84 Best Sights in The South, England

Eighty acres of rolling lawns and splendid period architecture provide one of Britain's finest settings for a cathedral, the largest cathedral close in the country. Laid out in 1220, it is bordered by 21 historic buildings and contains three museums: the Mompesson House, the Salisbury Museum, and the Rifles Museum, which is devoted to the county's infantry regiments.

Colossal and unblushingly priapic, this 180-foot-long figure dominates a hillside overlooking the village of Cerne Abbas. The giant carries a huge club and may have originated as a pre-Roman tribal fertility symbol. Alternatively, historians have tended to believe he is a representation of Hercules dating back to the 2nd century AD. Recent research suggests he may be a 17th-century gibe at Oliver Cromwell as there is nothing in the historical record before 1694 that mentions the figure, but other recent studies suggest the giant was first made by the Saxons between AD 700 and 1100. The figure's outlines are formed by 1-foot-wide trenches cut into the ground to reveal the chalk beneath. The best place to view the figure is from the A352 itself, where you can park in one of the numerous nearby turnouts.

Little remains of this 10th-century Benedictine abbey. However, the grounds of the South Gate House (a private residence constructed in the 16th and 18th centuries using materials from the abbey, including its original Saxon doorway) have some later remnants. The Abbot's Porch, built in 1509, was once the entrance to the abbot's quarters and is notable for its double oriel window with carvings of small animals and the panoramic views from the roof; the 15th-century guesthouse is one of the few surviving monastic hospices in the United Kingdom. At the other end of the village is the monastery's original Tithe Barn. A cottage on the grounds is available for short-term vacation rentals.

Four miles west of Avebury, Cherhill Down is a prominent hill carved with a vivid white horse and topped with a towering obelisk. The horse, the second oldest chalk "white horse" in Wiltshire, is one of a number of hillside etchings in the county, all but two of which date back no further than the late 18th century. This one was put there in 1780 to indicate the highest point of the downs between London and Bath. The views from the top are worth the half-hour climb. The best view of the horse is from A4, on the approach from Calne (from the west).

Set over the River Itchen at the east end of the High Street, this rare surviving example of an 18th-century urban water mill, complete with small island garden, is probably the oldest working water mill in Britain, with timbers dating back to the 11th century. The medieval corn mill on the site was rebuilt in 1744 and remained in use until the early 20th century. Restored by the National Trust in 2004, it still operates as a working mill on weekends, and you can purchase stone-ground flour produced here in the gift shop. Kids will love the live camera feed that tracks the river's resident otters.

Appealing to adults and children alike, this imaginative, well-presented museum reflects Winchester's history from the Iron Age to the present. Roman artifacts include jewelry and well-restored mosaic floors, and a gallery spanning 1,000 years of Anglo-Saxon and medieval history displays silver coins, sculptures, agricultural tools, and everyday items such as the mayor's wooden toilet seat. Other collections feature two of Jane Austen's purses and a detailed scale model of the city created in Victorian times. The hands-on activities include a history detective quiz and costumes from every time period, starting with the Romans, that kids can try on. Free 45-minute guided museum tours are offered at 10:30 am, noon, 1:45 pm, and 3:15 pm daily. Pick up an audio guide at the entrance (£2) to get the most out of the museum.

This brick-and-tile cottage served as the retreat of Army officer, writer, and diplomat T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, prior to his death in a motorcycle accident on the road from Bovington in 1935. The house remains very much as he left it, with photos and memorabilia from his time in the Middle East. It's particularly atmospheric on a gloomy day, as there's no electric light. Clouds Hill is 8 miles northwest of Corfe Castle. Admission is by prebooked guided tour only.

Lyme Regis is famous for its curving stone harbor breakwater known as the Cobb, which dates back to the 13th century when it was commissioned by King Edward I to improve the harbor. It has subsequently been rebuilt several times over the centuries due to storm damage. The Duke of Monmouth landed here in 1685 during his ill-fated attempt to overthrow his uncle, James II, and it features prominently in the movie of John Fowles's novel The French Lieutenant's Woman, as well as in the 1995 film version of Jane Austen's Persuasion. There's a sweeping coastal view to Chesil Beach to the east. You can walk on the wall, but take care; the surface is uneven.

One of the most dramatic ruins in Britain, Corfe Castle overlooks the picturesque gray limestone village of the same name. The present ruins are what's left of a castle begun by Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, who erected the great central keep in the early 12th century to guard the principal route through the surrounding Purbeck Hills. The outer walls and towers were added in the 1270s. Cromwell's Parliament ordered the castle to be blown up in 1646 during the Civil War, after a long siege during which its Royalist chatelaine, Lady Bankes, led its defense.

Here three galleries tell the absorbing story of the planning and preparation for the Allied invasion of Europe during WWII and the actual landings on D-Day—June 6, 1944—through an eclectic range of exhibits including maps, uniforms, and even the last surviving landing craft tank, as well as filmed testimonies from those who were there. The museum's centerpiece is the Overlord Embroidery ("Overlord" was the invasion's code name), a 272-foot-long embroidered cloth with 34 panels illustrating the history of the operation, from the Battle of Britain in 1940 to victory in Normandy in 1944.

The home of Julia Margaret Cameron (1815–79), the eminent Victorian portrait photographer and friend of Lord Tennyson, has a gallery that includes more than 60 examples of her work, including striking images of Carlyle, Tennyson, and Browning. In addition, there's much here that will appeal to fans of decorative textiles and wall coverings. Another room is devoted to documenting the Isle of Wight rock festival, most famously the five-day event in 1970 that featured the Who, the Doors, Joni Mitchell, and Jimi Hendrix. The ground floor holds a shop and a good Alice in Wonderland–themed tearoom for snacks, hot lunches, and a traditional cream tea.

Located in a former church, this compact private museum run by a paleontologist has an excellent collection of local fossils with more than 16,000 specimens dating back 200 million years. It also provides information on regional geology, how fossils develop, and guided fossil-hunting walks. There are more fossils for sale in the shop on the ground floor, along with minerals.

This labyrinthine museum contains eclectic collections devoted to nearby Roman and Celtic archaeological finds, Jurassic Coast geology, social history (especially rural crafts and agriculture), decorative arts, regional costumes, and county-based artists such as Elizabeth Frink and local literary luminaries, primarily Hardy but also T. E. Lawrence and others.

This museum, one of six sites that make up the National Museum of the Royal Navy, is located in a Georgian building used by the Royal Navy to store weapons and ammunition since 1771. It explores the history of warfare at sea with interactive touch-screen exhibits on naval armaments, from cannonballs to mines, missiles, torpedoes, and even a decommissioned nuclear bomb. The museum also tells the story of the local people who manufactured the weapons. It can be reached by water bus from the Historic Dockyard, 

Forming the southeast corner of the town's medieval wall, this late-13th-century gatehouse was expanded in the early 14th century, at the start of the Hundred Years' War, to incorporate a two-story gallery and three-story tower. After extensive restoration, the gallery space is now used for a changing roster of art installations and programs. Before this, it served as a gunpowder factory, the town jail, and an archaeology museum. Don't miss the far-reaching views over the city from the roof. There's also a café and bar.

This unique museum tells the story of the British Army's Gurkha brigade, whose Nepalese soldiers have fought alongside the British since the early 19th century in virtually every deployment, through tableaux, dioramas, uniforms, weapons, artifacts, and interactive touch-screen displays. A program of lectures on the last Friday of the month includes a two-course Nepalese curry lunch (£35, includes museum admission).

The prestige and popularity of English sparkling wines produced in the chalky soil near the country's south coast has been growing by leaps and bounds over recent years, to the point where they're taking on the better-known variety across the English Channel. Some of the most highly regarded come from this spot, the oldest commercial vineyard in the United Kingston, located 14 miles from Winchester. Informative tours and tastings from the selection of sparkling and still wines are offered along with afternoon tea as an add-on to the tour, and a set-price lunch and dinner in the on-site restaurant.

On the hills above Abbotsbury stands this 72-foot-tall stone monument dedicated to Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy (not the famous writer), Nelson's right-hand man at the battle of Trafalgar to whom his dying words "Kiss me, Hardy" were addressed. The monument, built in 1844 and designed to look like a spyglass, lacks charm, but in clear weather, you can scan the coastline from the Isle of Wight to Start Point in Devon, 56 miles away (the Hardy family wanted a monument that could be used as a landmark for shipping). On open days in May and October, you can climb the 120 steps inside to a viewing platform. The monument is 3½ miles north of Abbotsbury via B3157 and Portesham Hill.

Thomas Hardy's grandfather built this small thatch-and-cob cottage, where the writer was born in 1840, and little has changed since the family left. Here Hardy grew up and wrote many of his early works, including Far from the Madding Crowd, at a desk you can still see. Access is by foot only via a walk through ancient woodland or down a country lane from the parking lot, where a visitor center has information about the surrounding landscape and trails so you can follow in Hardy's footsteps. Admission is by prebooked one-hour guided tour only.

One of four castellated gateways originally built between 1327 and 1342 using stones taken from the original settlement at Old Sarum, this is the north passage through the wall that surrounds the Cathedral Close. The mullioned windows over the archway mark the site of a small lock-up jail to which anyone who committed offenses within the Close was taken.

One of two surviving gateways in the city's original ancient walls, this structure to the south of the Close is thought to have been built in the 12th century as a remodeling of a Roman gate on the site. The tiny 13th-century church of St. Swithun-upon-Kingsgate, a rare surviving example of a "gateway church" (built into the walls of medieval cities), is on the upper floor. Nearby, 8 College Street is the house where Jane Austen died on July 18, 1817, three days after writing a comic poem about the legend of St. Swithun's Day (copies are usually available in the cathedral).

For a classic view of Salisbury, head to Long Bridge and Town Path. From the main street, walk west to Mill Road, which leads you across the Queen Elizabeth Gardens. Cross the bridge and continue on Town Path through the water meadows, from which you can see the vista that inspired John Constable's 1831 Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows, one of Britain's most iconic paintings, now on view in London's Tate Britain.

This small but child-friendly aquarium has the usual up-close look at maritime creatures, from spider crabs to fish found in nearby Lyme Bay. Children love hand-feeding the gray mullets and getting up close to starfish, giant lobsters, and crabs.

A gabled and turreted Edwardian building on the site of local fossilist Mary Anning's former home, this lively museum is devoted to the town's maritime and domestic history, geology, local artists, writers (John Fowles was an honorary curator for a decade), and, of course, Anning herself and her fossils. The museum also leads fossil-hunting and local history walks throughout the year. Anning, who among other discoveries found the first complete plesiosaur skeleton in 1823, was a central character in the 2020 film Ammonite, shot largely in the town.

Although called a castle, this is actually one of the most important pre-Roman archaeological sites in England and the largest, most complex Iron Age hill fort in Europe, made of stone and earth with ramparts that enclose about 45 acres. England's Neolithic inhabitants built the fort some 4,000 years ago, although its ramparts weren't constructed until the 1st century BC, when it was a Celtic stronghold housing hundreds of residents. It was still occupied when it was stormed in AD 43 by the invading Romans. Within a few decades, the fort was abandoned in favor of the new Roman city that later became Dorchester, but in the 4th century AD it became the site of a Romano-British temple complex. Finds from the site are on display in the Dorset Museum in Dorchester. To experience an uncanny silence and sense of mystery, climb Maiden Castle early in the day. Leave your car in the lot at the end of Maiden Castle Way, a 1½-mile lane.

The Charter Market, one of southern England's most popular markets, fills this square on Tuesday and Saturday. Permission to hold an annual fair here was granted in 1221, and that right is still exercised for three days every October, when the Charter Fair takes place. A narrow side street links Poultry Cross to Market Place.

This large Neolithic henge, a ring-shaped earthwork 278 feet in diameter, is the oldest monument in Dorchester itself and has survived by adapting. In the 1st century AD, some 2,500 years after its construction, it became one of the largest Roman amphitheaters in Britain, used for gladiatorial contests and executions. In the Middle Ages, it was used for jousting tournaments, while during the English Civil War it was converted into an artillery fort. After the Restoration, it once again became a place of public execution; 80 rebels condemned by the infamous Judge Jeffreys met their fate here. Vividly evoked in Hardy's Mayor of Casterbridge, it's now used for public events.

Thomas Hardy lived in Max Gate from 1885 until his death in 1928. An architect by profession, Hardy designed the handsome Victorian house himself, and visitors can see the study where he wrote Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge, and Jude the Obscure. The dining room, the drawing room, and the garden (complete with a small cemetery for the family pets, some with headstones carved by Hardy himself) are open to the public. Admission is by one-hour prebooked guided tour only.

Built in 1913, this memorial commemorates the departure of the Mayflower and the Speedwell from Southampton Quay bearing Pilgrims and others bound for North America on August 15, 1620. After taking on water, the Speedwell, which had been repaired here, was declared unseaworthy and abandoned a month later in Plymouth, Devon. Several of the original 200 passengers abandoned the journey. The rest were crammed onto the Mayflower, which finally set sail from Plymouth in September with 102 people aboard. A plaque also honors the 2 million U.S. troops who embarked from Southampton for occupied Europe during World War II.

Starting at the Spur Redoubt (supposedly the point from which Nelson set sail for Trafalgar) near Henry VIII's Southsea Castle, the Millennium Promenade follows the waterfront through Old Portsmouth and Gunwharf Quays, ending up at the Hard near Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The 2½-mile self-guided walk, marked by a rope pattern on the sidewalk, passes a variety of fortifications built in the 15th century, the early 20th century, and the centuries in between.