871 Best Sights in England

There's plenty to see at one of the oldest, best preserved, and most attractive of the Inns of Court—from the Chancery Lane Tudor brick gatehouse to the wide-open, tree-lined, atmospheric Lincoln's Inn Fields and the 15th-century chapel remodeled by Inigo Jones in 1620. The gardens are open to the general public but to see inside the Inn itself, you can reserve a place on one of the official tours that run on Tuesdays at 11 am (reservations must be made online). Alternatively, you can buy tickets for a self-guided tour from the inquiry desk in the Library on the day of your visit.

Reached during low tide via a causeway from the mainland, this "castle" (not actually a castle) appears to grow out of the rocky pinnacle on which it was built 400 years ago, looking for all the world like a fairy-tale illustration. In 1903, architect Sir Edwin Lutyens converted the former Tudor fort into a private home that retains the original's ancient features. Across several fields from the castle is a walled garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll. Opening times are notoriously changeable—especially on Monday other than midsummer—and are always dependent on weather and tides, so it's best to call ahead.

Owner Nicholas Logsdail represents about 50 blue-chip artists, including the minimalist Sol LeWitt and performance artist Marina Abramović, at one of the most respected art galleries in London. The gallery is most associated with New Object sculptors like Anish Kapoor and Richard Deacon, many of whom have won the Turner Prize. There's another branch down the road at 27 Bell Street.

This timber-frame wool merchant's house (brightly painted on the outside, in the local custom) contains a display showing the building's progress from its creation in the 14th century to its subsequent "modernization" in the 17th century. It also has a beautiful garden at the back.

The world's fifth-largest Anglican cathedral, this Gothic-style edifice was begun in 1903 by architect Giles Gilbert Scott and finally finished in 1978. The tower is a popular climb; two elevators and 108 steps take you to panoramic views (from April to October, twilight ascents are available). There's also a gallery of ecclesiastical embroidery, usually open only as part of the Tower Experience.

This delightful museum, dedicated to the rise and fall of London's once-extensive canal network, is based in the former warehouse of ice-cream maker Carlo Gatti (hence it also partly features the ice-cream trade as well as London's canals). Children enjoy the activity zone and learning about Henrietta, the museum's horse. Outside, on the Battlebridge Basin, you'll find the painted narrow boats of modern canal dwellers—a stone's throw from the hustle and bustle of the King's Cross redevelopment. You can walk to the museum along the towpath from Camden Lock; download a free audio tour from the museum's website to accompany the route.

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.

Ten miles southeast of Lewes on A27, Wilmington has a famous landmark that people drive for miles to see. High on the downs to the south of the village (signposted off the main road), a 226-foot-tall white figure with a staff in each hand, known as the Long Man of Wilmington, is carved into the chalk. His age is a subject of great debate: some researchers think he might have been created as far back as Roman or Neolithic times, but soil analysis places the figure closer to the 16th century. It's one of England's two most significant human hill figures, along with the Cerne Abbas Giant near Dorchester in Dorset. To get here, park in the public parking lot south of Wilmington Priory and walk.

The spiritual home of this most English of games—and the headquarters of the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club)—opens its "behind the scenes" areas to visitors during a 100-minute tour. Highlights include the beautiful Long Room, a VIP viewing area where portraits of cricketing greats are on display (you can also book a traditional afternoon tea here); the players' dressing rooms; and the world's oldest sporting museum, where cricket's 400-year progress from gentlemanly village-green game to worldwide sport is charted via memorabilia, equipment, trophies, and footage of memorable performances.

Don't miss the prize exhibit: the urn known as the Ashes—allegedly the remains of a cricket bail (part of the wicket assembly) presented to the English captain in 1883 by a group of Australian women, a jokey allusion to a newspaper's satirical obituary for the death of English cricket published after a resounding defeat. It's been a symbol of the two nations' long-running rivalry ever since. They still play for possession of the Ashes—an official (as opposed to joke) trophy only since 1998—every two years. A Waterford crystal version changes hands these days, although the winners still hold a replica of the original urn aloft.

There is no separate nontour admittance to the museum, except for match ticket holders. All tours must be booked in advance and are not available during matches. Tour itineraries can change due to grounds maintenance.

These sprawling grounds have something for all garden lovers, as well as an intriguing history. Begun by the Tremayne family in the late 18th century, they were rediscovered and spruced up in the early 1990s by former rock music producer Tim Smit (the force behind the Eden Project). In Victorian times the gardens displayed plants from around the British Empire. The Jungle area contains surviving plants from this era, including a lone Monterey pine, as well as giant redwood, clumps of bamboo, and a wobbly rope bridge crossing the subtropical valley. The Italian Garden and walled Flower Garden are delightful, but don't overlook the fruit and vegetable gardens or Flora's Green, bordered by a ravine. It's easy to spend half a day here. Guided tours can be arranged for groups. Travel via St. Austell to avoid confusing country lanes, then follow signs to Mevagissey.

Clad in perforated steel and glass, this arts center is one of the highlights of the Salford Quays waterways. L. S. Lowry (1887–1976) was a local artist, and one of the few who painted the industrial landscape; galleries here showcase the world's largest collection of his paintings alongside work by contemporary artists. The theater has three spaces showcasing everything from West End musicals and new works by up-and-coming theater companies to some of the U.K.'s most popular stand-up comedians. The nearest Metrolink tram stop is Harbour City, a 10-minute walk away.

Set amid 130 acres of parkland and lovely gardens, Lowther Castle, built in 1806, fell into disrepair during the second half of the 20th century but still offers plenty to do. Its romantic ruined turrets can be seen from all over the grounds, which are carpeted with wildflowers, dotted with living willow sculptures, and filled with tree swings and other play areas for the kids. The gallery has ornate Italian plaster decoration, and the café is a fine spot for afternoon tea and cake. Walks in the grounds are glorious on a sunny day. The castle is 6 miles south of Penrith.

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.

Water and a cable system power the 862-foot cliff railway that connects these two towns. As it ascends a rocky cliff, you are treated to fine views over the harbor. Inaugurated in 1890, it was the gift of publisher George Newnes, who also donated Lynton's imposing town hall, near the top station on Lee Road.

Push buttons and pedals to your heart's content to make the more than 70 exhibits in the wacky Mechanical Art & Design Museum come alive. Witty, beautiful, and intricate automata and examples of kinetic art will clank, whir, and rattle away. Marbles and table tennis balls bounce through looping runs, a typewriter plays tunes on glasses and bottles, and two trains chuff around high up on the walls. Kids will love constructing their own marble run, and grown-ups will marvel at the Kitchenator display. There’s also a shop full of weird and wonderful things.

One of London's busiest tourist attractions, this is nothing less than the world's most famous exhibition of lifelike waxwork models of celebrities. Madame T. learned her craft while making death masks of French Revolution victims, and in 1835 she set up her first show of the famous ones near this spot. While top billing once went to the murderers and ghouls in the Chamber of Horrors, that era has passed and it's the limited exhibitions that feature characters from the Star Wars universe and Marvel movies that now steal the show. Beat the crowds by booking fast-track tickets in advance. 

A 45-minute drive south from Leeds to Rotherham brings Yorkshire's industrial past into focus at this widely respected science museum housed in a former steelworks. Smoke, flames, and sparking electricity bring one of the original six arc furnaces roaring to life in a sound-and-light show. Four pavilions—one each devoted to fire, earth, air, and water—use interactive exhibits to illustrate the role of elements in science and technology. In summer, there's an outdoor adventure playground and an outdoor water park (both science-themed).

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.

Haworth's steep, cobbled High Street has changed little in outward appearance since the early 19th century, but it now acts as a funnel for crowds heading for points of interest: the Black Bull pub, where the reprobate Branwell Brontë drank himself into an early grave (his stool is kept in mint condition); the former post office (now a bookshop) from which Charlotte, Emily, and Anne sent their manuscripts to their London publishers; and the church, with its atmospheric graveyard (Charlotte and Emily are buried in the family vault inside the church; Anne is buried in Scarborough).

One of the Southwest's most important contemporary arts and crafts centers is in a converted 19th-century coach house in the village of Bovey Tracey, 10 miles southeast of Chagford and 14 miles southwest of Exeter. The center has excellent exhibitions of local, national, and international crafts, as well as shops and a café.

With informative displays, Malham's National Park Centre gives you some ideas for what to see and do, both in town and in Yorkshire Dales National Park. You can also get a list of bed-and-breakfasts and pub accommodations.

This stately, 115-foot-wide processional route sweeping toward Trafalgar Square from the Queen Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace is an updated 1911 version of a promenade laid out around 1660 for the game of paille-maille (a type of croquet crossed with golf), which also gave the parallel road Pall Mall its name. (That's why Mall is pronounced to rhyme with pal, not ball.) The tarmac is colored red to represent a ceremonial red carpet. During state visits, several times a year, The Mall is traditionally bedecked with the flag of the visiting nation alongside the Union Jack. The Duke of York Memorial up the steps toward stately John Nash–designed Carlton House Terrace (worth a look in itself) is a towering column dedicated to George III's second son, who was further immortalized in the English nursery rhyme "The Grand Old Duke of York." Be sure to stroll along The Mall on Sunday when the road is closed to traffic, or catch the bands and troops of the Household Division on their way from St. James's Palace to Buckingham Palace for the Changing the Guard ceremony.

At the northernmost end of The Mall is Admiralty Arch, a stately gateway named after the adjacent Royal Navy headquarters. It was designed by Sir Aston Webb and built in 1910 as a memorial to Queen Victoria. Actually comprising five arches—two for pedestrians, two for traffic, and the central arch, which is only opened for state occasions—it was a government building until 2012, and has even served as an alternative residence for the prime minister while Downing Street was under renovation. It is currently being transformed into a luxury hotel. Look out for the bronze nose grafted onto the inside wall of the right-hand traffic arch (when facing The Mall); it was placed there in secret by a mischievous artist in 1997 and has been allowed to remain.

Behind an impressive classical portico, this splendid museum and its sparkling modern atrium houses an outstanding collection of paintings by the Pre-Raphaelites and their circle, notably Ford Madox Brown's masterpiece Work and Holman Hunt's The Hireling Shepherd. British artwork from the 18th and 20th centuries is also well represented. The second-floor Craft and Design Gallery shows off the best of the decorative arts in ceramics, glass, metalwork, and furniture. The Lion's Den (Clore Art Studio) is a creative space for families while the Derek Jarman Pocket Park pays homage to the eponymous artist's iconic garden in Dungeness, Kent.

The city's sandstone cathedral, set beside the River Irwell and originally a medieval parish church dating in part from the 15th century, is unusually broad for its length and has the widest medieval nave in Britain. Inside, angels with gilded instruments look down from the roof of the nave, and misericords (the undersides of choristers' seats) in the early-16th-century choir stalls reveal intriguing carvings. The octagonal chapter house dates from 1485. There are free guided tours on Mondays through Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm.

John Nash's 1827 arch, moved here from Buckingham Palace in 1851, stands amid the traffic whirlpool where Bayswater Road segues into Oxford Street, at the top of Park Lane. The arch actually contains three small chambers, which served as a police station until the mid-20th century. Search the sidewalk on the traffic island opposite the movie theater for the stone plaque recalling Tyburn Tree, an elaborately designed gallows that stood here for 400 years, until 1783. The condemned would be conveyed here in their finest clothes from Newgate Prison in The City and were expected to affect a casual indifference or face a merciless heckling from the crowds. Towering across the grass from the arch toward Tyburn Way is Still Water, a vast patina-green statue of a horse's head by sculptor Nic Fiddian-Green. Cross over (or under) to the northeastern corner of Hyde Park for Speakers' Corner, a parcel of land long-dedicated to the principle of free speech. On Sunday, people of all views—or none at all—come to pontificate, listen, and debate about everything under the sun.

This handsome Palladian mansion is set on 66 acres of parkland on the northern bank of the Thames, almost opposite Ham House. It was built in the 1720s by George II for his mistress, the "exceedingly respectable and respected" Henrietta Howard. Later the house was occupied by Mrs. Fitzherbert, who was secretly (and illegally) married to the Prince Regent (later George IV) in 1785. The house was restored and opened to the public in 1903, looking very much like it did in Georgian times, with extravagant gilded rooms in which Mrs. Howard entertained the literary superstars of the age, including Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift. A ferry service from Ham House operates during the summer; access on foot is a half-hour walk south along the west bank of the Thames from Richmond Bridge. Great for families, there is also a playground and woodland walks within the grounds. 

The broad High Street, lined with stone houses and shops, follows a captivating curve. In the center, on Market Street, is the Market Hall, a gabled Jacobean structure built by Sir Baptiste Hicks in 1627 "for the sale of local produce." 

In the center of Tetbury, look for the eye-catching Market House, dating from 1655. Constructed of white-painted stone, it's built up on rows of Tuscan pillars. Various markets, with traders selling everything from vegetables to jewelry, are held here during the week.

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.