871 Best Sights in England

This wonderful five-floor museum captures the triumphs and tragedies of Liverpool's seafaring history. In addition to presenting exhibits of maritime paintings, models, ceramics, and ships in bottles, it brings to life the ill-fated stories of the Titanic and Lusitania; the Battle of the Atlantic; and the city's role during World War II. Seized, the gallery for the Border Force National Museum, explores the heroes and villains of the world of smuggling, together with the story of mass emigration from the port in the 19th century, while the Life on Board gallery looks at everyone from merchant sailors to leisure cruise-liner passengers.

Though managed separately, this museum is part of the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and houses the Mary Rose, the former flagship of Henry VIII's navy and the world's only 16th-century warship on display. Built in dockyard more than 500 years ago, the ship sank in the harbor in 1545 and remained there until raised in 1982. An accompanying exhibition displays artifacts retrieved from the seabed ranging from the ship's large guns to personal possessions like surgeon's tools, tankards, bowls, nit combs (for removing lice), and games.

By the harbor you can visit the Mayflower Steps, marking where the Pilgrims embarked in 1620. The actual steps no longer exist, but a granite block, the Mayflower Stone, marks the approximate spot, and there is a commemorative portico with Doric columns of Portland stone. Local historians believe that the true site is roughly where a Victorian pub, the Admiral MacBride, now stands. The Pilgrims had originally sailed from Southampton but had to stop in Plymouth because of damage from a storm.

When the Millennium Bridge, located roughly halfway between Blackfriars Bridge and Southwark Bridge, opened to much fanfare in 2000, it became the first new pedestrian bridge across the Thames in over a hundred years. Now the steel suspension bridge (officially known as the London Millennium Footbridge) has become one of the city's most popular sights. Cross from the south bank and you'll have a first-class view of the rounded beauty of the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral fighting for space with the skyscrapers that surround it. Cross the river from the north side, and the epic sight of the Tate Modern and its towering chimney is the prize. Spend some time on the bridge itself by taking in the views and the water traffic up and down river, but don't forget to pay attention to its unique structure too. Between sunset and 2 am, it looks particularly beautiful thanks to its illumination by pulsing lights (eight other bridges up and down the river also join in for this light show). The bridge has also become known for its role in a particularly harrowing scene involving Death-Eaters in the sixth Harry Potter movie.

Cambridge University maintains some fine museums in its research halls on Downing Street—the wonder is that they're not better known to visitors. Highlights at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology include an array of objects brought back from Captain Cook's pioneering voyages to the Pacific; Roman and medieval-era British artifacts; and the oldest human-made tools ever discovered, from the African expeditions of British archaeologist Louis Leakey (1903–72).

The venue's historic buildings, one of which is the world's oldest passenger rail station (1830), hold marvelous collections relating to the city's industrial past and present, although conservation, restoration, and expansion planned up to 2030 will mean certain areas are off-limits or obscured by scaffolding. You can walk through a reconstructed Victorian sewer, be blasted by the heat and noise of working steam engines, see cotton looms whirring in action, and watch a planetarium show. Allow at least half a day to get the most out of all the sites, temporary exhibitions, talks, and events.

Rolling-stock must-sees at the country’s largest railway museum include passenger cars used by Queen Victoria; the Mallard, which holds the world steam-engine speed record (126 mph); and a Japanese bullet train. There’s also plenty of railroad memorabilia, art, and posters. You can climb into some trains, and short trips are occasionally offered aboard one. Kids love the road train (£3.50) that travels between the Minster and the museum. Admission is by pre-booked ticket only.

Still largely owned by the Crown, this national park consists of 150 square miles of woodland, heaths, grassland, bogs, and the remains of coppices and timber plantations established in the 17th to 19th century. It also encompasses a number of towns including Lyndhurst, the New Forest's administrative center. Residents have had grazing rights since the 12th century, and you can still encounter free-roaming cattle, and, most famously, the hardy New Forest ponies. An extensive network of trails makes it a wonderful place for biking, walking, and horseback riding.

Built in the 1690s by Sir Christopher Wren with later additions and interiors by Robert Adam and others, this country house is still home to the original family and is one of Britain's finest examples of 18th-century interior decoration. Of particular note are the ornamental plasterwork, the Chippendale furniture, the domed Sculpture Hall devoted to Roman statuary, and the Tapestry Hall with priceless Gobelin tapestries. The 25 acres of gardens are justifiably famous; a double herbaceous border running down to the river separates garden "rooms," each flowering during a different season. A miniature railroad, playground, dollhouse and teddy bear exhibitions, and pedal boats amuse kids. Entry to the house is restricted to one-hour guided tours, which run from April to September.

The grandest example of Norman architecture in Norwich has a towering 315-foot spire and the second-largest monastic cloisters in Britain (only Salisbury's are bigger). The cathedral was begun in 1096 by Herbert de Losinga, who had come from Normandy in 1091 to be its first bishop; his splendid tomb is by the high altar. The nave is remarkably long, and the similarly striking height of the vaulted ceiling makes it a strain to study the delightful colored bosses, which illustrate Bible stories with great vigor and detail (binoculars are handy).

The grave of Norfolk-born nurse Edith Cavell, a British World War I heroine shot by the Germans in 1915, is at the eastern end. There's also a medieval-style herb garden, a Japanese garden, a restaurant, and a coffee shop. Guided tours are run Monday to Saturday at 10, 11, noon, 1, 2, and 3. The Cathedral Close is one of the most idyllic places in Norwich. Keep an eye out for peregrine falcons; they nest in the spire. Past the mixture of medieval and Georgian houses, a path leads down to the ancient water gate, Pulls Ferry.

The majestic arc of the Royal Crescent, much used as a film and TV location, is the crowning glory of Palladian architecture in Bath. The work of John Wood the Younger, these 30 houses fronted by 114 columns were laid out between 1767 and 1774. The first house to be built, on the corner of Brock Street and the Royal Crescent, was Number 1 Royal Crescent. (It may be familiar as the exterior of the Featheringtons' residence in the TV series Bridgerton.) The museum crystallizes a view of the English class system in the 18th century—the status, wealth, and elegance of the upstairs in contrast with the extensive servants' quarters and kitchen downstairs. You can witness the predilections of the first resident, Henry Sandford, in the cabinet of curiosities and the electrical machine, as well as a Georgian love of display in the sumptuous dessert table arrangement in the dining room. Several varieties of historic mousetraps make their appearance downstairs. Everything is presented with elegant attention to authenticity and detail.

Built by Sir Christopher Wren between 1696 and 1751 as a rest home for ancient mariners, the college became a naval school in 1873. The site is still used for classes by the University of Greenwich and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, although you're more likely to recognize it as a film location: blockbusters to have made use of its elegant interiors include Skyfall, Les Misérables, and The King's Speech. Architecturally, you'll notice how the structures part to reveal the Queen's House across the central lawns. The Painted Hall, the college's dining hall, derives its name from the baroque murals of William and Mary (reigned jointly 1689–94; William alone 1695–1702) and assorted allegorical figures. James Thornhill's frescoes, depicting scenes of naval grandeur with a suitably pro-British note, were painstakingly completed 1707–12 and 1718–26, and were good enough to earn him a knighthood. The gallery next door tells the story of the frescoes.

In the opposite building stands the College Chapel, which was rebuilt after a fire in 1779 in an altogether more restrained, neo-Grecian style. It hosts free lunchtime concerts by Trinity students each Tuesday and Friday, beginning at 1:05 pm. The underground passage connecting the two buildings also leads to Skittle Alley, where naval veterans, known as Greenwich Pensioners, played skittles to pass the time. The college's free visitor center includes interactive exhibits on the history of Greenwich, plus an assortment of local treasures and artifacts. Most intriguing among them is a 17th-century "witch bottle," once used to ward off evil spirits. High-tech scans have revealed it to contain a mixture of human hair, fingernails, and urine.

This palazzo-style Italianate house, much of it designed by Prince Albert in collaboration with Thomas Cubitt, was the royal family's private retreat and Queen Victoria's favorite residence. The house reveals Albert's interest in engineering through clever innovations like an early form of central heating, as well as Victoria's determination to give her children a normal but disciplined upbringing. After Albert's death in 1861, the queen retreated to Osborne to mourn her loss in relative seclusion, and the antiques-filled rooms have scarcely been altered since she died here in 1901. The house and extensive grounds (also designed by Albert)—which can be quite crowded during July and August—were used as a location for the 2019 television series Victoria. From June to September, a minibus can take you to Victoria's private beach, now open to the public, where you can see her bathing machine. Another minibus goes to the Swiss Cottage, built as a playhouse for Victoria and Albert's nine children; there are also two playgrounds for young children on-site. Book ahead for guided tours of the house and gardens. Buses 4 (from Ryde) and 5 (from Cowes and Newport) stop outside.

This small but important collection of mostly modern British art includes work by Henry Moore and Graham Sutherland. It's in a modern extension to Pallant House, a mansion built for a wealthy wine merchant in 1712 and considered one of the finest surviving examples of Chichcester's Georgian past. At that time, its state-of-the-art design showed the latest in complicated brickwork and superb wood carving. Appropriate antiques and porcelains furnish the faithfully restored rooms. Temporary and special exhibitions (usually around three at once) invariably find new and interesting angles to cover.

At the end of its own peninsula stands this formidable castle, built by Henry VIII in the 1540s and improved by his daughter Elizabeth I. You can explore the defenses developed over the centuries. In the Royal Artillery Barracks, the Pendennis Unlocked exhibit explores the castle's history and its connection to Cornwall and England. The castle has sweeping views over the English Channel and across to St. Mawes Castle, designed as a companion fortress to guard the roads. Check the website for costumed jousts, tournaments, and other scheduled events.

London's first gallery dedicated to photography offers cutting-edge, established, and provocative exhibitions. Open since 1980, the space has exhibited everyone from Robert Capa and Sebastião Salgado to Nick Knight and Corinne Day. The prestigious Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize is shown and awarded here annually. The gallery also has a print sales room, an archive, a well-stocked bookstore, and an enticing café-bar—a great spot to chat photography and escape the crowds on nearby Oxford Circus. Admission for children is always free, and entry is also free for everyone from 5 pm on Friday evening.

More than half a million intriguing archaeological and anthropological items from around the globe, based on the collection bequeathed by Lieutenant-General Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers in 1884, are crammed into a multitude of glass cases and drawers. In an eccentric touch that's surprisingly thought-provoking, labels are handwritten and items are organized thematically rather than geographically—a novel way to gain perspective. Give yourself plenty of time to wander through the displays of shrunken heads, Hawaiian feather cloaks, and fearsome masks. Grab coffee from the van usually parked on the grass out front. 

Abandoned and overgrown for more than 40 years after World War II, these beautiful Victorian gardens have been painstakingly restored by a team of volunteers. Originally planted in 1856, the 2-acre site, dotted with fanciful Gothic follies, includes original features like an Italianate terrace and a huge rockery. It's a particularly tranquil spot when the spring and summer flowers are in full bloom—bring a picnic if the weather's good, or have a bite in the café. The entrance is somewhat hard to find; look for the little gate next to the Beeches Hotel. There's no on-site parking, but you can use the lot at the nearby Black Horse Pub.

At the Black Friars Distillery, Plymouth's most famous export, gin, has been distilled since 1793. You can purchase bottles of sloe gin, damson liqueur, fruit cup, or the fiery "Navy Strength" gin that traditionally was issued to the Royal Navy. Learn the full story on walking tours around the distillery, ending with a sampling in the wood-paneled Refectory Cocktail Lounge. The building originally housed a friary and was where the Pilgrims spent their last night on English soil in 1620.

Beautifully designed, this museum at Cambridge University's Scott Polar Research Institute chronicles the history of polar exploration. There's a particular emphasis on the British expeditions of the 20th century, including the ill-fated attempt by Robert Falcon Scott to be the first to reach the South Pole in 1912. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen reached the pole first; Scott and his men perished on the return journey, but their story became legendary. There are also collections devoted to the science of modern polar exploration; the indigenous people of northern Canada, Greenland, and Alaska; and frequently changing art installations.

The Peak District's extraordinary geology can be seen up close in this large limestone cave far beneath the 100 acres of Buxton Country Park. Inhabited in prehistoric times, the cave contains, in addition to the standard stalactites and stalagmites, the source of the River Wye, which flows through Buxton. The Country Park paths take you up to Grin Low, home to the Victorian fortified hill marker Solomon's Tower, the remains of several Bronze Age burial chambers, and views of Mam Tor and Kinder Scout. There's also a fun Go Ape! treetop adventure course on-site. Admission to the cave includes a guided tour lasting nearly an hour.

More conventionally parklike than Hampstead Heath, the rolling lawns of Primrose Hill, the northerly extension of Regent's Park, rise to 213 feet and provide outstanding views over the city to the southeast, encompassing Canary Wharf and the London Eye. Formerly the site of boxing matches and duels but now filled with families and picnickers in nice weather, it has been featured in several books—it was here that Pongo engaged in “twilight barking” in The Hundred and One Dalmatians and the Martians set up an encampment in H. G. Wells’s The War of The Worlds. It's also been mentioned in songs by Blur, Madness, and Paul McCartney, among others, and served as a location for films, including Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and Paddington.

Next to the National Maritime Museum, you'll find the Queen's House, home to a changing selection of the extraordinary Royal Museums Greenwich art collection. The largest collection of maritime art in the world, it includes artwork by William Hogarth, Canaletto, and Joshua Reynolds. These names alone would make the Queen's House worthy of your time, but there's so much more here to enjoy, from the glorious architecture of Inigo Jones to the sensitive and thought-provoking contemporary artist responses commissioned to contextualize the collection's works.

The stone battlements and turrets of moated Raby Castle, once the seat of the powerful Nevilles and currently the home of the 12th Baron Barnard, stand amid a 200-acre deer park and ornamental gardens. Charles Neville supported Mary, Queen of Scots in the 1569 uprising against Elizabeth I; when the Rising of the North failed, the estate was confiscated. Dating mostly from the 14th century (using stone plundered from Barnard Castle) and renovated in the 18th and 19th centuries, the luxuriously furnished castle has displays of art and other treasures. Rooms in wonderfully elaborate Gothic Revival, Regency, and Victorian styles are open for public viewing (seek out the spectacular Octagon Drawing Room), as are the remodeled 18th-century Walled Gardens. The gardens are part of The Rising, a brand-new development that features heritage buildings converted into event spaces, restaurants, and shops. The castle is 6½ miles northeast of Barnard Castle.

This handsome, early-18th-century villa, which was the Greenwich Park ranger's official residence during the 19th century, is home to the Wernher Collection, nearly 700 artworks that were amassed by the diamond millionaire Sir Julius Wernher (1850–1912). Once housed in his fabulous stately house, Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire, the collection ranges from old master paintings to Renaissance jewelry and assorted pieces of decorative art and curios from the medieval period onward, including the gorgeous Madonna of the Pomegranates from the workshop of Sandro Botticelli. The Ranger's House is just under a mile's walk from the DLR station at Greenwich, or you can catch a bus there from Greenwich or Deptford DLR. Check the English Heritage website to confirm ticket prices as they tend to change seasonally.

The 19th-century waterway known as Regent's Canal officially starts in Little Venice in West London, but you'll find this quirky section east of City Road Basin. Join the towpath, where horses once walked as they pulled barges carrying all manner of cargo, at Wharf Road in Islington (N1), then head east on foot or by bike to experience the East End from an unusual perspective. What was once a no-go area is now a route lined with trendy cafés, floating bookshops, and a distinct community of water-dwelling Londoners. Regent's Canal runs through Hackney before heading south through Bethnal Green and Mile End, ending up at Limehouse Basin and the River Thames. Or you can continue eastward by turning off along the Hertford Union Canal at Victoria Park, a route that eventually leads to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The formal cultivated Regent's Park, more country-house grounds than municipal amenity, began life in 1812, when John Nash was commissioned by the Prince Regent (later George IV) to create a master plan for the former royal hunting ground. Nash's original plan included a summer palace for the prince and 56 villas for friends, none of which were realized except for eight villas (only two survive). But the the scope of Nash's ambitions are reflected in the grand neoclassical terraced houses he built on the south, east, and west edges of the park.

Today the 395-acre park, with the largest outdoor sports area in central London, draws the athletically inclined from around the city. At the center of the park is Queen Mary's Gardens, a fragrant 17-acre circle created in the 1930s containing more than 400 varieties of roses that is a favorite spot for weddings. Just to the east of the gardens is the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and the Boating Lake, which you can explore by renting a pedalo or a rowboat. Heading east from the rose gardens along Chester Road past the Broad Walk will bring you to Nash's renowned white-stucco Cumberland Terrace, with its central Ionic columns surmounted by a triangular Wedgwood-blue pediment. At the north end of the Broad Walk, you'll find London Zoo, while to the northwest of the central circle is The Hub, a state-of-the-art community sports center that has changing rooms, exercise classes, and a café with 360-degree views of the surrounding sports fields, used for soccer, rugby, cricket, field hockey, and softball. There are also tennis courts toward the park's southeast (Baker Street) entrance, and the park is a favorite north–south route for cyclists.

Regent's Park also hosts two annual events: the prestigious Frieze London art fair and Taste of London, a foodie-oriented extravaganza.

This 154-acre garden has transformed the heritage grounds of Worsley New Hall into a delightful green space for both locals and visitors. There's a kitchen garden, a stream-side Chinese garden, community growing spaces, a learning garden, and a play area. It's accessible via pre-booked visits only.

Wisley is the Royal Horticultural Society's innovative and inspirational 240-acre showpiece, beloved by horticulturalists across this garden-loving country. Both an ornamental and scientific center, it claims to have greater horticultural diversity than any other garden in the world. Highlights include the flower borders and displays in the central area, the rock garden and alpine meadow in spring, and the large and modern conservatories; look out for the giant strelitzia (bird-of-paradise) plants. Also on-site are an impressive bookstore and a garden center that sells more than 10,000 types of plants. The garden is 8 miles northeast of Guildford.

One of the three oldest stone-built castles in England and considered to be one of Britain's finest examples of a Norman fortress, Richmond Castle sits in a commanding position 100 feet over the River Swale. If you climb the 130 steps to the top of the 12th-century great keep, you are rewarded with sweeping views over the Dales. Originally built around 1071 by the first earl of Richmond to subdue the unruly inhabitants of the North, the castle retains much of its curtain wall as well as three chapels. There's also an even earlier, two-story structure known as Scolland's Hall, which was built in the 11th century and is believed to be the oldest great hall in England. During World War I, conscientious objectors were imprisoned in the castle, and you can still see the graffiti they inscribed. A path along the river leads to the ruins of golden-stone Easby Abbey. A historical note: when Henry Tudor (son of the earl of Richmond) became Henry VII in 1485, he began calling his palace in southwest London after the site of his family seat, leading to that part of the city becoming known as Richmond.