Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace, the birth place of Winston Churchill and the family home of the Duke of Marlborough has a special place in British history. It is the only non royal house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace was built between 1705 and 1722 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The building of the palace was a reward to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough for his service to country and his military triumphs during the battles leading up to and including the 1704 Battle of Blenheim. The Churchill family, later the Spencer-Churchills, have lived here for 300 years.

Blenheim Palace is still the home of the Dukes of Marlborough. The palace, its park and its gardens are open to the general public. The palace generates income from a number of lucrative business deals which keep it running and all attempts are made to retain the atmosphere of a large country house. 

Blenheim Palace has some beautiful painted ceilings and tapestries. It is also home to the largest pipe organ in private ownership in Europe. A visit to the palace will keep you busy for most of the day and will be one of the most memorable places you are likely to visit.

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Woodstock

Woodstock is a pretty little town in Oxfordshire, made famous through Winston Churchill and Blenheim Palace. Winston Churchill is actually buried in the nearby village of Bladon. New and Old Woodstock is divided by the River Glyme. 

The town benefits from tourism due to its location near Blenheim Palace. The Town Hall was built in 1766 and there are plenty of 17th century buildings around the town centre.

Woodstock is also home to the county museum of Oxfordshire - The Oxfordshire Museum. The town has a long and historic past and was popular with English Kings from medieval times. The town gets its name from the Old English meaning of "clearing in the woods". It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as village in a Royal Forest. 

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Wisbech

Wisbech is a market town in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. It is also an inland port with a tidal river called the River Nene. There is likely to have been a settlement here since the Iron Age and Wisbech is mentioned in the Domesday Book.

In the 17th century the town benefitted from the draining of the Fens which turned Wisbech into a prosperous port town. There used to be a canal which joined the RRiver Nene near the town centre but this was filled in and now serves as a dual carriageway. Wisbech Castle was built by William I in 1072, destroyed by flooding in 1236 and rebuilt and extended at various stages of its life to the mansion house structure that you see today which is used for weddings and events.

Wisbech has a large population of Eastern Europeans who originally came over to work on the farms. Wisbech is known for its fine architecture mainly of Georgian origin.  Wisbech is home to  Peckover House, a National Trust property which is open to visitors.

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Nottingham

Think Nottingham and you automatically associate it with Robin Hood. This city is just 30 miles south of Sheffield and of equal distance to Leicester. It was once part of the Kingdom of Mercia. The 11th Century Nottingham Castle has a chequered past and is known for the fact that it was besieged by King Richard the Lionheart upon his return from the Crusades and also as the place of the final showdown between the Sheriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood.

Nottingham is also famous as the home of the famous brand of Raleigh Bicycles. The castle on the sandstone hill is not the 11th century castle at all but a more recent structure in the form of a mansion built by the Duke of Newcastle in the late 17th century. This in itself was burned down by rioters in 1831 and today the building has been partly restored to house the city Museum and Art Collections.

Nottingham was notorious in the Industrial Era as a slum city. The housing conditions were atrocious with poor sanitary conditions and serious sewage and litter problems. In 1831 there were riots in the city which were caused when Parliament decided against reform to give Britain's industrial cities and towns better representation.

Modern day Nottingham is a very popular tourist destination and holds events throughout the year. This busy city has an excellent transport system and some good independent and branded shops with plenty of restaurants and cafes for the visitor. 

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Derby

Derby is situated on the River Derwent just 14 miles from Nottingham. With a population of approximately 250,000 it is home to the first factory in the world - Lombe's Mill and arguably the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Derby was also an important strategic home for the British Railways Industry.

Derby today is known for its transport manufacturing with its Rolls-Royce aircraft engines, Toyota Cars at Burnaston and the last remaining train manufacturer Derby Carriage and Wagon Works or Derby Litchurch Lane Works as it is now called.

Historically Derby suffered in the same way as Nottingham with its notorious slum housing estates, the majority of which were cleared during the 1930's. The city of Derby today has a vibrant town centre as the Gateway to the Peak District and as the UK's most central city it has good access to the rest of the UK via road or rail.

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