Historic Buildings & Monuments

Historic Buildings & Monuments

What are they and what do they involve?

A historic building or monument is a building or construction of some sort which has been of importance for a long time; the specifics can vary greatly, from being a residence of a significant historical figure to places such as windmills that are no longer in use. They often involve guided tours or exhibitions of interesting objects, and sometimes even historic re-enactments!

What are the benefits?

Visiting genuine historical buildings where people have lived and worked makes for a great accompaniment to classroom learning – forming physical links with the past and being able to use their imagination will be an excellent way of engaging students in learning. 

What students is it suitable for?

There is a huge variety of historical buildings you can visit with your students, which means you can find a venue suitable for groups of all ages and interests!

Costs?

Admission prices will vary from being completely free up to over £10 per person depending on the venue; the larger the establishment and the more activities they have to offer, the more expensive access will be!

Safety Implications?

Any possible safety concerns will depend on the venue, and the variety of establishments mean that they will differ greatly! Consult with your destination of choice if you have any concerns.

Venues for this Category

A glimpse into England's rural past

Step inside this simply furnished, timber-framed cottage and travel back in time. Lived in continually right up until the mid-1980s, today this 16th-century labourer's dwelling has been restored to bring four hundred years of uninterrupted occupation to life.

Among England's finest country houses, big and stately Apethorpe Palace was begun in the late 15th century. It contains one of the country's most complete Jacobean interiors.

The remarkable story of an enduring spirit

Nearly 350 years ago the community village of Eyam made the ultimate sacrifice to prevent the spread of the deadly plague – their own lives.

To help you explore some of these stories we’ve created a number of walks starting from Eyam Hall.  Choose from The Two Survivors, The Three Decisions, The Lone Mother or The Lovers and explore Eyam and the surrounding countryside.

A three-mile section of the great earthwork boundary dyke built along the Anglo-Welsh border by Offa, King of Mercia, probably during the 780s. This especially impressive wooded stretch includes the Devil's Pulpit, with fine views of Tintern Abbey.

The fine 15th-century gatehouse of a vanished riverside manor house, with a beautiful oriel window. The monuments of the manor's Marmion family owners grace the adjacent church.

Marmion Tower is the entrance to, and the only significant remaining part of, a former manorial complex.

This classical building designed and built in 1725 by Francis Smith, contains a fine Georgian Ballroom. 

It was constructed on a site given by Robert Dudley, in exchange for the buildings now forming the Lord Leycester Hospital. 

The building is now the home of Warwick Town Council, the Tourist Information Centre and the Warwickshire Yeomanry Museum.

An atmospheric Elizabethan farmhouse that saved a King

Find out about the dramatic story of King Charles II hiding from Cromwell’s troops at Moseley Old Hall after he fled the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

See the bed on which the King slept and the priest hole in which he hid, and hear fascinating stories about what life was like in the 17th-century. You can soak up the atmosphere on one of our popular guided tours.

The Colchester earthworks at Lexden and Bluebottle Grove are among the few surviving late Iron Age defences in Britain.

They defended the west side of pre-Roman Colchester, Camulodunum, which was occupied by the Iron Age Catuvellauni and their leader Cunobelin from about AD 10, and before that by the Trinovantes.

This 15th-century tower, sole surviving part of the manor house of the Wybergh family, was plundered by Jacobites in 1745 before the Battle of Clifton Moor, the last battle fought on English soil.

The well-marked remains of a 2nd-century fort with large granaries, probably built under Hadrian's rule to guard the Roman road from Brougham to Ravenglass and act as a supply base.

Covering three acres, the fort was probably built during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian (AD 117–38).

This narrow 15th century stone bridge across Mill Beck carried an old packhorse route to nearby Furness Abbey.

Bow Bridge was built in the fifteenth century from the same plentiful supply of red sandstone and grey limestone as Furness Abbey, which dates back to the 1120s.

Handsome 17th-century merchant's house with walled garden

This beautiful 17th-century merchant's house is a hidden gem in London, a place of unique charm and ambience.

Lady Binning bought the house in 1936 and filled it with her highly decorative collections of porcelain, Georgian furniture and 17th-century needlework.

No. 1 Royal Crescent is a superb example of how Bath was developed in the 18th Century. It was built to the designs of John Wood the Younger in 1767 – 1774 as the first house in the Royal Crescent, a Bath stone crescent of thirty houses with a uniform Palladian design to the principal facade.

Help us bring this special Grace II listed building back to life

Poltimore House is a significant Devon landmark, historically and architecturally. The drawing shows it as it was c.1900. The speculative reconstructions at the bottom of this page show it as it might be, once restored and back to full use. 

Elegant and spacious 18th-century house in the Cathedral Close

When walking into the celebrated Cathedral Close in Salisbury, visitors step back into a past world, and on entering Mompesson House, featured in the award-winning film Sense and Sensibility, the feeling of leaving the modern world behind is deepened.

Wilberforce House is the birthplace of William Wilberforce, famous campaigner against the slave trade. 

Admission to Wilberforce House is free. The museum tells the story of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and its abolition, as well as dealing with contemporary slavery. Galleries also offer a fascinating glimpse into West African culture.

Come and find out about the Scottish Parliament. We've got games, stuff to help you with coursework, posters for the walls of classrooms and lots more!

Our education programmes are run for schools, colleges and other educational groups who are interested in finding out more about the work of Parliament.

Gilmerton Cove is a series of underground passageways and chambers hand-carved from sandstone located beneath the streets of Gilmerton, an ex-mining village, now a suburb of Edinburgh.

Frogmore House has been a favourite royal retreat for more than 300 years. Built in the 17th century, it became royal property when it was purchased for George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte, in 1792. It is no longer an occupied royal residence, but is frequently used by the Royal Family for private entertaining.

Monument to Vice-Admiral Hardy

The Hardy Monument stands on an exposed location above the village of  Portesham in Dorset. It was built in 1844 in memory of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Flag Captain of HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. Amongst other things, Hardy became famous as it was in his arms that Nelson died, saying the immortal words 'Kiss me Hardy'.

Home of Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The 17th-century cottage was home to Coleridge for three years, from 1797. It was during his time here in Somerset that Coleridge wrote his finest works, including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Kubla Khan, Frost at Midnight, The Nightingale, Cristabel and This Lime Tree Bower my Prison.

Iron Age hill fort on the ridge above the village of Tickenham in North Somerset

Tucked away from the main road, Cadbury Camp offers peace and tranquility with great views south to the Mendips and beyond to the Quantocks, Exmoor and Flat and Steep Holm in the Severn Estuary. To the west you can see south Wales and the Brecon Beacons, and follow the Severn Estuary up to the two bridges.

Late 18th-century thatched house in gentrified vernacular style

An elegant 18th-century thatched cottage with its peculiar gentrified vernacular style.

A rich history and delightful walks can be had by those who explore the property in Bessbrook, Co. Armagh.

In 1290 Eleanor of Castile, the beloved wife of Edward I and mother of his 14 children, died at Harby in Nottinghamshire.

15th-century mill beside a tranquil mill pool

This charming rustic mill is one of only four virtually complete corn mills in Cheshire. Take a guided tour of Nether Alderley Mill, and learn all about the process of milling and hear fascinating stories about the lives of the millers.

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