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England | |
East Anglia |
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England,
East Anglia East Anglia: East of England Tourist Board Toppesfield Hall, Hadleigh, Ipswich, Suffolk IP7 5DN (tel: (01473) 822 922; fax: (01473) 823 063; e-mail: eastofenglandtouristboard@compuserve.com; web site: http://www.visitbritain.com).The county of Essex has some lovely remote and unspoilt villages including Finchingfield, Thaxted (with its medieval church and windmill), Saffron Walden and Dunmow. Also in Essex are the well-known seaside resorts of Southend, Clacton-on-Sea and Maldon, a maritime town on the estuary of the River Blackwater. Colchester is the oldest continuously occupied town in the country with the Roman Walls still remaining. The town is a good base for exploring the neighbouring Constable Country. A relatively under-exploited part of East Anglia is the marshland called the Fens, drained in the 17th and 18th centuries by Dutch engineers to create a system of canals. The main centres in the Fens are the cathedral cities of Peterborough and Ely, site of Cromwell House, home of Oliver Cromwell, which is open to the public. Not as famous is the heath area known as Breckland, now overgrown with pine forests. Many archaeological discoveries have been made here. Thetford is a good base from which to visit this area. The towns in East Anglia show many examples of the wealthy past of the region. The late 14th, 15th and 16th centuries were a period of great prosperity, largely as a result of the wool trade; the architecture of towns such as Lavenham being superb testimony to the wealth of the Tudor wool merchants. Many of Cambridge's colleges were founded at this time and elsewhere in the region solid stone guildhalls, manor houses and thatched inns were built, as well as a wealth of churches. Because the towns largely escaped the influence of the Industrial Revolution, Norman castles, medieval churches, Tudor half-timbered houses and 18th-century mansions are still numerous. Cambridge is famous for its university (the second oldest in the country) and gracious buildings, including Henry VI's Chapel at King's College, the Great Court at Trinity College, the Bridge of Sighs at St John's College and the Cloister Court at Queens' College. A river trip along the River Cam affords the best view of the colleges whose lawns sweep down to the river, a view known as 'the Backs'. Bear in mind that most of the colleges are closed to visitors during the examination periods in the early summer. Ipswich, county town of Suffolk, retains much of its medieval street pattern and several of the buildings from this period remain. Kings Lynn is a medieval town, once one of the country's major ports. Aldeburgh is a pleasant and peaceful old fishing town. Norwich is an attractive city with a Norman cathedral, a castle with a museum and art gallery, and medieval houses set in narrow streets. The Maddermarket Theatre is an Elizabethan theatre with an apron stage. Over 160km (100 miles) of navigable waterways make up The Broads, an area of reed-fringed lagoons and rivers, teeming with wildlife and waterfowl, and ideal for a boating holiday. In between many of the coastal resorts are secluded marshes and estuaries, popular among birdwatchers and yachtsmen. The Great Ouse winds gently through the county of Bedfordshire, a region of great natural beauty, with a number of country parks and riverside walks. It has many historic connections, including the 4000-year-old Icknield Way and the Roman Watling Street, both crossing the county. John Bunyan is a famous son of Bedfordshire and many associations with him can be found in and around Bedford. The county's historic houses include Luton Hoo and Woburn Abbey, famous for its Safari Park. Animal lovers should also visit Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, southeast of Dunstable. Hertfordshire is a region of gently undulating countryside. The historic town of St Albans contains many reminders of the town's great past when, as Verulamium, it was one of the great cities of the Roman Empire. The Verulamium Museum reveals these Roman connections through a nationally important collection of Iron Age and Roman artefacts. Other museums of note in the county include the Tring Zoological Museum, a branch of the British Museum; St Albans Organ Museum with its magnificent collection of fairground and dance-hall organs and the innovative Stevenage Museum, which tells the town's history from prehistory to the present through displays of everyday objects. The region has many historic houses, including Audley End, Sandringham, Ickworth, Wimpole Hall, Hatfield House, Knebworth House, Woburn Abbey and Luton Hoo. Seaside Resorts Essex: Southend, Clacton, Walton, Frinton and Harwich. Norfolk: Cromer, Wells-next-the-Sea, Sheringham, where a steam railway operates daily in the summer, and Great Yarmouth, one of Britain's largest and most popular resorts. Suffolk: Lowestoft, as well as being a major resort, is also the home of England's main fishing fleet. To the south is Oulton Broad and the resort of Southwold. Beyond Southwold is Aldeburgh, home of a summer music festival. Hunstanton gives a magnificent view of the Wash, and is also notable for its red-and-white striped cliffs. |