England Historical Facts

The beautiful yew tree in the centre of the Conduit Court at the 900-year old Skipton Castle was planted by Lady Anne Clifford in 1659.

There are more listed buildings (250 of them) per square mile in Whitehaven, Cumbria, than anywhere else in the UK.

The town of Whitehaven in Cumbria was used as a template for the expansion of New York during the mid 18th century.

Salisbury Cathedral has the tallest spire in England at 404 feet tall.

Thatcham in Berkshire was claimed to be the oldest town in Britain until recently when it was surpassed by Amesbury in Wiltshire. There is evidence that people settled in Thatcham during the Mesolithic Age (10,000BC - 4,000BC).

One of the world's most popular painkilling drugs 'Ibuprofen' was discovered in Nottingham, England, by Dr Stewart Adams who first tested it on himself whilst suffering a hangover.

The city of Nottingham’s Goose Fair has existed since at least 1284, when it lasted eight days.

'Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem' in Nottingham, is claimed to be the oldest pub in England.

'Long Meg and her Daughters' is the second largest stone circle in Europe dating from the Bronze Age and featuring 69 stones all 12ft high.

The computer billionaire Bill Gates is reputed to have purchased £1,500,000 of slate quarried from the Lake District, for use in his swimming pool.