85 Monuments to Explore in United Kingdom

The monument is 120ft high. It was built in 1865, in honor of Sir Tatton Sykes, 4th baronet, by "those who loved him as a friend and honored him as a landlord", as the inscription says. Here he is, on his horse, in a detail from the many carvings on the monument.

Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. It was built in several stages: the first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2500 BC. The stones are set within earthworks in the middle of the densest complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred tumuli.

Stoodley Pike is a 402 m high elevation in the southern Pennines in the northern English county of West Yorkshire. The exposed hill carries the widely visible Stoodley Pike Monument, a 37 m high obelisk with a viewing platform. The foothills, which are not too conspicuous themselves, have become famous primarily for the striking monument on its northern tip. At first, it was just called Stoodley Pike, just like the hill; later the official name of the monument was changed to Stoodley Pike Monume

Taversöe Tuick is a Neolithic burial cairn on Rousay, Orkney, Scotland, thought to date from between 4000 and 2500 BCE. The monument includes a rare example of a double-tiered chamber, an upper chamber approached via a passageway and a lower subterranean chamber, originally separate, which can now be reached via a modern ladder from the upper chamber. The site is a scheduled monument in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

Bristol’s Temple Church Founded in the early 12th century to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land, the Templars were ‘warrior monks’, obeying religious vows of chastity and poverty whilst trained for war. It is on the site of a previous, round church of the Knights Templar, which they built on land granted to them in the second quarter of the 12th century by Robert of Gloucester. One of the iconic attractions in this area which attracts a lot of tourists.

This circular temple was built in 1765, by the architect Henry Flitcroft, to outdo William Chamber’s earlier Temple of the Sun at Kew. It is dedicated to Apollo, the sun god. Nestled on a hilltop, the temple has delightful views over the lake.

The Corpus Clock is one of the most distinctive public monuments in Cambridge and has been admired by residents and tourists since its inauguration in 2008. As a relatively new feature, it certainly stands out against the historic brickwork with its gold plated face, with many dubbing it as ‘the strangest clock in the world.’

A conspicuous white-painted monument on Lyle Hill in Greenock, the Free French Memorial was designed and built by the officers and men of the wartime French Naval Base at Greenock and takes the form of a Cross of Lorraine, the symbol of the Free French Forces. To commemorate their effort and loss of life, this memorial was unveiled in 1946. The memorial is in the shape of the Cross of Lorraine with an anchor at the bottom.

The Longstone is a beautiful megalithic monument near the village of Mottistone. It consists of two pieces of local greensand sandstone probably from a vein 100 metres away. The larger stands at 3.9 metres and the smaller lies at its foot. It has now been shown that the stones are what remains of a 6,000-year-old Neolithic communal long barrow for burying the dead.

The Mackintosh Church or Queen's Cross Church is a former parish church of Church of Scotland. This is the only church designed by the Scotish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh from whom church came to known as the Mackintosh Church. Unlike most churches in Glasgow, the Mackintosh Church does not have a huge towering spire and is more like a Norman Castle.

This is an outstanding landmark and one of Stirling’s most striking visits - commemorating the life of Sir William Wallace, the patriot and martyr who came to be saluted as Scotland’s National Hero. Inside the Monument you will find yourself transported back to the 13th Century as you discover the story of the warrior who led the Scottish army to victory at The Battle of Stirling Bridge.

The Wallace Tower is a picturesque Gothic structure built to commemorate William Wallace at the time of an upsurge in the Scottish desire for self-determination. The tower is open to the public for an admission fee. Visitors approach by foot from the base of the crag on which it stands. On entry there are 246 steps to the final observation platform, with three exhibition rooms within the body of the tower. The tower is not accessible to disabled visitors.

Sir John De Graeme was William Wallace’s finest knight and was killed in action during the Battle of Falkirk on July 22nd, 1298. His body was carried from the battlefield by William Wallace himself to Faw Kirk Graveyard where he was laid to rest. Over the years his resting place has deteriorated as a result of exposure to the great Scottish weather and vandalism but in 2011 thanks to the Scottish Government’s town centre regeneration fund it was ordered to be restored in to a lasting memorial.

Tomnaverie is a recumbent stone circle, a kind of monument found only in north-eastern Scotland. Their characteristic feature is a large stone on its side, flanked by two upright stones, usually on the south or south-west arc of the circle. Construction started from about 2500 BC, in the Bronze Age, to produce a monument of thirteen granite stones including a massive 6.5-ton recumbent stone lying on its side along the southwest of the circle's perimeter

Tyndale's Monument was built in 1866 in memory of the writer, William Tyndale, thought to be born nearby. He was the first man to translate The Bible into English. The monument which is 111 feet high was completed in 1866 and officially opened on 6th of November of that year. The reward for climbing the 120 steps is a wonderful view of the Berkeley Vale and the river Severn to the Black Mountains.

Underfall Yard is a historic, working boatyard that welcomes visitors. There is an ever-changing landscape of boats to enjoy thanks to the skilled maritime businesses that call the yard home. Underfall Yard has been designated as a scheduled monument and from the 1970s onward many of the buildings at Underfall Yard have earned Grade II Listed Building status.

Wallace's Monument is a category-A-listed building dedicated to the memory of William Wallace located on Barnweil Hill , a prominent location in the parish of Craigie, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is a picturesque Gothic structure and is in a prominent situation, built to commemorate William Wallace at the time of an upsurge in the Scottish desire for self-determination, predating the 1869 Wallace Monument at Stirling.

Wellington Monument was begun in 1817 to celebrate the Duke of Wellington, the victor of Waterloo. The Monument is famous as the tallest three-sided obelisk in the world, reaching 174 feet. An ambitious construction, it commemorates a modern yet classical hero. The story of its origins and shambolic construction repeats itself in its conservation and repair story up to the present day.

An 'avenue', originally of around 100 pairs of prehistoric standing stones, raised to form a winding 1 1/2 mile ritual link between the pre-existing monuments of Avebury and The Sanctuary. Part of the Avebury World Heritage Site. Excavations by Stuart Piggott and Alexander Keiller in the 1930s indicated that around 100 pairs of standing stones had lined the avenue, dated to around 2200 BC from finds of Beaker burials beneath some of them. Many stones have fallen or are missing, however.

One of the largest, most impressive and most accessible Neolithic chambered tombs in Britain. Built in around 3650 BC, it was used for a short time as a burial chamber, nearly 50 people being buried here before the chambers were blocked. Part of the Avebury World Heritage Site. Archaeologists have established that the monument was built by pastoralist communities shortly after the introduction of agriculture to Britain from continental Europe.