117 Old Ruins to Explore in England

Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined Norman medieval castle on the western side of central Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. Most of the original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced in stone in the late 12th or early 13th century and the castle played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy. In the 14th century the military value of the castle diminished and the site became used primarily for county administration and as a prison.

Palace House in Newmarket is home to The National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art. It was built by James I in 1606-1610, so he could visit the area for hunting and hawking, the palace was further west on the High Street than the present palace site. One of the iconic attraction in this area and also a historically important place.

Pickering Castle was a motte-and-bailey castle built by the Normans as part of the suppression of Northern England. It was erected on a hilltop site overlooking Pickering Brook, on the main route between Helmsley and Scarborough on the coast. It was used by a succession of medieval Kings as a hunting lodge and holiday home. By the time of the Civil War, its military purpose had long been abandoned, and most of the castle was left to decay.

The Withernsea Pier, Promenade, Gas & General Improvement Co. was formed in 1871. Work on the 1196 foot structure began in 1875 to the design of Thomas Cargill. It opened in August 1877 having cost £12,000. There was a saloon on the pier-head and a large brick-built gateway. Day-trippers from Hull helped generate a small profit.

Quarry Bank is one of Britain's greatest industrial heritage sites, showing how a complete industrial community lived. Here you can discover the story of mill workers, mill owners and how the Industrial Revolution changed our world forever. it was the headquarters of one of the largest cotton manufacturing businesses in the world. The mill sits on the banks of the River Bollin in the Styal Estate in close proximity to Manchester – the hub of Britain’s cotton industry.

Quarry Bank is one of Britain's greatest industrial heritage sites, showing how a complete industrial community lived. Here you can discover the story of mill workers, mill owners and how the Industrial Revolution changed our world forever. It was established by Samuel Greg, and was notable for innovations both in machinery and also in its approach to labour relations, the latter largely as a result of the work of Greg's wife, Hannah Lightbody.

TReading Abbey was founded in 1121 by King Henry I, youngest son of William the Conqueror. He intended it to be his own burial place and memorial, and although he died in France, he was buried in Reading before the Abbey’s High Altar in 1136. The impressive ruins consist of the south transept, the treasury, the chapter house, the dormitory, and the refectory . The chapter house is an impressive space and is the most complete room within the Abbey Ruins.

Redbournbury Mill is a fully restored 18th century working watermill on the River Ver just north of St Albans. The mill produces and sells stoneground organic flour, with the adjacent bakery producing a variety of bread from the mill’s organic flours.

Restormel is one of the most remarkable castles in Britain. The present circular structure, built in the late 13th century, was a luxurious retreat for its medieval owners and was twice visited by Edward, the Black Prince. Today the remains of the castle rooms reveal clues to its past grandeur. Large fireplaces, high windows and the Great Hall, used for gatherings, give a sense of the once luxurious surroundings. It offers fantastic views across the valley of the River Fowey and is a favourite

A majestic 700-year-old castle steeped in history with magnificent grounds, lakes, Deer Park, Walled Gardens, Hothouses, and Kitchen Garden. It has been the home of the Ingilby family for twenty-six generations and Sir Thomas and Lady Ingilby and their five children continue the tradition. A gatehouse that stands some 260 feet to the south of the main buildings is also Grade I listed, whilst the two weirs over Ripley Beck are grade II listed and the grounds and gardens are also listed at grade I

The Roman Theatre of Verulamium was built in about 140AD it is the only example of its kind in Britain, being a theatre with a stage rather than an Amphitheatre. Initially, the arena would have been used for anything from religious processions and dancing, to wrestling, armed combat and wild beast shows. The theatre differs from the typical Roman theatre in being built on a site that is only slightly sloping, and in its plan.

The Royal Gunpowder Mills is a great place for families to spend days out exploring the secret history of gunpowder, explosives and rocket propellants and so more. It is a Scheduled Monument with over 20 listed buildings. It is also designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for it wildlife. Its alder woodland is undergoing conservation.

This stunning slender pillar is the tallest standing stone in Britain. The stone is hewn out of glomerate Moorstone grit, from the Cleveland Hills, west of Whitby, possibly at Grosmont. It seems likely that the stone marked a prehistoric holy place or worship centre for the indigenous pagan religion, and that Anglo—Saxon missionaries followed the successful strategy of "Christianising" this already sacred object, possibly by fixing a cross to the top.

A large grotto, built by a Quaker poet in the 1760s and restored by the Ware society. It survives from an eighteenth-century rococo garden. It is a Grade I listed building and with six chambers the most extensive shell grotto in the United Kingdom. The grotto is set into the northeast face of a hill, and comprises an entrance hall and a series of six chambers extending over 65 feet into and 30 feet below the chalk hillside, together with air shafts, light wells, and connecting passages.

Skipton Castle is one of the most complete and best-preserved medieval castles in England and is well worth a visit at any season of the year. Further major upgrades were made in the early fourteenth century when the castle passed into the hands of the Clifford family who, apart from a short period during the Wars of the Roses, owned it for almost 350 years. You may relax on the peaceful Chapel Terrace with its fine views over the town and woods, and enjoy traditional fare in the Clifford Tea-ro

Someries Castle is one of the biggest and earliest surviving brick buildings of this type in England and is therefore of great significance. The house is unique in that it is regarded as one of the first brick buildings in England. Demolished in the 1700s, the fine brickwork can still be seen in the remains of the gatehouse. A unique place to visit and you can spend some good time in the history of England.

St Mawes Castle is a four-story artillery fort, like its counterpart across the bay, and was built in the 1540s as part of the largest national coastal defence programme since the Roman era. It stands solidly above the rocky coast, once a deterrent to hostile ships that might have sought to venture up the river passage. The castle continued in use as a fort through the 18th and 19th centuries.

One of the most restful and spiritual buildings in the country which is the oldest church in England built by St Cedd in 654ad. The Chapel is used regularly by the nearby Othona Community, and is presently only open on Thursdays and Sundays for private prayer.

This is the third-largest complex of prehistoric standing stones in England, the three circles and three-stone ‘cove’ of Stanton Drew in Somerset are surprisingly little known. The complex consists of a Great Circle, at 113m diameter the second largest stone circle in Britain, and two smaller stone circles linked by stone avenues, a group of three stones known as ‘The Cove’ located in the garden of the Druid’s Arms Inn and to the north of the complex on the other side of the River Chew lies a so