BRANDS

Travel | Posted 22 Mar 2013

With a country as rich in history as England, there are hundreds of interesting landmarks with some pretty amazing stories behind them. Here is our pick of the most well-known English landmarks and how they came to be.

Stonehenge


Stonehenge in Wiltshire is one of the oldest and most fascinating English monuments in history. It is the remains of a ring of standing stones that was built anywhere between 3000BC and 2000BC.


Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument, so nobody really knows what it was for – although speculation ranges from a clock, to a place of worship, to the supernatural. There are almost 1,000,000 visitors to Stonehenge each year which make it one of England’s most popular and well-loved monuments.


Stonehenge is just an hour’s drive from our hotel in Swindon.


Angel of the North


From England’s oldest landmark to a very recent one. The Angel of the North in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, is a sculpture of an angel with a wing span of almost 200 feet. Construction of the sculpture took place between 1994 and 1998, and cost £1million.  The monument is visited by around 150,000 people a year and seen by 90,000 people in cars every day!


If you are staying at either one of our Newcastle hotels, you may well have seen the Angel of the North on your way in to Newcastle. If not, it is only a short drive or bus ride away!


Hadrian’s Wall


Built over 1800 years ago by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, this wall was built from North West coast to North East coast to separate those under Roman rule from those who weren’t. Two great tribes from Caledonia (Scotland) were deemed impossible to introduce to the roman way of life, so a giant wall was created to increase the Roman hold on parts of Britain that had already been successfully invaded.


This great wall laced in history is nearest to both of our Newcastle hotels and is a perfect stop off if continuing your journey up to Scotland!


Houses of Parliament


Also known as the Palace of Westminster – the Houses of Parliament has been the central seat of the government for almost 500 years. In 1834, Parliament was destroyed by a fire but rebuilt by Charles Barry, with a new part of the building being a clock tower that is now known as Big Ben.


The Houses of Parliament are a must-see London attraction and are easily accessible from any of our London hotels.


White Cliffs of Dover


One of the country’s most spectacular natural sights, these amazing cliffs are a symbol of home for English people everywhere. A song about the cliffs in World War 2 made the cliffs a worldwide symbol of peace.


While being slightly out of the way, the White Cliffs of Dover make for a great scenic stop-off if you are travelling to or from France. If travelling on the ferry, make sure you turn around and see the White Cilffs in all their glory!


Blackpool Tower


Designed based on the Eiffel Tower by architects Maxwell and Tuke, the Blackpool tower was completed in 1894 and was the tallest building in Britain – standing at an impressive 518 feet. The tower is still open to the public today, with over 65000 people visiting the tower every year.

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