The first of the existing Roman constructions to have been built is believed to have been the temple, around 60 AD, and the rest of the spa facilities were added over the course of the following 3 centuries. The city walls were constructed around the 3rd century.

There are theories that the Battle of Mons Badonicus took place here. This is the famous battle where King Arthur won out against the Saxons. The King of Hwicce, known as Osric, built a monastic centre here in 675.

Bath Abbey was the site where Edgar was crowned king of England in 973. The Anglo Saxons changed the name of the settlement to Baðan , Baðum or Baðon. This name meant something like “at the baths”, and led to the name the city currently holds.

The city was granted to the royal doctor John of Tours by King William Rufus, and he became the Bishops of Wells and Abbot of Bath at the end of the 11th century. This led to him moving to Bath and beginning work on building a new church. New baths were also built around this time.

In 1500 the then current Bishop of Bath and Wells (as the title has changed to) was Oliver King, and he undertook the task of rebuilding the run down abbey church. The work was completed just before Henry VIII closed down Bath Priory in 1539. The church once again fell into a state of dereliction, before being revived in the 16th century, during which time Bath once again became a popular spa resort.

In 1643 the Battle of Landsdowne, part of the English Civil War, took place at the north of the city of Bath.

At the end of the 17th century Thomas Guidoft wrote a study about the nature of the hot spring water which wells up in the Bath region, and this let to another period of spa tourism by the rich aristocrats of the time and another period of growth and prosperity for the city.

During the 18th century the Theatre Royal, Lansdown Crescent, The Circus, Royal Crescent and the Grand Pump Room were added to Bath, as it become one of the most fashionable and elegant cities in the country. As the 19th century began the city had swollen to contain a population of just over 40,000 and it was one of the UK’s biggest cities at the time.

Between 1936 and 1940 the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I lived in exile at Fairfield House. More than 400 people were killed and a huge number of buildings were damaged or destroyed during air raids on Bath in April of 1942.

The Thermae Bath Spa was opened in 2006, with a concert by The Three Tenors announcing the work in 2003.
Famous people who have lived in Bath include Jane Austen, Thomas Gainsborough, early camera inventor William Friese-Greene,

Jane Austen set Persuasion and Northanger Abbey in the city, while The Pickwick Papers by Charles Darwin includes a section on Bath’s spa waters.

Related resouce: Bath City Life.

The range of tourist activities in the town and surrounding area is impressively varied. Nature lovers will appreciate the walking, cycling and relaxing opportunities presented by High Lodge Forest Centre, while music fans can enjoy the top quality concerts offered in the same place.

The town has been home to a number of different industries including rabbit fur production and flint mining as well as once being a busy inland port and transport hub thanks to its riverside wharves. The relics of the flint mines can still be explored by tourists.

St Mary’s church is one the town’s standout buildings, while the old Almshouses and the many interesting old buildings lend a very picturesque quality as well as historical value to Halesworth. As the town houses the country’s biggest Millennium Green it is easy to reach the countryside and enjoy nature in all its glory.Not far from the town is Halesworth Air Field, which was an allied Second World War base in 1943/4. During this war Halesworth was a key objective of enemy bombing raids and Patrick Stead hospital was called into action as an emergency treatment zone, just as it as was in WWI. In 1943 Glenn Miller played a concert here to a large concentration of US pilots and crews.

Chagford’s tin mining history as a stannary town is evident in signs like the three rabbits symbol on the lovely St Michael’s church. The annual Chagford Show maintains the area’s links with farming and animal rearing and the Arts Festival provides music, dance and family fun.

Like the village itself the pretty church of St Nicholas’ has a long and fascinating history, while the annual service held here commemorates the First World War soldiers who died here when the area was used for the convalescence of injured soldiers.

Many visitors come to the area for the hugely popular New Forest Show, where animal exhibitions, show jumping and crafts are among the main attractions.

The town’s population barely reaches 9,000 but it is considered as an important junction town, a reputation which goes back to its early days as a Roman settlement. Nowadays there are road links to the likes to Chester and Shrewsbury and a train station on the line that links Crewe and Newport. The Llangollen Canal offers the possibility of water transport, although it only reaches to around a mile short of the town centre.

The original name for the area seems to have been Staunford, while the 12th and 13th centuries saw the village’s name changed from Hecham to Hegham Potere to Potteres Hecham, with the area’s fame for it’s pottery industry showing in the new name. The building of the 12th century and the 14th century bridge show the increasing importance of the area in medieval times, although it seems that Potter Heigham never grew to be much bigger than the village when we can see today.

Despite being regarded as the biggest town within the Peak District, Buxton is a smallish town of around 20,000 residents which has managed to maintain it’s identity and independence despite the nearby presence of larger cities like Manchester and Sheffield. The Roman’s name for the settlement of Aquae Arnemetiae (spa of the goddess of the grove) shows that the benefits of the local water was already well known during their time here, and since then the charms of the local architecture and the proximity to natural attractions along with the wide variety of the cultural offerings in town have been attracting tourists to Buxton.

As is to be expected from a town with such a long history of tourism, and which is regarded as being of being one of the pioneers of leisure tourism, there is an excellent infrastructure in place for visitors, with hotel, shops, restaurants, sight seeing trips and cultural events all easily available. Amongst the delights which can entice the traveller to stay on a little longer are the limestone caverns known as Poole’s Cavern and which contain the biggest stalactite to be found locally, the Annual Buxton Festival, the peaceful Pavilion Gardens, the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival and the elegant architecture found throughout this charming town.

Whether you are looking for a relaxing break in the country, a trip to a town steeped in rich history or the chance to enjoy a colourful carnival or festival you will find that Buxton offers a wide varieties of treats and entertainment.

However, the ghosts that haunt Canterbury cathedral are unrelated to Becket’s bloody murder. The ghost of another Archbishop, Simon Sudbury, is said to roam the Cathedral. He too was murdered in 1381, and his body and head were buried separately though his ghost has both a head and body.

One of the most well-known ghosts of the cathedral is Nell Cook, who was once a servant there. She poisoned her employer upon discovery that he was having an affair, which killed both the man and his lover. This act led to Nell being buried alive under the passage known as the Dark Entry.

It is now thought that Nell’s ghost haunts that passageway, and she is often spotted after darkness on Friday evenings. Those who are unfortunate enough to spot the ghost are said to perish not long after.

The festival runs annually for sixty six days, spanning from late August until early November The amazing array of lights run for six miles and are believed to use over one million light bulbs. The display stretches along the Promenade from Starr Gate at the southern end of the town to Bispham.

Originally described as Artificial sunshine the first display consisted of just twelve Arc lamps which gleemed along the Promenade. The first display which showed any resemblece to todays was held in May 1912 to mark the first British Royal family visit to Blackpool when Princess Louise opened a new section of the Promenade, know today as Princess Parade. The Promenade was decorated with what was said be described as festoons of garland lamps using about 10,000 light bulbs.

The event was such a success, that in 1913 the council asked to stage the Illuminations as an end of season event.

In more recent years, BBC Radio 2 have hosted the event with a pre-switch on concert featuring bands, singers and comedians.

Source: Blackpool.