Walking the county towns
BIRMINGHAM
A market town in Shakespeare’s day, although even then with the use of coal from the North Warwickshire mines by the numerous smiths in the region. The Industrial Revolution caused a rapid expansion and Queen Victoria declared Birmingham a city and leading to it becoming one of the great industrial cities of the world The Cathedral Church of St Philip wasbuilt in 1715 in the English Baroque style by Thomas Archer
LEICESTER
One of the oldest cities in England, Leicester is built on the site of an old Roman settlement ‘Ratae Coritanorum’. In 1926 the parish church of St Martin’s was raised to Cathedral status . Following the discovery of Richard III remains on the site of Greyfriers Church he was re buried near the high alter in the Cathedral
OAKHAM
The name of this County town means ‘homestead’ or ‘hemmed in land’. All Saints Church has a 12th century Bible, and the spire built in the 14th century dominates distant views of the town. Only the Great banqueting hall of the Norman Oakham castle, which belonged to the Earl of Ferriers, remains intact, but is surrounded by earthworks representing the outer bailey of the castle
NORTHAMPTON
Lying on the River Nene, Northampton had tanneries built along the River banks and during the Civil War provided 1500 pairs of shoes for Cromwells forced, resulting in Charles II destroying its castle and town walls
BEDFORD
Founded at a ford and now straddling the River Great Ouse. Bedford is thought to be the burial place of King Offa of Mercia, builder of Offa’s Dyke on the Welsh Border. Bedford castle, built by Henry I was destroyed in 1224, the original Norman Castle is now only a mound. John Bunyan was a resident from 1655?until his death in 1688, although nearly a third of this time was spent in prison.
CAMBRIDGE
Evolving from a Roman town then Saxon settlement on a hill overlooking the River Cam, Grantcaster gradually evolved to be Cambridge. The University was first established in the 13th century the first true college Peterhouse being founded in 1284, by the Bishop of Ely. A major scientific research centre, the Cavendish Laboratory is where Rutherford split the atom and established the science of nuclear physics..