From Roman walls and medieval masterpieces to Anglo-Saxon treasures, many of Britain's towns and cities are bursting with history. There's arguably never been a better time to get beneath the surface of this island's origins and explore the stories that shaped it. Here we take a look at some of Britain's most fascinating places, those destinations where the past is inescapable. We've ranked them based on the humble opinions of our well-travelled team, fully aware that you might disagree with some of our picks.
Click or scroll through the gallery to see how we've ranked the most historic towns and cities in England, Wales and Scotland...
The central little city of Truro is a fantastic base for striking out to explore Cornwall’s coasts and countryside. But the riverside city has its own fascinations too. Once a bustling inland trading port and hub of the Cornish tin mining industry, it was here that wealthy mine owners and merchants built their grand townhouses. Today there are still many grand Georgian homes and Victorian villas. But it's the beautiful neo-Gothic cathedral that really dominates the scene with its three magnificent spires.
Truro is located at the confluence of three waterways – the Allen, the Kenwyn and the River Truro – which flow into the River Fal so there are some wonderful quiet riverside walks. See how the other half lived at the grand Cornish estate of Tregothnan just near Truro, home to the Boscawen family since 1335. It has the largest historic, botanic garden in Cornwall and produces tea.
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A delightful jumble of Georgian and medieval houses, winding cobbled streets and secret passageways, there’s plenty to love about Rye. Not to mention it’s a stone’s throw from sandy beaches. It was a Cinque Port in the Middle Ages, before it was separated from the sea by marsh. Top spots include Rye Castle and Ypres Tower, part of its medieval defensive walls and now home to the Rye Castle Museum.
Mermaid Street is one of the town’s most atmospheric addresses with its cobbles and half-timbered houses. It’s here you’ll find 15th-century Mermaid Inn – once a notorious smugglers’ inn. Another postcard-worthy spot is the nature reserve at Rye Harbour. It includes the ruins of Camber Castle and there's the old Martello Tower.
Ipswich continued to prosper as a key trading post for Suffolk cloth in the Middle Ages and some half-timbered houses and churches remain in the town centre. It's associated with illustrious figures including Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who was born in the town (look out for Wolsey's Gate); Geoffrey Chaucer whose family owned a tavern here; and Thomas Gainsborough who lived here.
The cobbled streets and alleyways of this historic fishing town on Cornwall’s southern coast are picture-perfect. It was a major port in the 14th century and later the centre of the Cornish china clay industry. The old harbour is the hub of the town and here you can see a 14th-century blockhouse with another over the water in fishing village Polruan. The defensive structures were linked by a huge metal chain which could be raised to prevent ships entering the harbour during an attack from French and Spanish.
The ruins of St Catherine's Castle sit at the Fowey harbour entrance. The fortress was built in the reign of Henry VIII to defend the town. Further along is the South West Coast Path for more bracing clifftop views. Back in town, the Fowey Museum explores more local history.
Shrewsbury, Shropshire’s county town, sits on a bend in the Severn River. First mentioned in a charter of AD 901, Shrewsbury has more than 660 listed buildings, including medieval structures, wonderfully crooked half-timbered Tudor houses, fine Georgian mansions and Victorian cottages. Its impressive sandstone Shrewsbury Castle is a Norman construction, built on the site of an Anglo-Saxon fortification.
The town's shuts and passages (crooked medieval alleyways that criss-cross the old centre) are home to many stores which have been there for generations. Tanner's Wines, independent and family-owned since 1842 with extensive cellars, sits on Wyle Cop. Just outside the town centre are the ruins of Wroxeter, the fourth largest city in Roman Britain and the site of the bloody Battle of Shrewsbury. Haughmond Abbey (pictured), founded in 1083, is also close by.
The arresting Norman structures of Norwich Cathedral and Norwich Castle dominate charming Norfolk. The unofficial capital of East Anglia began life as a Saxon settlement before becoming the country’s second richest city, due to its cloth trade, in the Middle Ages. It has a wealth of beautiful buildings to prove it: the Guildhall, Dragon Hall, Strangers’ Hall and St Andrew’s Hall among them. The Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell (a merchant’s house and later ‘house of correction’ for women and vagrants) tells its intriguing story.
Norwich also has the greatest concentration of medieval urban churches north of the Alps – there were once 57 churches within its city walls, now 31 remain. The Guildhall stands at the gateway of the Norwich Lanes, a gorgeous historic area. Elm Hill is the city’s prettiest and most famous street while Upper St Giles is another little gem. Norwich boasts many handsome Georgian and Victorian buildings too, including the Royal Arcade, a beautiful ornate covered shopping street which opened in 1899.
A snug little Somerset settlement sat at the foot of the age-old Mendip Hills, Wells is not your typical city. With a mere 10,000 residents, it’s the smallest cathedral city in England, a status conferred on it because of its magnificent Gothic cathedral. Construction on the building began in 1176. Boasting some of the finest stained glass in the country, it is hailed as a medieval masterpiece. The Bishop’s Palace is another of Wells' numerous ecclesiastical wonders.
The city also lays claim to the oldest residential street in Europe. Vicar’s Close (pictured) was built in the 14th century to keep the holy men of the cathedral away from the city’s temptations. It’s well worth exploring out and around the Mendips too – a dramatic setting with various Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age monuments including barrows and forts.
Another town in the east of England with weighty historic claims is the bustling Essex town of Colchester – it's Britain's oldest recorded town dating from the 5th century BC when it was known as Camulodunum. It was an important Celtic settlement before the Romans invaded and built their capital here. In AD 61, Boudicca of the Iceni tribe infamously burnt it to the ground in protest at Roman occupation.
There are plenty of places in Colchester for a potter through the past. Top of the list is the mighty Norman castle, which was constructed on the ruins of a Roman temple in the late 1060s and has Europe's largest keep. Roman remains include extensive sections of the walls (the oldest in England), Balkerne gate, a theatre and a chariot circus. The ruins of medieval St Botolph's Priory and the lovely wooden-beamed 16th-century houses of the Dutch Quarter are also interesting.
Dominated by its great Gothic cathedral, the hilly Devon city of Exeter has a diverse range of historic buildings. It was founded as the Romans' most westerly British outpost and fragments of their ancient walls remain around the city centre. Within the cobbled streets of the historic centre, there's Rougemont Castle, which was built into the walls in Norman times. Rougemont Gardens was originally part of the defences and is now a delightful green space.
Straddling the River Exe, the ancient city's quayside area is gorgeous with some lovely old houses once home to wealthy merchants. At the end of the ruins of the old medieval bridge that once crossed the River Exe (pictured), is the crumbling tower of St Edmund's church.
The northern frontier settlement, whose earliest recorded inhabitants were the Carvetii tribe of Britons, has a deep-rooted history of turmoil and bloodshed – Carlisle was once the most besieged town in all of the UK. Romans versus Britons. Normans versus Vikings. The English versus the Scots. And so it went on until the Union of the Crowns in the 18th century and tussles over the border city stopped. This tumultuous past does mean there's plenty of fascinating historic places to visit.
The castle, built by William the Conqueror's son William Rufus, was where Mary Queen of Scots was held captive by order of her cousin Elizabeth I. There's a grand cathedral to admire too, founded in AD 1122. And you can't talk about Carlisle without mentioning Hadrian's Wall. The western end of the 72-mile (116km), UNESCO-listed Roman wall starts just a stone's throw from the city.
Another fine medieval cathedral city with a picturesque riverside location is Salisbury in Wiltshire. There's plenty of interest, including its striking cathedral which lays claim to having the tallest spire in England and a copy of the Magna Carta. Then there are medieval walls, half-timbered Tudor townhouses, elegant Georgian mansions and impressive Victorian villas too.
North along the river from the city is Old Sarum, the original Salisbury settlement. It's an incredible place to reflect on the city's sweeping history and how it began as an Iron Age hilltop fort. The views across the Salisbury Plains are wonderful too.
The East Midlands city is famed for its towering medieval cathedral which was built from local limestone and was the world's tallest building from 1311 to 1549. It pretty much ticks all the historic city boxes: an ancient centre complete with medieval castle, interesting museums and pretty streets.
First settled by Romans in the 1st century BC, Lincoln has a rich heritage. Vikings, Saxons and Normans have all subsequently left their mark on the place. One of Lincoln's greatest treasures is a copy of the 1215 Magna Carta (another of the four in existence) in the 11th-century castle that sits on the site of the original Roman settlement.
Pretty and compact Winchester on the banks of the River Itchen in leafy Hampshire, was the ancient capital of England. Known as Wintancaester, it was the seat of King Alfred the Great who built his city on an old Roman settlement and ruled Wessex from here, from 871 until his death in 899. There's a bronze statue of him in Broadway and his last-known resting place is beneath Hyde Abbey Garden. In August 2022, archaeologists from the Hyde900 charity unearthed an extraordinary medieval water tunnel near Hyde Abbey. It would have supplied the refectory, kitchens and monks' dormitories.
The city's most famous landmark is its intricately carved cathedral which was founded in 1079. Hampshire author Jane Austen is buried here. It was also once the resting place of St Swithun until the shrine was removed in the Reformation. Next door are the ruins of Wolvesey Castle (pictured), one-time residence of the powerful Bishops of Winchester. Learn about the legend of King Arthur at the 13th-century Great Hall, part of the old castle which has a medieval replica of the legendary round table on its wall.
Famed for its vast and imposing cathedral which soars above the low-lying fenlands, small and genteel Ely has been the setting for some pivotal moments in British history. The site was founded as a Christian community for monks and nuns by Anglo-Saxon princess Ethelreda in AD 673. Back then it was surrounded by water and marshlands and known as the Isle of Eels. It was also the stronghold of Hereward the Wake, who staged the final but doomed resistance to the Norman invasion.
The Normans certainly left their mark, constructing the colossal cathedral whose marvellous structure still dominates the city and surrounds today. Another notable building is the home of Ely's most famous historic figure, Oliver Cromwell, who became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1653.
This pretty seaside town dates back to the 9th century, but it became of strategic importance in the 11th century after the Normans invaded South Wales. A castle was erected above the harbour by the Earls of Pembroke, whose ruins remain today, and Tenby became a bustling market town. It played a fascinating role in later British history – it's thought 14-year-old Henry Tudor was hidden in alleyways under town's streets before fleeing to Brittany.
Tenby's mighty medieval walls, built around the settlement in 1264, remain some of the best-preserved in Britain. There were four gates but just one now remains – the West Gate. The wonderfully crooked Tudor Merchant's House, which was built in 1500, gives a glimpse of what life was like in 15th-century Tenby and St Catherine’s Fort (pictured) is a stunning sight at the edge of the town.
Most famous as the site for the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, when Sir William Wallace fought and won against the English army, this ancient Scottish city has plenty of tales to tell. Stirling was also one of Scotland's most significant and strategically important medieval towns, receiving the title of 'royal burgh' in the 12th century from King David I. It was also where Robert the Bruce defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in June 1314 and secured Scottish independence.
Dominated by the clifftop Stirling Castle, which was the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots, the historic streets of the Old Town are fascinating, including the Old Town Jail. On the other side of town from the mighty fortress, the National Wallace Monument overlooks incredible views of Stirling and the scene of Scottish hero Wallace's greatest victory, Stirling Bridge.
The best-preserved walled city in England, with its magnificent medieval walls almost completely encircling the historic centre, Chester was founded as a Roman fort in AD 79 and known as Deva. The circuit around the ancient defensive system, originally started by the Romans, stretches for two miles (3.2km). Other Roman remains include the vast amphitheatre, which is Britain's largest, and the Roman gardens.
Aside from its Roman legacy, the pretty city has a wealth of other historic sights, including the 12th-century Agricola Tower (pictured). It was once a gateway to Chester Castle, which was founded by William the Conqueror in 1070. Chester is also famous for the Rows – a series of unique two-level galleried arcades that are 700 years-old.
Set prettily on the banks of the River Tweed, England's most northerly town has an eventful and complex history. Just a few miles from the Scottish border, the prosperous port changed hands between the English and Scots an astonishing 13 times over the centuries before finally falling into English hands in 1482. Subsequently declared a 'free burgh', it's not surprising Berwick-Upon-Tweed has its own distinct identity.
The ancient city's impressive defensive walls were built by Edward I and later extended around the town by the Elizabethans to keep invading Scots out. Along a circuit of the walls are the riverside ruins of Berwick Castle, thought to have been built around 1115, and spectacular views across the River Tweed estuary. There are three bridges, including the beautiful Royal Border Bridge which was built by Robert Stevenson.
The origins of the Welsh capital's name, Caerdydd, are a little unclear. One theory suggests it derives from 'the fort of the Taff' and another from 'Caer-Didi', meaning the Fort of Didius, after the Roman governor Aulus Didius Gallus. But one thing is certain – since the Romans first set up a fort on what's now the site of Cardiff Castle, the city has undergone enormous change. Even in the last few decades, it has transformed from declining industrial port to vibrant cultural hub.
The medieval castle has been at Cardiff's heart since the Normans conquered Glamorgan. It was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century by the Duke of Gloucester, but razed along with most of the town by Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh army in the 15th century. Segments of the Roman walls also remain, as well as later additions to the complex.
With a beautiful setting on the banks of the River Wye, this ancient Saxon stronghold was once the site of fierce battles as a key English frontier town against Wales. Today, the compact cathedral city of Hereford has several historic treasures and is a charming base from which to explore the bucolic scenery of the Welsh Marches.
Its fine cathedral boasts the Hereford Mappa Mundi, the largest medieval map in the world which dates back to around 1285. It also has the world's largest collection of chained books. The quaint city centre is teeming with interesting streets and past historic buildings. The Black And White House Museum (pictured) offers an insight into life in Jacobean times.
Set on the banks of the River Lune, this northern heritage city has a partly tragic past. A notorious witch trial took place in Lancaster's mighty castle, in 1612, and 10 women and girls were convicted and hung for witchcraft. There's also the Pendle Witch Trail from Lancaster to Pendle Hill where the accused lived.
Sat above the city is the Ashton Memorial in Williamson Park, a commanding Edwardian memorial commissioned by Lord Ashton. It's an impressive landmark in its own right but also affords sweeping views of Lancaster and beyond. The city also used to be a key British port and the Georgian townhouse-lined St George’s Quay is a pretty sight to behold today.
As the birthplace of the Bard, this pretty market town is awash with history. There are many properties associated with Shakespeare, including the lovely half-timbered house he was born in, the school he attended, Nash's House and New Place (his home from 1597 until his death in 1616), and Holy Trinity Church where he and his wife Anne Hathaway are buried.
There's also the home of Mary Arden, Shakespeare’s mother, in Wilmcote, just north of Stratford-upon-Avon, and the exceptionally pretty Anne Hathaway’s Cottage (pictured) in nearby village of Shottery. Beyond all things to do with the bard, Stratford-upon-Avon is famed for its stunning setting next to the namesake River Avon and quaint, medieval market town architecture.
Home to the Church of England and the seat of the country's most senior minister, the Archbishop of Canterbury, this ecclesiastical city has played a significant and intriguing role in British history. Its most infamous event was the shocking murder of archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170 within his own cathedral. It's been an important place of pilgrimage ever since, captured most famously in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, whose characters were on a pilgrimage to Becket's shrine.
The 11th-century cathedral is a truly magnificent structure, forming part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with St Augustine's Abbey (England's first seat of learning) and St Martin's Church (the oldest church in England still in use). The city also has impressive Roman walls, pretty medieval streets and buildings, a Norman castle keep and some excellent museums.
One of England's most beautiful cities, Durham is also brimming with historic jewels due to its position as a buffer state between England and Scotland. Crossing the railway viaduct affords a view of the awe-inspiring cathedral and castle, which stand proudly above the medieval city on a rocky crag over the River Wear.
The ancient castle, built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century and later home to the Prince Bishops of Durham, and cathedral have UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The former is now Durham University. The imposing Norman cathedral was built between 1093 and 1133 to house the shrine of St Cuthbert, replacing an earlier church. The Museum of Archaeology, just below by the river, houses more ancient treasures.
The modern megacity that is London has a remarkable past that dates back nearly 2,000 years. So, unsurprisingly, it's jam-packed with significant landmarks. The London Wall in the City of London is all that remains of the Roman walls built to protect Londinium, which was founded in AD 43 and later replaced Colchester as capital of Roman Britain. Many archaeological treasures unearthed around the city, including some from the Bronze and Iron Ages, are on display in the Museum of London.
Subsequently invaded and settled many times, devastated by the plague and ravaged by the Great Fire in 1666, London has an extraordinary history of change and growth. The mightiest of William the Conqueror's fortresses – the Tower of London – still dominates the eastern stretch of the Thames. From the Monument near London Bridge, which was erected to commemorate the Great Fire, it's possible to see the only two buildings that survived the blaze – 41 and 42 Cloth Fair in Farringdon.
People have revered the warm, mineral-rich waters in this picturesque part of Somerset for more than 2,000 years since the Celts first dedicated the spring to their god Sul. The Romans put Bath on the map when they founded the town Aquae Sulis near the banks of the River Avon in the 1st century AD, building a series of bath houses around the spring and dedicating a temple to the goddess Sulis Minerva. Today it is one of England’s prettiest cities with honey-coloured buildings surrounded by rolling green hills.
There's so much of historic importance in Bath that it's all a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Next to the Roman Baths looms the magnificent medieval Bath Abbey, where a church has sat since AD 757. Then there's its elegant Georgian architecture – Bath flourished as a spa town in the 18th century under the reigns of George I, II and III, and there are still numerous grand crescents, terraces and squares today.
History is soaked into every limestone brick of this beautiful and ancient university city, through which meanders the River Thames. From literary greats and leading scientists to politicians and stars of the stage, all kinds of significant figures have studied in Oxford's medieval halls and supped ale in its pokey pubs. Among the city's most recognisable landmarks are the Radcliffe Camera – part of the 15th-century Bodleian Library – and Christ Church, the largest and most impressive of all the colleges which was founded in 1525.
There are 38 colleges and more architectural gems including Hertford Bridge (better known as The Bridge of Sighs, pictured) and the Sheldonian Theatre. Within the cobbled streets and passageways, is the Ashmolean, Britain’s oldest public museum.
Known as Eboracum to the Romans, Eoforwick to the Saxons and Jorvik to the Vikings, York as we know it today seeps history from every street. The mighty stone walls that encircle the city are an instant giveaway to its rich past, as is the magnificent 7th-century York Minster which rises up from the skyline. The city is also defined by its narrow medieval streets and snickleways – the most famous of which is the Shambles. It's a remarkably well-preserved street that was once lined with butcher shops.
The top of the hill on which Clifford's Tower sits affords wonderful views over the city and across to the North York Moors. The structure is all that remains of York Castle. First erected on the site by William the Conqueror when he marched this way in 1068, the keep was built to keep northern rebels in check.
With its high density of heritage buildings and narrow passages, almost the entire town centre of Stamford is a conservation area. Even its toilet block and phone box are listed. Located between York and London on the Great North Road, Stamford was an important staging post for the wool trade. It has retained its latter-year charm as it was the first town in England to create a conservation area in 1967.
Barn Hill is one of its most picturesque streets (all cobbles and cottages) and the River Welland is pretty too. But Stamford’s most prestigious building is Burghley House, a grand country home built by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, between 1555 and 1587. You may recognise it from its appearance in Pride and Prejudice and The Da Vinci Code.
When it came to choosing Britain's best historic town or city, we felt that Scotland's capital was worthy of the top spot. Traces of Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements have been found on Edinburgh's Castle Rock and Arthur's Seat, two of the Scottish city's craggy outcrops. But its earliest recorded history begins in the 1st century, when the Romans marched north and established a fort at nearby Cramond. Later conquered by the Anglo-Saxons and hotly contested with the English for many centuries, it was to grow into a strategic city and was recognised as Scotland's capital in 1437.
The city is made up of narrow lanes (or wynds) in its Old Town, and medieval tenements and gorgeous Georgian architecture in its New Town. There are thousands of historic buildings in this captivating city but the one that dominates them all is the castle, which looms above the rest of Edinburgh from Castle Rock. Built by King Malcolm III Canmore, the site contains the city's oldest surviving building – the 12th-century St Margaret's Chapel, built by his wife Margaret. Looking for a charming historic city to explore in Britain? Start with the Athens of the North.