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

The two massive Saxon stone crosses, elaborately carved with animals and Biblical scenes including the Nativity of Christ and the Crucifixion, dominate the cobbled market square of Sandbach. Probably dating from the 9th century, and originally painted as well as carved, they are among the finest surviving examples of Anglo-Saxon high crosses.

A 'cemetery' of 44 Bronze Age burial mounds of varying types and sizes, straddling the A35 main road.

Roofed and walled in stone, this complex of passages is the largest and best-preserved of several mysterious underground tunnels associated with Cornish Iron Age settlements. The purpose of such 'fogous' - a Cornish-language word meaning 'cave' - is unknown. Refuges, storage chambers or ritual shrines have all been suggested.

Manchester Town Hall in Albert Square is one of the most iconic landmarks in the city. Regarded as one of the finest examples of Neo-Gothic architecture in the United Kingdom, it is one of the most important Grade 1 listed buildings in England. The building was designed by architect Alfred Waterhouse and was completed in 1877.

A Neolithic chambered tomb with an enigmatic 'false entrance'.

This barrow, also known as Rodmarton Long Barrow, is of early Neolithic date (4000–3500 BC).

It seems that the site was used for burials well after the Neolithic period as Roman pottery and coins of Claudius Gothicus (AD 168–70) have been found.

Three fine late Neolithic or early Bronze Age stone circles arranged in a line, a grouping unique in England.

Probably the best examples of ceremonial circles in the south west, they are traditionally reputed to be the remains of men petrified for playing 'hurling' on a Sunday.

Please note: Parking is quarter of a mile walk away.

The remains of a Bronze Age settlement, side by side with several sacred sites, including three stone rows, a stone circle, standing stones and burial cairns, probably constructed over a long period between c. 2500 BC and 1000 BC.

Traditionally believed to be a monarch and his courtiers petrified by a witch, the Rollright Stones are a set standing stones which consist of three groups: the King's Men stone circle; the Whispering Knights burial chamber; and the single King Stone.

They span nearly 2,000 years of Neolithic and Bronze Age development.

The most famous lighthouse in the British Isles is probably the Eddystone, built on a small and very dangerous reef 13 miles south south west of Plymouth.

Four famous lighthouses have been built to mark the dangerous Eddystone Reef. The original tower, completed in 1698, was the first lighthouse to be built on a small rock in the open sea.

A particularly fine example of a Neolithic long barrow of c.3800 BC, featuring a false entrance and side chambers. During excavations in the 1860s, the remains of 31 people were found in the chambers.

The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to over 54,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres salient in World War I and whose graves are unknown. The memorial is located at the eastern exit of the town and marks the starting point for one of the main roads out of the town that led Allied soldiers to the front line.

A square prehistoric burial mound with an earthwork ditch and outer bank. It was named after a local goblin.

This site lies high on the gritstone moorlands of Harland Edge, above Beeley in the Peak District, reached from the nearest road by a stiff uphill walk of about 2km (1.25 miles).

Winster Market House was the first property to be acquired by the National Trust in the Peak District in 1906 for £50.

It's a lovely brick built listed building and on the first floor is an unmanned information room with interpretation panels detailing the history of the village and a scale model of Winster.

Elizabethan gabled manor house

Beautiful Elizabethan manor house restored by John Cadbury in 1936. Even though the interiors are unfurnished, the architecture and charm of the manor are still a sight to behold.

Surrounding farmland managed for landscape and wildlife has permissive access.

Wilderhope Manor is run by the Youth Hostel Association so there may be limited access to some rooms.

The most important prehistoric site of the East Midlands, Arbor Low is a Neolithic henge monument atmospherically set amid high moorland.

Within an earthen bank and ditch, a circle of some 50 white limestone slabs, all now fallen, surrounds a central stone ‘cove’ – a feature found only in major sacred sites. Nearby is enigmatic Gib Hill, a large burial mound. 

Built in the 1720s, Derwentcote is the earliest and most complete steel-making furnace in Britain.

It produced high-grade steel for springs and cutting tools.

It is one of the few complete examples of the cementation type of furnace, and is the last surviving piece of evidence of cementation steelmaking in the north-east.

Unstaffed open site, no booking required

Unstaffed open site, no booking required.

Discover the story of the Forest, in the heart of the Forest.

Boscobel House and its Royal Oak tree became famous as hiding places of King Charles II after defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Visitors can also see the dairy, farmyard, smithy and gardens.

World-famous Stone Circle

A world-famous stone circle and on-site museum at the heart of a prehistoric landscape. 

With its huge circular bank and ditch and inner circle of great standing stones, covering an area of over 28 acres, Avebury forms one of the most impressive prehistoric sites in Britain.

The Roman Baths is a favourite for children and their teachers to find out about the Romans and Roman Britain, and children can work with original Roman material..

One of the finest accessible examples of a Neolithic chambered tomb, with its multiple burial chambers open to view. Stoney Littleton is a chambered long barrow built during the Neolithic period (roughly 4000– 2500 BC).

Although this is the third largest collection of prehistoric standing stones in England, the three circles and three-stone 'cove' of Stanton Drew are surprisingly little-known. Recent surveys have revealed that they were only part of a much more elaborate ritual site. 

The transplanted stump of a medieval stone cross, once a meeting place for butter-sellers.

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