English Heritage

Set high on a dramatic escarpment of Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site, Housesteads Roman Fort is a fascinating tourist attraction in the north east of England. There are some stunning panoramic views to enjoy from the walls of this ancient fortress.

Dramatic Dunstanburgh Castle was built at a time when relations between King Edward II and his most powerful baron, Earl Thomas of Lancaster, had become openly hostile.

Built on the most magnificent scale, Dunstanburgh Castle stands on a remote headland in Northumberland.

Chester Castle was founded by William the Conqueror in 1070 and became the administrative centre of the Earldom of Chester. The first earth and timber ‘motte and bailey’ castle probably only occupied the area of the inner bailey. In the twelfth century it was rebuilt in stone and the outer bailey added.

Fragments of the church and monastic buildings of the first Cistercian abbey in England, founded in 1128.

The ruins of Waverley Abbey are situated in a peaceful loop of the River Wey, and still give an impression of the solitude experienced by the monks who founded a monastery here almost 900 years ago. 

There's a fairytale quality to Bolsover Castle that makes it a firm favourite with anyone looking for a great value day out in the East Midlands. Highlights include the sumptuously painted walls and ceilings of the Little Castle, intricately carved fireplaces and the magnificent indoor Riding House.

Denny Abbey has a unique and fascinating history. 

Founded in 1159 as a Benedictine monastery, it then became a retirement home for elderly Knights Templars. After the Templars’ suppression for alleged heresy in 1308, it became a convent of Franciscan nuns before becoming a farm from 1539 and the dissolution of the monasteries, until the 1960s. 

Goodrich boasts one of the most complete sets of medieval domestic buildings surviving in any English castle.

Set a mere four miles from Stonehenge, Netheravon Dovecote is a charming yet practical building - and an excellent example of an early 18th century dovecote. It still retains most of its original 700 chalk nesting boxes.

Discover the story of the original Salisbury and take your students of any age for a day out to Old Sarum, two miles north of where the city stands now.

The mighty Iron Age hill fort was where the first cathedral once stood and the Romans, Normans and Saxons have all left their mark.

In Washford lies one of the undiscovered jewels of Somerset, providing an interesting day out for families and budding historians alike. The Cistercian abbey of Cleeve is a haven of peace and tranquillity, said to contain the finest cloister buildings in England.

The impressive remains of an abbey of Cistercian 'white monks', including towering fragments of its 13th century church, infirmary and 14th century abbot's lodging.

Bertram de Verdun, Lord of Alton, an important local nobleman at the time, founded a Cistercian monastery in 1176 for the salvation of the souls of his family.