|
 |
|
|
England,
East Midlands
East Midlands: -
Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire.
Heart of England Tourist Board
Larkhill Road, Worcester, WR5 2EF (tel: (01905) 763 436; fax: (01905) 763 450; web site: http://www.visitbritain.com).
Historic houses make their presence felt throughout the area: Chatsworth; medieval Haddon Hall; Althorp, family home of the late Diana, Princess of Wales; Sudbury Hall with its Museum of Childhood; the gardens at Melbourne Hall; and Elizabethan Doddington Hall. A strong sense of history can be felt throughout the region - in the cathedrals of Lincoln and Southwell, in Leicester's Guildhall, Nottingham's Castle and at Derby's Industrial Museum, and also in the wealth of churches, particularly in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire.
The traditional dining-table of this area reflects the presence of the English landed gentry over the centuries. Sporting specialities include game soup, flavoured with port wine; Melton Mowbray pork pies; and Melton Hunt Cake, made to a 120-year-old recipe. Red Leicester and Stilton cheeses and Bakewell Pudding are other local favourites.
The spa town of Buxton in Derbyshire, makes a good base from which to explore the Peak District, now a 1300 sq km (500 sq mile) National Park with limestone dales and open moors. Other places of interest in Derbyshire include Matlock Bath, with its cable car ride across the Derwent Gorge and show-caves to visit; Bolsover, a small market town with a 17th-century castle set in rich farmland; Creswell Crags, with the Visitor Centre at the site of archaeological finds such as Creswellian Man; Chesterfield, another convenient base for exploring the Peak District and famous for its crooked-spire church; Chatsworth House, Baslow; Kedleston Hall, near Derby; and Sudbury Hall, Sudbury.
The county town of Derby is the home of Royal Crown Derby porcelain and the city's cathedral, museums and Assembly Rooms are all worth visiting.
Nottinghamshire: Nottinghamshire was the home of Robin Hood, and parts of his Sherwood Forest still survive in the Country Park. The city of Nottingham has a beautiful neo-Classical Council House, a castle which overlooks the city, and Wollaton Hall, an Elizabethan mansion now housing a natural history museum. North Nottinghamshire is a rural area with many old villages, and the home of several of the Pilgrim Fathers. Newark-on-Trent in the heart of the county has a 12th-century castle. Rufford County Park at Ollerton is also worth visiting.
Lincolnshire: Lincolnshire, the largest county in the East Midlands and the only one with a coastline, has several seaside resorts, notably Skegness and Mablethorpe, both of which are towns with good sunshine records. Inland are the gently rolling hills of the Lincolnshire Wolds, where Tennyson spent much of his early life. The area around Spalding is the richest farmland in the country, and is famous for growing bulbs. During the 12th century, Boston was one of the three most important ports in England, and from here many of the Pilgrim Fathers planned to set sail for The Netherlands to find religious freedom, but were betrayed and imprisoned in cells still in Boston Guildhall. The county town of Lincoln is a well-preserved medieval city and the Cathedral, set on a limestone hill, has three towers, a fine Norman west front and a particularly beautiful 13th-century presbytery. The aptly named Steep Hill has some interesting shops and the Jew's House, halfway up the incline, is worth a visit.
Stamford, situated at the border of four counties, is another medieval town, with several fine churches and buildings of mellow stone. Nearby is Burghley House, built by one of Elizabeth I's most powerful ministers. The medieval Old Hall at Gainsborough in north Lincolnshire is also worth a visit.
Leicestershire: The county of Leicestershire has many castles, manor houses and market towns. Leicester has Roman remains and a great deal of medieval architecture, but is nowadays more important as a major shopping centre. Other towns of interest in the county include Market Harborough, Oakham, Lutterworth (the home of John Wycliffe) and Melton Mowbray, the home of Stilton cheese and pork pies. Near Leicester is Market Bosworth, the site of one of the most famous battles in English history, when Henry Tudor defeated Richard III, the last Plantagenet king. Also worth visiting are Belvoir Castle near Melton Mowbray and Oakham Castle, with its collection of decorative horseshoes.
Northamptonshire: Northamptonshire is traversed by major road and rail links but most of the countryside remains unspoilt. One of the most attractive regions is the Rockingham Forest area, which contains several historic houses. Of Fotheringay Castle (where Mary Queen of Scots was executed in 1587) only the mound remains, but most of the other houses are in much better condition, and many are still occupied. Of these, Althorp (which has a museum on the grounds commemorating the late Diana, Princess of Wales) and Rockingham Castle, north of Corby, are particularly worth visiting. Other places of interest include the Nene Valley Steam Railway and the Central Museum in Northampton with its fine shoe collection.
|
|
