-inspired but really art deco Black Friar's Pub (awesome pies).
Edinburgh is also a fascinating city with a surviving medieval/early modern core. It's only 3 or so hours away from London by train. But it's actually so awesome that I would want to dedicate a special trip just for Edinburgh (I was there for 5 days, and still missed a great deal).
posted by jb at 7:49 AM on July 17, 2012
How about adding Lincoln to the mix? It has a spectacular cathedral opposite a Norman castle, beautiful topography, a medieval cathedral close, a lively city center, and it's a little off the beaten path so not as touristy as York or Bath.
Lincoln is great - and has the best fish and chips I've ever had (Market Square). It's less organized for tourists than Bath is, which can be a feature or a bug (fewer people, but also fewer tours, museums, etc).
York is much more important historically than Lincoln - I haven't been (would love to go) but for the periods you are interested in, York would be excellent. Also, apparently the Viking experience is loads of fun.
posted by jb at 7:53 AM on July 17, 2012
Lincoln is great - and has the best fish and chips I've ever had (Market Square). It's less organized for tourists than Bath is, which can be a feature or a bug (fewer people, but also fewer tours, museums, etc).
York is much more important historically than Lincoln - I haven't been (would love to go) but for the periods you are interested in, York would be excellent. Also, apparently the Viking experience is loads of fun.
posted by jb at 7:53 AM on July 17, 2012
Has anyone mentioned York yet?
But yeah, it's lovely. As you roll in on the train, the minster dominates the skyline, as it has done for centuries. Easy to wander, friendly, not so busy in autumn, so B&Bs available. The weather may not be at its pleasantest (though summer may finally arrive in September) but there's plenty of indoors stuff if it rains. Not too difficult to get from there to Whitby and its ruined abbey, either, if you're inclined.
If you had more time to spare and the inclination to hire a car, I'd nth the suggestion to head north to the far corner of England, for Hadrian's Wall, Lindisfarne and a handful of medieval castles that were built very much to be used.
posted by holgate at 8:15 AM on July 17, 2012
But yeah, it's lovely. As you roll in on the train, the minster dominates the skyline, as it has done for centuries. Easy to wander, friendly, not so busy in autumn, so B&Bs available. The weather may not be at its pleasantest (though summer may finally arrive in September) but there's plenty of indoors stuff if it rains. Not too difficult to get from there to Whitby and its ruined abbey, either, if you're inclined.
If you had more time to spare and the inclination to hire a car, I'd nth the suggestion to head north to the far corner of England, for Hadrian's Wall, Lindisfarne and a handful of medieval castles that were built very much to be used.
posted by holgate at 8:15 AM on July 17, 2012
For a few days trip, York is a good idea. (I'm a bit biased (or underinformed)--I go to England to visit family in Yorkshire and have never been most places that aren't Yorkshire.) It can easily fill a couple of days. It has reached the point where my family has done virtually everything history-related there is to do in York at least twice, so the last time we went we pretty much had a wander round all day and bought things we can't buy at home. Which is a way of saying you can spend a nice day in York and not actually do anything.
Irritatingly, I don't think you can see where Constantine was proclaimed emperor. In my head, it was in what is now the basement of the Minster, but I don't think you can go down there. You can, however, go up the Minster. I'm simultaneously a bit put out that my mother didn't let me go with my dad and brother and relieved that she didn't--there's a bit where you end up walking across a ledge on the roof. From the pictures, the view is spectacular, but I'm not sure I could get up there.
The National Railway Museum is very good. Ditto for the Jorvik Viking Centre (though I say below it might be less awesome for an adult). The minster, obviously. Someone has already mentioned the Richard III museum. We found it by accident once while walking around the walls. You can walk round the top of Clifford's Tower. (I don't really remember it, other than it was massively windy and I got scared--see a theme? I don't like heights.)
Somewhere in York, there is a brass rubbing place, which is well worth going to. (I seem to recall it's in a little house in an industrial area. We found it just after thinking we were getting seriously lost.) That said, there's a brass rubbing place in the crypt of St Martin-in-the-fields in London. As cool as the crypt is (brass rubbing centre! cafe! in a crypt!), I don't think it's as good as the one in York. The really good one we went to was in a round church in Cambridge. (Apparently, it's significant that the church was round. Of course, it didn't look particularly round from the street, which made it quite hard to find.) I'm not sure how fun brass rubbing is to the normal person--my brother and I were pre-disposed to like it, given that we grew up in a house with a massive brass rubbing on a wall (done when you could still do them in churches), but we still found it amusing in high school.
If you go to York, I want to add a plug for a day trip to the coast, most likely to Whitby (I think it has the most to see), because it really is beautiful in a desolate kind of way. Whitby has awesome coastline, an (admittedly ruined) abbey with an excellent audio tour, a whale jawbone, a statue of Captain Cook and some stuff about Dracula, if you're so inclined (I'm not, so I have no idea).
(If you ever want to be sold on Yorkshire, look at this bloke's photos.)
Also, apparently the Viking experience is loads of fun.
I think I was 12 or 13 the last time I went and the little train back through time had lost its lustre a bit. However, the museum bit remained good. (I'm not sure if the train part would be dull for adults who hadn't seen it before. 12 year old me had been to the Jorvik Viking Centre a lot.)
posted by hoyland at 8:28 AM on July 17, 2012
Irritatingly, I don't think you can see where Constantine was proclaimed emperor. In my head, it was in what is now the basement of the Minster, but I don't think you can go down there. You can, however, go up the Minster. I'm simultaneously a bit put out that my mother didn't let me go with my dad and brother and relieved that she didn't--there's a bit where you end up walking across a ledge on the roof. From the pictures, the view is spectacular, but I'm not sure I could get up there.
The National Railway Museum is very good. Ditto for the Jorvik Viking Centre (though I say below it might be less awesome for an adult). The minster, obviously. Someone has already mentioned the Richard III museum. We found it by accident once while walking around the walls. You can walk round the top of Clifford's Tower. (I don't really remember it, other than it was massively windy and I got scared--see a theme? I don't like heights.)
Somewhere in York, there is a brass rubbing place, which is well worth going to. (I seem to recall it's in a little house in an industrial area. We found it just after thinking we were getting seriously lost.) That said, there's a brass rubbing place in the crypt of St Martin-in-the-fields in London. As cool as the crypt is (brass rubbing centre! cafe! in a crypt!), I don't think it's as good as the one in York. The really good one we went to was in a round church in Cambridge. (Apparently, it's significant that the church was round. Of course, it didn't look particularly round from the street, which made it quite hard to find.) I'm not sure how fun brass rubbing is to the normal person--my brother and I were pre-disposed to like it, given that we grew up in a house with a massive brass rubbing on a wall (done when you could still do them in churches), but we still found it amusing in high school.
If you go to York, I want to add a plug for a day trip to the coast, most likely to Whitby (I think it has the most to see), because it really is beautiful in a desolate kind of way. Whitby has awesome coastline, an (admittedly ruined) abbey with an excellent audio tour, a whale jawbone, a statue of Captain Cook and some stuff about Dracula, if you're so inclined (I'm not, so I have no idea).
(If you ever want to be sold on Yorkshire, look at this bloke's photos.)
Also, apparently the Viking experience is loads of fun.
I think I was 12 or 13 the last time I went and the little train back through time had lost its lustre a bit. However, the museum bit remained good. (I'm not sure if the train part would be dull for adults who hadn't seen it before. 12 year old me had been to the Jorvik Viking Centre a lot.)
posted by hoyland at 8:28 AM on July 17, 2012
If you got to York, try to get a tour of the theatre. There's a members bar that's kind of in a basement because it was originally a medieval hospital and they had to excavate it. There's a roman well beneath the stage and a door in the back wall of the theatre that seems short now but was tall enough for a guy on horseback to ride through when the ground was lower. The theatre building itself is a really weird mish-mash, being a combination of historic structures and a massive concrete annex built in the sixties.
The last time I was up there I stayed at this place and really liked it. It had more character than a chain hotel (stained glass windows, friendly staff) but better amenities than a B&B (proper bar, bigger rooms). If you're thinking about camping, this site is nice, although it's outside York proper.
The YHA in Bath that jb recommends is pretty good as YH's go, with the caveats that it's on quite a steep hill, (so you might want to take a taxi from the station) and it can be grim in warm weather as it backs onto a wood that must have some standing water in it. You have to choose between keeping the windows shut and being too hot or letting your room fill up with a million insects!
posted by the latin mouse at 9:06 AM on July 17, 2012
The last time I was up there I stayed at this place and really liked it. It had more character than a chain hotel (stained glass windows, friendly staff) but better amenities than a B&B (proper bar, bigger rooms). If you're thinking about camping, this site is nice, although it's outside York proper.
The YHA in Bath that jb recommends is pretty good as YH's go, with the caveats that it's on quite a steep hill, (so you might want to take a taxi from the station) and it can be grim in warm weather as it backs onto a wood that must have some standing water in it. You have to choose between keeping the windows shut and being too hot or letting your room fill up with a million insects!
posted by the latin mouse at 9:06 AM on July 17, 2012
In my head, it was in what is now the basement of the Minster, but I don't think you can go down there.
The undercroft is usually open to the public, and contains the foundations of the Roman military headquarters. It's also one hell of a bit of engineering, they basically has to dig under the Minster and "float" the whole building on a raft of concrete.
Unfortunately looking at the Minster web site it appears the undercroft is closed until January 2013.
posted by hardcode at 9:18 AM on July 17, 2012
The undercroft is usually open to the public, and contains the foundations of the Roman military headquarters. It's also one hell of a bit of engineering, they basically has to dig under the Minster and "float" the whole building on a raft of concrete.
Unfortunately looking at the Minster web site it appears the undercroft is closed until January 2013.
posted by hardcode at 9:18 AM on July 17, 2012
Apparently, it's significant that the church was round. Of course, it didn't look particularly round from the street, which made it quite hard to find.
The Round Church, aka the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, is based off of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Which makes it pretty cool. Maybe even as cool (in it's obscure way) as Denny Abbey, once a retirement home for elderly Knights Templar.
I love Cambridge and the Fenland - my favorite Cathedral is Ely. But I don't know if I would recommend Cambridgeshire to someone looking for a lot of Roman and Medieval history. Cambridge wasn't an important place in the Roman period - not like St Albans, Bath or Colchester. The only Roman thing I remember in the area is a farmers field where you can just barely see the outlines of a Roman farm/Villa. And while there are a few wonderful medieval buildings - such as the Round Church, St Benets Church, Old Court in Corpus Christi College and, of course, King's College Chapel. But the medieval heart of the city was ripped out in the 1960s to make way for the Lion Yard Shopping Centre (yes, it was a crime).
There are an Iron Age Ring (they don't know if it was a fort or something else), and Anglo-Saxon earthworks nearby - and a terrific Bronze/Iron age archeological site - but nothing like the ancient monuments you can see in Wiltshire - including Stonehenge and Avebury, but also Silbury Hill and the Uffington Horse and its environs (maybe crazy new-age site, but pretty pictures).
posted by jb at 10:03 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
The Round Church, aka the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, is based off of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Which makes it pretty cool. Maybe even as cool (in it's obscure way) as Denny Abbey, once a retirement home for elderly Knights Templar.
I love Cambridge and the Fenland - my favorite Cathedral is Ely. But I don't know if I would recommend Cambridgeshire to someone looking for a lot of Roman and Medieval history. Cambridge wasn't an important place in the Roman period - not like St Albans, Bath or Colchester. The only Roman thing I remember in the area is a farmers field where you can just barely see the outlines of a Roman farm/Villa. And while there are a few wonderful medieval buildings - such as the Round Church, St Benets Church, Old Court in Corpus Christi College and, of course, King's College Chapel. But the medieval heart of the city was ripped out in the 1960s to make way for the Lion Yard Shopping Centre (yes, it was a crime).
There are an Iron Age Ring (they don't know if it was a fort or something else), and Anglo-Saxon earthworks nearby - and a terrific Bronze/Iron age archeological site - but nothing like the ancient monuments you can see in Wiltshire - including Stonehenge and Avebury, but also Silbury Hill and the Uffington Horse and its environs (maybe crazy new-age site, but pretty pictures).
posted by jb at 10:03 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
You could also include Glastonbury on your tour of Stonehenge, Avebury and Bath. It's associated with myth of King Arthur, the holy grail and the legend that Jesus visited here with Joseph of Arimathea! Also, home to a thriving new age culture and site of the biggest (and best) UK music festival every year.
posted by Rufus T. Firefly at 11:22 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Rufus T. Firefly at 11:22 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
If Rome floats your boat, the best Roman artifact in Britain is Hadrian's Wall, which stretched the width of England. Easily accessible from Newcastle upon Tyne, which is also a brilliant city to visit.
posted by prentiz at 11:42 AM on July 17, 2012
posted by prentiz at 11:42 AM on July 17, 2012
MuffinMan's answer is basically "correct" and has a lot to recommend it.
Alternatively, if you want to cover less distance and do a little more regional lingering I would suggest the "M4 tourist special" of Bath-Bristol-Cardiff-Swansea-Gower Peninsula area. Wales is nice and with this route you get a to see a lot of history, modern culture and natural sights (with optional Arthurian silliness).
posted by Winnemac at 3:12 PM on July 17, 2012
Alternatively, if you want to cover less distance and do a little more regional lingering I would suggest the "M4 tourist special" of Bath-Bristol-Cardiff-Swansea-Gower Peninsula area. Wales is nice and with this route you get a to see a lot of history, modern culture and natural sights (with optional Arthurian silliness).
posted by Winnemac at 3:12 PM on July 17, 2012
Worth noting that you can get a train to Edinburgh in 4.5 hours. I'm from here so I'm biased, but for mixture of architecture and history you'd be hard-pushed to get more bang for your buck in the UK - we've got Mediaeval, Georgian, Edwardian and everything in between, a castle, numerous lovely parks and open spaces and if it's after August everything will be cheaper as the Festival will have ended.
The UK really isn't very big by North American standards, so don't feel you need to limit yourself to places in Southern England.
posted by Happy Dave at 6:11 AM on July 18, 2012
The UK really isn't very big by North American standards, so don't feel you need to limit yourself to places in Southern England.
posted by Happy Dave at 6:11 AM on July 18, 2012
I thought I'd pop in to say that, as a result of reading this thread a while back, me and my SO went on a date weekend to York last weekend and it was fantastic! Just as described - gorgeous cobbled streets, history and ghost stories everywhere, and of course the magnificent minster.
Thanks Metafilter :)
posted by greenish at 6:55 AM on November 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Thanks Metafilter :)
posted by greenish at 6:55 AM on November 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by oh pollo! at 11:47 PM on July 16, 2012 [8 favorites]