England Historical Facts

The Equestrian term "canter" comes from the name Canterbury. Pilgrims on their way to Canterbury to visit the shrine of famous martyr Thomas à Becket, would ride at a "Canterbury Trot" as they approached the city, which was less tiring than a gallop. The term was later shortened to canter.

St Martin's Church in Canterbury is the oldest church building in England, and the oldest church in continuous use in the English speaking world.

The House/location of the famous Battle of Malvern Hill (1862) in Virginia USA during the American Civil War was named after the Malvern Hills in England.

Letchworth was founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928) as his design for a garden city, within which he tried to combine the best of both town and country living. His second garden city was Welwyn.

Sir Ebernezer Howard (1850-1928) was the English founder of the garden city movement, and known for his publication To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform (1898). He created the first garden city - Letchworth Garden City, and then in 1920 Welwyn Garden City.

In a layby along the A4 Bath Rd, near Aldermaston Wharf, Berkshire is where on March 2, 1919 the AA opened Britain's first roadside petrol station.

Along the A4 Bath Rd near Heathrow Airport was where the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin used to wait to rob the stagecoaches going to Bath from London. Before the airport's time, the area was known as Heath Row.

The iconic WW2 photo of US General Eisenhower talking to the paratroops on the eve of D-Day was taken at Greenham Common air base, near Newbury, Berkshire.

C. S. Lewis died the same day that J F Kennedy was assassinated 22nd November 1963.

The market town of Abingdon, in Oxfordshire, lays claim to the title 'Britain's oldest continuously occupied town'.