Find the nearest History & Heritage
Our History and Heritage category brings all Coast Radar’s listings related to looking for something to do or a place to visit together where they offer some form of historic or heritage based activity.
Finding the best things to see and do on a day out with your family or friends is easy – simply explore the historic and heritage links below, hit the jump to my location button or use the search bar to plan your next UK and Ireland activity.
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- St Catherine’s Castle is one of a pair of small artillery forts, built by Thomas Treffry approximately 1540. The D-shaped, stone fortification, equipped with five gun-ports for cannon, overlooked the mouth of the River Fowey. It was protected by a curtain wall and the surrounding cliffs. The castle was closed at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, although brought back into service in 1855 during the Crimean War, but it soon became obsolete and was abandoned. During the Second World War the castle was refortified and used to house a battery of naval guns, protecting the coast against the threat of attack. At the end of the conflict the castle was restored to its previous condition and is now managed by English Heritage as a tourist attraction.
- Pickering Castle, an early Norman castle, set in an attractive moors-edge market town, Pickering is a classic and well-preserved example of an early earthwork castle refortified in stone during the 13th and 14th centuries. Includes an exhibition.
- Clifton Cathedral was commissioned in 1965 with construction taking place between 1970 and 1973. On the 29th June 1973, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the new cathedral was consecrated and opened and the pro-Cathedral was closed.
- Netley Abbey is a ruined late medieval monastery, founded in 1239 as a house for Roman Catholic monks of the austere Cistercian order. In 1536, Netley Abbey was closed by Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the building was converted into a mansion by William Paulet, a wealthy Tudor politician. The abbey was used as a country house until the beginning of the eighteenth century, after which it was abandoned and partially demolished for building materials. The extensive remains consist of the church, cloister buildings, abbot’s house, and fragments of the post-Dissolution mansion.
- Bembridge Windmill is the only surviving windmill on the island and was built in the 1700s and played a vital role in the local community for two centuries providing work for generations. In the 1880s the arrival of the railway meant cheaper flour was available and from 1897 only cattle feed was made and by 1913, with the local men all signed up in the war, the mill closed. In the late 1950s, the mill was given over the National Trust. The mill is a Grade 1 listed building and an integral part of the island and still has its original machinery in place. You can climb to the top of the mill and figure out how it worked as you wind your way down the four levels and feel the smoothness of the wooden machinery telling the tale of those who worked there. The steps are steep but the view from the top is really worth the climb. Families can enjoy the countryside and have a great day out, although saying that, the mill is very educational with a short film explaining the milling process. Turner was inspired by the countryside around the area and there is a painting by Turner of the mill. Open daily and charges apply.
- Fort Dunree is a coastal defence located on the west side of the Inishowen peninsula. Originally built as a Royal Navy position during the Napoleonic Wars, the fort is located on a rocky promontory accessed over a natural fissure. It was remodelled in 1895 and the top of a hill overlooking the site was walled in to form a redoubt.
- Beeston Castle, from the top of the formidable ‘Castle of the Rock’ you have views over eight counties, from the Pennines to the Welsh mountains.
- Fairfax House is a Georgian town house situated in the city of York in North Yorkshire. A fine example of the architecture of the age, Fairfax House dates back to the 18th century. It was built as the winter home for Viscount Fairfax and its interior was designed by the then celebrated architect, John Carr. During the 20th century, Fairfax House was used as a cinema and a dance hall. But in the early 1980s the York Civic Trust saved it from falling into decay and has returned it to its former splendour. Visitors today can see how polite York society in the Georgian era entertained. There is a fine collection of furniture, paintings and ornaments which bring the house to life. Fairfax House is open daily from February to December. There is a gift shop on site.
- Worthing Museum and Art Gallery collections are very diverse. With one of the largest costume collections in England as well as a stunning collection of toys and dolls. A Local History Archive is very extensive as are the Archaeology Collections. The Fine Art and Decorative Art Collections cover different styles and centuries. Please note that not all of these items will be on display at any one time and if you want to see something particular when you visit it is a good idea to contact the museum in advance.
- Bayham Abbey, ruins of an abbey of Premonstratensian ‘white canons’, on the Kent-Sussex border. They include much of the 13th to 15th-century church, the chapter house, and a picturesque 14th-century gatehouse.
- The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum houses an internationally significant museum collection of exceptional quality and variety, changing displays of our Designated Arts and Crafts Movement collection and fine art collections. The museum is home to The Open Archive, which houses our fascinating archives relating to Antarctic explorer Edward A. Wilson, Cheltenham’s history and the Emery Walker Library.
