47 Monuments to Explore in England

Arbor Low is a Neolithic henge monument atmospherically set amid high moorland . Surrounded by unspoiled countryside with fantastic views over classic Derbyshire scenery. Within an earthen bank and ditch, a circle of some 50 white limestone slabs, all now fallen, surrounds a central stone 'cove' - a feature found only in major sacred sites. There were probably 41-43 stones originally, but some are now in fragments. In the centre of the circle lie at least six smaller blocks, originally believed

The Avebury complex is one of the principal ceremonial sites of Neolithic Britain that we can visit today. It contains the largest megalithic stone circle in the world. It is both a tourist attraction and a place of religious importance to contemporary pagans. It was built and altered over many centuries from about 2850 BC until about 2200 BC and is one of the largest, and undoubtedly the most complex, of Britain's surviving Neolithic henge monuments.

When completed in 1859, its clock was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world. The tower stands 315 feet (96 m) tall, and the climb from ground level to the belfry is 334 steps. Its base is square, measuring 39 feet (12 m) on each side. Dials of the clock are 23 feet (7.0 m) in diameter.

Bratton White Horse is a hill figure on the escarpment of Salisbury Plain, approximately 1.5 mi east of Westbury in Wiltshire, England. Located on the edge of Bratton Downs and lying just below an Iron Age hill fort, it is the oldest of several white horses carved in Wiltshire. It was restored in 1778, an action which may have obliterated another horse that had occupied the same slope. A contemporary engraving from around 1772 appears to show a horse facing in the opposite direction that was rat

The monument was built in 1832 in memory of the third Duke of Bridgewater who once lived in Ashridge house. As you walk around its York stone base, notice how the monument is dedicated to 'the father of inland navigation' because the duke became famous for building canals during the Industrial Revolution. One of the iconic monument in this area which shows light to the history of England.

This was an important residence belonging to the powerful Bishops of Lincoln. The first residence at Buckden would have been built of wood. Around 1225 Bishop Hugh de Wells built a new house of stone. The site was protected by a curtain wall and moat. Within the substantial courtyard and outer yard, comfortable accommodation and facilities, including a chapel, a churchyard, an orchard, and a park, were provided for the bishops and their entourages.

Castlerigg is perhaps the most atmospheric and dramatically sited of all British stone circles, with panoramic views and the mountains of Helvellyn and High Seat as a backdrop. It is not just its location that makes this one of the most important British stone circles. Thought to have been constructed about 3000 BC, it is potentially one of the earliest in the country. Taken into guardianship in 1883, it was also one of the first monuments in the country to be recommended for preservation by th

The Cherhill White Horse is the second oldest in Wiltshire and was made under the guidance of Dr Christopher Alsop of Calne in 1780, who gave instructions to a team of workers from a distance, using a megaphone. The Cherhill White Horse is one of eight remaining White Horses in Wiltshire. It is located on the edge of Cherhill Down, near both Oldbury Castle and the Lansdowne Monument, three and a half miles from the historic town of Calne.

Chichele College is a rare surviving example of a chantry college. It was founded in 1422 by the locally born Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury. It’s a very special place; a Scheduled Monument which has considerable historical significance to the town and many who visit the site are enchanted by its spiritual atmosphere.

Clarkson Memorial in Wisbech is a roughly 68 feet high monument commemorating the notable and influential abolitionist Thomas Clarkson. He was a central figure in the campaign against the slave trade in the British empire and instrumental in forming the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade. The memorial consists of a statue mounted on a platform. Above this, rises a canopy, in the form of a spire.

The Collingwood Monument is a Grade II* listed monument in Tynemouth, England, dedicated to Vice Admiral Lord Cuthbert Collingwood. A Napoleonic-era admiral noted for being second-in-command to Admiral Lord Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar, Collingwood is sometimes referred to as the forgotten hero of Trafalgar. The position of the monument marks Collingwood's family connection with North Shields and allows the statue to be seen from the sea and the river

Dunston Staiths on the River Tyne is believed to be the largest timber structure in Europe, at its height, 5.5m tonnes of coal a year was taken by rail from the Durham coalfields and loaded from the staiths onto ships waiting on the river, which transported coal around the British Isles and Internationally. Today, this magnificent feat of architecture stands as a tribute to the ambition of British engineers during the Victorian period.

Durrington Walls is the site of a large Neolithic settlement and later henge enclosure located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in England. It lies 2 miles north-east of Stonehenge in the parish of Durrington, just north of Amesbury. The henge is the second-largest Late Neolithic palisaded enclosure known in the United Kingdom, after Hindwell in Wales.

The obelisk is a monument to various distinguished members of the Somers Cocks family. This prominant 90ft monument is visible for miles around and carries four inscriptions.

Grey's Monument is a prominent landmark in the centre of Newcastle. It was built in 1838 to commemorate Charles Earl Grey and the reforms he achieved. The statue of Grey stands on a 134 ft. stone column. The monument has a viewing balcony accessed via a spiral staircase with 164 steps inside the column.

This beautiful monument stands as one of the greatest symbols of where the Industrial Revolution started. Tourists have flocked here since 1779 to marvel at this extraordinary structure that dominates the small town that takes its name. Today it is closed to vehicle traffic but you can walk across it and enjoy the lovely views of the Severn Gorge. An exhibition within the original Tollhouse explains how and why the bridge was built.

Kit's Coty House and its neighbor, Little Kit's Coty House, are the remains of two megalithic 'dolmen' burial chambers. Kit's Coty is the larger of the two monuments, with three uprights and a massive capstone, while the smaller, Little Kit's Coty, is now a jumble of sarsens. Archaeologists have established that the monument was built by pastoralist communities shortly after the introduction of agriculture to Britain from continental Europe.

Lacock Abbey is a country house with monastic roots and Britain's birthplace of photography. It is set in spacious wooded grounds, with plenty of space to picnic, and is now recognizable from films varying from Pride and Prejudice to Harry Potter. It was home to the Fox Talbot family. In the early 19th century, polymath William Henry Fox Talbot invented the photographic negative, a cornerstone in the rise of photography as both an art and a popular hobby.

The Loughborough Carillon was built as a War Memorial to commemorate WW1. It is in Queen's Park, and is a well-known landmark, visible from several miles away. The Carillon was designed by Sir Walter Tapper, and is now grade II listed. The carillon has 47 bells, all of which were cast at John Taylor Bell Foundry in Loughborough. The carillon was built by William Moss and Sons Ltd of Loughborough.