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ENGLAND TOURISM GUIDE (THE MIDLANDS)

Heart of England Tourist Board (tel: (01905) 761 100; fax: (01905) 763 450; e-mail: info@visitheartofengland.com; website: www.visitheartofengland.com).
The English Midlands cover a great swathe of the country south of the Humber Estuary and from the Welsh border in the west to the fringes of the Southeast. Counties included in this section are Derbyshire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands.

From the wild moors of the Derbyshire Peak District National Park and major cities like Birmingham to the quiet villages of rural Northamptonshire and Herefordshire, the Midlands is a region of great diversity. The Industrial Revolution began in Shropshire; indeed, industrial heritage is a major feature here: the Staffordshire Potteries draw enormous numbers of visitors, while the motor industry has strong links with Warwickshire.

Shakespeare lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, while Nottingham is forever tied to the legend of Robin Hood. Great cathedrals, such as those of Coventry, Lichfield, Lincoln and Worcester, are plentiful. The region’s only stretch of coastline, that of Lincolnshire, has an array of seaside resorts, including Cleethorpes, Mablethorpe and Skegness. Canals criss-cross much of the Midlands, and these former industrial supply routes are nowadays an important tourism resource, offering a relaxed way to enjoy the countryside from hired cruisers and narrowboats.

Warwickshire and the West Midlands

The industrial heart of Britain is surrounded by lovely countryside. Birmingham, Britain’s second-largest city, is a centre of both industry and culture. It has a magnificent library, and the Central Museum & Art Gallery is one of the finest in the country. Also in the city are the National Sea Life Centre, and the Jewelry Quarter, whose Museum tells the story of this interesting district. Birmingham has more canals than Venice, most of which are still navigable. Aston Hall, to the east of the city centre, is a splendid stately home, while in the southern suburbs at Bournville, Cadbury World is a popular family attraction in this famous chocolate manufacturing centre. Birmingham is home to the National Exhibition Centre, site of many major exhibitions and trade fairs. Northwest of Birmingham is the Black Country, an area extending into southern Staffordshire. Former industrial powerhouse and coal mining centre, the main towns of interest here include Dudley, which has a castle and a zoo in the same complex. The town also boasts the open-air Black Country Living Museum, from which it is possible to take canal boat trips through the tunnel to the spectacular Singing Cavern.

At Wolverhampton, Moseley Old Hall was once the hiding place of the future King Charles II following his escape from the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The Walsall Arboretum, large decorative gardens, stages the immensely popular Walsall Illuminations each September and October.

Coventry, city of Lady Godiva and historic centre of the British motor industry, is famous for its modern cathedral, designed by Sir Basil Spence, after destruction of the original during World War II. Warwick contains many historic houses and Warwick Castle is one of the region’s most popular attractions. In the city’s historic Market Hall, the Warwickshire Museum contains displays of local archaeology and other historic items, while a fine Jacobean mansion houses St John’s Museum. The Collegiate Church of St Mary, the Doll Museum and the Lord Leycester Hospital are also noteworthy. In the countryside are various stately homes, including 17th-century Ragley Hall, near Alcester. Leamington Spa is an attractive 18th-century spa resort.

Herefordshire and Worcestershire

The stretch of country between Worcester and the Welsh border is a rich farming area, with orchards, fields and meadows full of cider apples, hops and white-faced red cattle. Characteristic black and white half-timbered buildings decorate the villages and market towns such as Ledbury. The Wye Valley, the Malvern Hills and the Teme Valley all add to the area’s beauty.

The Wye Valley is an exceedingly beautiful area, with the river flowing first through gentle countryside but later through spectacular gorges near Symonds Yat. The town of Ross-on-Wye is a good base for exploring this area. Northwest of Ross is Hereford, also on the River Wye, an attractive cathedral city, which has a City Museum and Art Gallery as well as a Cider Museum. Nell Gwynne, actress and mistress of Charles II, was reputedly born here. The medieval Mappa Mundi is on view at Hereford Cathedral, which also boasts a rare Chained Library.

To the west of Hereford is Golden Valley, a remote region containing many attractive villages. At its northern end on the Welsh border is Hay-on-Wye, famous for having one of the world’s largest second-hand bookshops.
Worcester, on the banks of the River Severn, has a Cathedral, the museum and factory of the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company, a magnificent Guildhall with a Queen Anne facade and a number of streets with overhanging half-timbered houses from the Tudor period. The Commandery, once battle headquarters of Charles II, now houses a Civil War audio-visual display. South of Worcester are the steep Malvern Hills, which offer views across the rich agricultural landscape. Great Malvern began life as a spa resort in the 18th century. Tastings of the local spring water are available at St Anne’s Well.

Some 32km (20 miles) north of Worcester is the Wyre Forest, ideal for walking and riding. Principal towns in this region are Bewdley, Kidderminster and Stourport, home to the southern terminus of the Severn Valley Railway, England’s longest standard-gauge steam railway. Worcestershire’s biggest single visitor attraction is the West Midlands Safari Park at Bewdley.

Shropshire

This is a county of varied landscapes, including moorland, forests, gentle hills and open pasture. Despite this, Shropshire was also birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, evidence of which is visible in the area of Ironbridge Gorge. The Ironbridge Gorge Museum occupies a number of sites but the area’s major landmark is the world’s first Iron Bridge itself, built in 1779. Ruined Buildwas Abbey stands nearby. On the eastern boundary of this district is the magnificent Restoration house and parkland known as Weston Park. Nearby is Boscobel where the future Charles II hid in the now famous Royal Oak after the Battle of Worcester.

To the west is the area of The Wrekin, a conical-shaped hill that figures in many local tales and legends. The county town, Shrewsbury, is one of the finest Tudor towns in England, celebrated for the flower market held every summer. Shrewsbury Quest portrays Medieval monastic life at the time of Ellis Peters’ ‘Brother Cadfael’, a fictional 12th-century resident of the town.
South and southwest of Shrewsbury are the Shropshire Hills, designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty. Ludlow (dominated by the ruins of its castle), Church Stretton, Bishop’s Castle, Much Wenlock (13th-century Wenlock Priory is the major attraction here) and Bridgnorth (terminus of the steam Severn Valley Railway) are all attractive towns.
A large plain with many quiet roads, making it ideally suited to cycling or walking, dominates the north of the county. Market Drayton, Oswestry, Wem (famous for its beer) and Whitchurch are the major market towns in this region. Hawkstone Park, with its collection of follies, and a cave where Aleister Crowley reputedly held satanic rituals, is an unusual diversion, while the Roman City at Wroxeter is an important archaeological site.

Staffordshire

Both agricultural and industrial, Staffordshire lies partly within the Peak District National Park and contains some of the most spectacular countryside, such as Thor’s Cave and the limestone gorge at Dovedale on the Derbyshire border. Stoke-on-Trent, known worldwide for its pottery industry, has major visitor attractions including the Wedgwood Story and the former pottery works now housing the Gladstone Museum. Among other famous brands associated with the city, which has some 40 factory shop outlets offering bargain china, are Royal Doulton and Spode.

East of the Potteries are scenic Churnet Valley and Vale of Trent, the latter containing Cannock Chase, an attractive area of heath and woodland. One of the most famous sights in the county is the unusual Lichfield Cathedral, which has three spires. Samuel Johnson’s birthplace is open to the public. Nearby Tamworth has a fine castle, along with Britain’s first indoor ski slope using real snow, the Snowdome, and Drayton Manor theme park.
Staffordshire’s numerous stately homes include Shugborough, home of photographer Lord Lichfield. To the northeast is Alton Towers, the UK’s biggest theme park; while in the east is the traditional centre of the English brewing industry, Burton-upon-Trent, where the Bass Museum tells the story of ‘real ale’ in the town.

Northamptonshire

Although major road and rail links traverse Northamptonshire, much of the county remains unspoilt. One of the most attractive regions is the Rockingham Forest area in the east of the county, which contains several historic houses and mighty Rockingham Castle. There is a Red Kite observatory at the RSPB Center, Fineshade, near Corby. Close to Oundle, a market town famed for its architecture and major public school, only a mound remains of Fotheringhay Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots met her end in 1587. Most other Northamptonshire historic houses are in much better condition, many of them still occupied. Of these, Althorp (which has a museum on the grounds commemorating the late Diana, Princess of Wales) and Sulgrave Manor, ancestral home of George Washington, are important. Other places of interest include the Central Museum in Northampton with its fine shoe collection, the Waterways Museum at Stoke Bruerne and the Santa Pod drag racing circuit outside Wellingborough.

Leicestershire and Rutland

The county of Leicestershire has many castles, manor houses and market towns. Leicester itself has Roman remains and a great deal of Medieval architecture, and is nowadays important as a shopping centre. A major visitor attraction is the National Space Centre. Other towns of interest in the county include Market Harborough (close to which lie Foxton Locks, the longest chain of canal locks in England), Lutterworth (home of John Wycliffe) and Melton Mowbray, famous for Stilton cheese and pork pies. Near Leicester is Market Bosworth, the site of one of English history’s most famous battles, when Henry Tudor defeated Richard III, the last Lancastrian, in 1485. Belvoir Castle near Melton Mowbray, is a popular historic attraction.

On the Warwickshire border, Twycross Zoo is an important attraction, while at Coalville, to the northwest of Leicester, the Snibston Discovery Center is an interactive introduction to the world of technology. Conkers, a children’s attraction themed on the natural world, is at Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Rutland has the distinction of being England’s smallest county. In the county town of Oakham, Oakham Castle has a remarkable collection of decorative horseshoes, each presented as a symbolic toll to the borough by monarchs passing through over the centuries.

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire, the largest county in the East Midlands and the only one with a coastline, has several seaside resorts, notably Mablethorpe and Skegness, both of which are towns with good sunshine records. Grimsby remains an important fishing port, while nearby Cleethorpes is another resort - the Pleasure Island Theme Park is a major attraction here.
Inland are the gently rolling hills of the Lincolnshire Wolds, where Tennyson spent much of his early life. The area around Spalding is among the country’s richest farmland, and is famous for growing flower bulbs and its annual Flower Festival. The town’s Ayscoughfee Hall Museum tells the story of surrounding Fenland.

During the 12th century, Boston was one of the three most important ports in England and, from here many of the Pilgrim Fathers planned to set sail for The Netherlands to find religious freedom, but were betrayed and imprisoned in cells still in Boston Guildhall. Boston’s unusual church tower, known as the Boston Stump, is visible for miles around. The county town of Lincoln is a well-preserved Medieval city and the Cathedral, set on a limestone hill, has three towers, a fine Norman west front and a particularly beautiful 13th-century presbytery. The aptly named Steep Hill has some interesting shops and the Jew’s House, halfway up the incline, is an unusual attraction. River cruises are available in the city centre.
Stamford, situated at the border of four counties, is another Medieval town, with several fine churches and buildings of mellow stone. Nearby is Burghley House, built by one of Elizabeth I’s most powerful ministers. The Medieval Old Hall at Gainsborough in north Lincolnshire is an interesting attraction. Lincolnshire boasts a number of castles, among them Bolingbroke Castle at Spilsby and Tattershall Castle at Coningsby.

Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire was the legendary home of Robin Hood, and parts of his Sherwood Forest – including the celebrated Major Oak – still survive in the Country Park north of Nottingham. North Nottinghamshire is a former mining area, in which lies Eastwood, birthplace of D H Lawrence. Both his childhood home and the village’s Durban House Heritage Centre commemorate the controversial author. Closer to Nottingham is Newstead Abbey, family seat of Lord Byron.

The university city of Nottingham boasts the beautiful neo-Classical Nottingham Castle, which overlooks the city and contains a much visited museum and art gallery, and nearby Wollaton Hall, an Elizabethan mansion now housing a natural history museum. The Tales of Robin Hood (a ‘dark ride’ attraction), the underground Caves of Nottingham, and the Trip to Jerusalem, reputedly England’s oldest inn, are also of interest in the city center. Nearby is the Lace Market area, where attractions include Condemned!, an innovative museum dedicated to crime and often grisly punishment, and Lace Hall, which describes the industry from which the area takes its name. Newark-on-Trent has a 12th-century castle, and is an important antiques trading centre.

Derbyshire

The spa town of Buxton, the highest market town in England, makes a good base from which to explore the Peak District National Park, 1300 sq km (500 sq mile) of limestone dales and open moors. Other places of interest in Derbyshire include Matlock Bath, with its cable car ride across the Derwent Gorge to the Heights of Abraham and Blue John mine. Bolsover, a small market town with a 17th-century castle, is set in rich farmland. Creswell Crags has a Visitor Center at the site of prehistoric archaeological finds. Chesterfield is another base for exploring the Peak District and is famous for its crooked-spire church. At Bakewell, Chatsworth House is the major attraction; there is also the Wind in the Willows Visitor Centre, based on the stories of Kenneth Grahame, at nearby Rowsley.

The county town of Derby is the home of Royal Crown Derby porcelain, and the city also offers a cathedral, museums and the Assembly Rooms. For family outings, the American Adventure Theme Park at Ilkeston is popular, while at Crich, the National Tramways Museum offers more specialized interest, as does the Midland Railway Center near Ripley.