Historic Market Towns in England

Abingdon in the county of Oxfordshire
Interesting town, developed around the gates of an abbey founded in 675.
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Alcester in the county of Warwickshire
Alcester developed as a market town in Roman times. It grew out of a settlement at the meeting point of two roads and two rivers, the Arrow and the Alne.
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Alford in the county of Lincolnshire
Deep in the Lincolnshire countryside, not far distant from the golden sandy beaches between Mablethorpe and Chapel St.Leonards is the pleasant market town of Alford.
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Alnwick in the county of Northumberland
Set magnificently in the heart of the beautiful northern countryside is the great castle that has dominated the life and times of Alnwick for centuries.
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Alston in the county of Cumbria
At a height of over 1,000 feet in the far reaches of the Pennines, this is one of England's highest market towns. Alston is a...
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Altrincham in the county of Greater Manchester
First developed as a quiet hamlet on the edge of the sweeping Cheshire Plain, where life went quietly on.
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Amersham in the county of Buckinghamshire
Amersham is one of those towns where with one cast of the eye, you immediately know that this is a place with a long history for...
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Ampthill in the county of Bedfordshire
The lovely town of Ampthill lies sheltered by hills in the sandstone belt of Bedfordshire.
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Axbridge in the county of Somerset
Interestingly, in Saxon times, this quaint little town was a Royal hunting centre
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Axminster in the county of Devon
Famous for its carpets often likened to Turkish, Axminster was one of the first West Saxon settlements formed along the River Axe in Devon.
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Aylesbury in the county of Buckinghamshire
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire, taking over the mantle from the town of Buckingham during the 16th...
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Banbury in the county of Oxfordshire
This is one of the best known town's in England. It was made famous by its celebrated cross of 1859, built in honour of the...
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Barnstaple in the county of Devon
The surrounding countryside to the pleasant town of Barnstaple was the inspiration for the book - Tarka the Otter. This is unsurprising as the town nestles amidst fine Devonshire countryside in the valley of the River Taw at a point where the river is spanned by a 15th-century multi-arched Long Bridge.
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Beaconsfield in the county of Buckinghamshire
On arrival in Beaconsfield you are immediately struck by the spaciousness of its wide streets and the wonderful show of Victorian buildings and houses in the main street.
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Beccles in the county of Suffolk
A town of picturesque buildings, with many relaxing places in which to quietly roam.
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Bedford in the county of Bedfordshire
Bedford is the historic County town of Bedfordshire with a beautiful riverside setting on the great River Ouse. John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's has strong associations with this town.
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Beverley in the county of East Riding of Yorkshire
This is a town best known for its impressive Minster church which is without doubt one of the most splendid in Europe. It is...
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Bishop Auckland in the county of County Durham
This was the busy social and commercial centre of the south-west Durham coalfield, but the town is actually much older than the...
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Blandford Forum in the county of Dorset
Utterly delightful, a town of matchless elegance, of quintessentially English beauty, are but a few of the attributes to the fine Market town on the River Stour.
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Bridgwater in the county of Somerset
Bridgwater emerged from a village of the Middle Ages to become a prosperous river-port. Later, it became known as the place where Monmouth proclaimed himself King.
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