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England,
Heart of England
Heart of England: -
Gloucestershire, Derby, Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Leicester, Nottingham, Northampshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands.
Heart of England Tourist Board
Larkhill Road, Worcester, WR5 2EZ (tel: (01905) 763 436; fax: (01905) 763 450; e-mail: market@heart-eng-tourist-board.org.uk; web site: http://www.visitbritain.com).
Some of the country's most famous landscapes lie in the Heart of England. Little has changed over the centuries in the Cotswolds, where gentle uplands are studded with beautiful old villages and towns, many of which are frequently built from the locality's yellow limestone and graced by magnificent churches erected chiefly from the wealth of the medieval wool trade.
Two important rivers cross this heartland. The River Severn winds through the old city of Worcester, skirting the Malvern Hills to meet the Avon at Tewkesbury. The River Avon flows past the fertile Vale of Evesham and passes Stratford-upon-Avon, home town of William Shakespeare.
The dark mountains of Wales give way to the border area called The Marches and the English hills of Long Mynd,
Wenlock Edge and Clun Forest. This area was once less tranquil than it is today and its turbulent past is indicated by ancient barrows, pre-Roman camps and the entrenchment of Offa's Dyke (now a long-distance footpath). In turn, the Normans and Plantagenets left remains of splendid castles at Shrewsbury, Goodrich and Ludlow, built to protect England from invasion.
The first sparks of the Industrial Revolution ignited at Ironbridge, now a showplace of industrial archaeology, while in neighbouring Staffordshire, where the scenery rises to peaks and moorland, that same era bequeathed a legacy of canals (now popular for pleasure-craft) and the Potteries with their famous china factories.
Gloucestershire & The Cotswolds: This region comprises a range of low limestone hills stretching in a curve from Bath to the vicinity of Stratford-upon-Avon. The charming and well-preserved towns and villages of the Cotswolds are built in a honey-coloured stone, and are set in one of the finest areas of unspoilt countryside in England. Historically, the area's wealth was based on sheep farming and the wool industry, and sheep are still very much in evidence today. The area is accessible by road from London, and many of the towns by rail from London Paddington. Gloucester is an old cathedral city on the River Severn. Many of the streets and parts of the old city wall date back to the Middle Ages. The revitalised docks now have massive warehouses which are gradually being filled. The National Waterways Museum, the Marina and Tall Ships, plus the fascinating Opie Collection of Packaging, are open to the public. Cheltenham, an elegant Regency spa town, is famous for its National Hunt Racecourse and annual music and literature festival. The flowers and gardens of the suburbs are also worth seeing. Malmesbury contains a fine example of Norman building in its abbey, the ruins of a 12th-century castle, a market square and several attractive 17th- and 18th-century houses. Cirencester contains extensive Roman remains and is a good centre for exploring the Cotswolds. To the east of the Wye Valley is the Forest of Dean, 130 sq km (50 sq miles) of ancient hunting forest, once the property of the medieval kings but now given over to trails and picnic sites.
Herefordshire & Worcestershire: The stretch of country between Worcester and the Welsh border is one of the richest farming areas in Great Britain, with orchards, fields and meadows full of cider apples, hops and white-faced red cattle. Characteristic black and white half-timbered buildings decorate the villages and market towns such as Ledbury. The Wye Valley, the Malvern Hills and the Teme Valley all add to the area's beauty.
The Wye Valley is an exceedingly beautiful region, with the river flowing at first through water meadows and gentle countryside but later winding its way through spectacular gorges in the region of Symonds Yat. The town of Ross-on-Wye provides a good base for exploring this area. Northwest of Ross is Hereford, also on the River Wye, an attractive cathedral city and a thriving market centre. There is a city museum and art gallery as well as a cider museum. Nell Gwynne was said to have been born here. To the west of Hereford is the Golden Valley, a remote region containing many attractive villages. At the northern tip of the valley on the Welsh border is the town of Hay-on-Wye, famous for having one of the largest second-hand bookshops in the world. The old city of Worcester on the bank of the River Severn has a cathedral, the museum and factory of the famous Royal Worcester Porcelain Company, a magnificent Guildhall with a Queen Anne façade and a number of streets with overhanging half-timbered houses from the Tudor period. Worcester is also the ancient Commandey, once the battle headquarters of Charles II, and now housing a Civil War audio-visual display. South of Worcester are the Malvern Hills, a steep range topped with open moorland which offers superb views across the rich agricultural landscape. The spa town of Great Malvern was built as a fashionable spa resort in the 19th century; Malvern spring water can still be tasted at St Anne's Well. 32km (20 miles) north of Worcester is the Wyre Forest, ideal for walking and riding. The main towns in this region are Stourport, Bewdley and Kidderminster, terminus for the Severn Valley Railway, the longest full-gauge steam railway in England.
Warwickshire & The West Midlands: The industrial heart of Britain on the edge of some lovely countryside, particularly in Warwickshire. Birmingham, Britain's second-largest city, is a centre both of industry and culture. It has a magnificent library, and the Central Museum & Art Gallery is one of the finest in the country. Birmingham is the home of the National Exhibition Centre, site of many of the major exhibitions and fairs for which Britain is renowned. Birmingham also lies at the centre of a vast network of canals, most of which are still navigable. Canal holidays represent one of the best ways of seeing not only the countryside of the area but also some unusual views of the gaunt architecture of the industrial revolution in the cities. There are also many museums which trace the region's industrial past. Coventry is famous for its modern cathedral, designed by Sir Basil Spence after the original was destroyed in the Second World War. Warwick contains many 17th- and 18th-century houses and the castle, one of the most imposing medieval strongholds in the country, is open to visitors even though it is still inhabited. The Church of St Mary, the Lord Leycester Hospital and the Doll Museum are all worth visiting.
Stratford-upon-Avon, in the county of Warwickshire, is one of the most famous towns in the country. It was the birth and burial place of William Shakespeare, and the life and works of the great playwright are commemorated throughout the year in almost every aspect of the town's public life, chiefly through the productions of his works at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Other buildings in the town associated with Shakespeare include his birthplace in Henley Street, the 15th-century grammar school which he attended, the early home of his wife Anne Hathaway, the Shakespeare Centre, Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare and his family are buried, and Halls Croft, once the home of Shakespeare's daughter. Other buildings of note include the Motor Museum; the RSC's other venues, the Other Place and the Swan Theatre; and Harvard House, built in the late 16th century and owned by the family who founded the American University of the same name. The whole of Stratford is a beautifully preserved town, with many excellent examples of Elizabethan, Jacobean, Restoration and Georgian buildings. It makes an ideal centre for exploring the surrounding towns and countryside. Places of interest close to Stratford include Ragley Hall and Coughton Court near Alcester, Charlecote Park and Upton House, Edge Hill.
Staffordshire: Both an agricultural and industrial county, Staffordshire lies partly within the Peak District National Park and contains some of the most spectacular countryside in England, such as Thor's Cave and the limestone gorge at Dovedale on the Derbyshire border. East of the industrial region of the Potteries lie the scenic Churnet Valley and the Vale of Trent, the latter containing Cannock Chase, an attractive area of heath and woodland. One of the most famous sights in the county is Lichfield Cathedral, which has three spires. Nearby Tamworth has a fine castle.
Shropshire: This is a county with a varied landscape, including moorlands, forests, gentle hills and open pastures. Despite this appearance of rural tranquility, Shropshire is also the county where the industrial revolution began, evidence of which may be seen in the area of Ironbridge Gorge, which includes the towns of Coalbrookdale, Coalport and Ironbridge. The Ironbridge Gorge Museum is spread out over a large number of sites but the area's most famous landmark is probably the Ironbridge itself, built in 1779. On the eastern boundary of this district is the magnificent Restoration house and parkland known as Weston Park. Nearby is Boscobel where the future Charles II hid in the now famous Royal Oak after the Battle of Worcester. To the west is the area of The
Wrekin, a conical-shaped hill that figures in many local tales and legends. The county's capital of Shrewsbury is one of the finest Tudor towns in England, celebrated for the flower market held every summer. South and southwest of Shrewsbury are the Shropshire Hills, designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty. Ludlow (dominated by the ruins of its castle), Church Stretton, Bishop's Castle, Much Wenlock and Bridgenorth are also worth visiting. The north of the county is dominated by a large plain with many quiet roads, making it ideally suited to a cycling or walking holiday. Market Drayton, Wem (famous for its beer), Whitchurch and Oswestry are the major market towns in this region.
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