England Historical Facts

Tintagel Castle, Cornwall, 1998. New excavations on the eastern side of the island uncovered high-status imported Mediterranean pottery of the 5th and 6th centuries, along with some fine glass believed to be from Malaga in Spain and dating back to the 6th or 7th century. Even more incredible was the discovery of an ancient 1,500 year old peice of slate, on which were two latin inscriptions, with the second one reading: "Artognou, father of a descendant of Coll, has had (this) made." Nobody knows who Artognou was, so that opens a new mystery for this enchanting and special ancient place.

The Mermaid Inn along Mermaid Street in the pretty town of Rye, East Sussex, is reputed to be Britain's most haunted pub.

Beverley Westwood is a pasture to the West of the town of Beverley and is one of the largest areas of common land in the UK. It was granted to the people of the town by the lord of the manor in 1380. The land is home to a racecourse and a golf course, with a famous landmark on the common being the black sail-less windmill, known locally as Black Mill, which stands where a windmill has stood since the 1650's.

Believed to date back to around 1312AD making it one of the oldest pubs in Cornwall, The Sloop Inn is a must visit when travelling to St Ives. Situated on the harbour front it has always been a favourite watering hole of local fishermen and anyone visiting this wonderful town.

Capability Brown is buried in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul, Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire. He was known as England's Greatest Gardener.

Letchworth is home to the UK's first ever roundabout, which was built in 1909.

The small historic cathedral city of Ripon, in the county of North Yorkshire, is the oldest city in England. It is also the fourth smallest city in England, with a population of around 17,000.

In the old part of Hastings, along the beach, you can see the famous 'Net Shops'. These are tall black wooden sheds built to store the fishing nets in. They were built tall because of limited space and inside have several floors.

The Stade, in the English coastal town of Hastings, is a shingle beach which has been used for beaching boats for over a thousand years. It is home to Europe's largest fleet of beach-launched fishing boats.

Amesbury has recently been proven to be the oldest town in England, going back some 5,000 years. The town is just 2 miles from Stonehenge.