We live in the product of British history, to 'visit' it you simply have to look around. The influences of great architects and planners such as Parker & Unwin, Le Corbusier et al can be seen in many aspects of the built environment.
Of course, the iconic towns and cities which sparked great architectural and town planning revolutions, such as; Saltaire, Letchworth Garden City and Milton Keynes are accessible to all. Their importance may be unknown to many, even those who walk their streets every day. However, history unlocks a wonderfully fascinating world, the secret world which surrounds us.
Below is a list of hand picked destinations, some are free to visit, some may charge a small fee, but they all help to tell the captivating story of how we live today.
Acton Scott Historic Working Farm – “The Historic Working Farm offers a fascinating insight into rural life at the turn of the 19th century.”
Cromford Mill – “Cromford Mill, the world’s first successful water powered cotton spinning mill, was built in 1771 by Sir Richard Arkwright....Considered as a whole it presents a remarkable picture of an early textile factory complex.”
Masson Mills – “Sir Richard Arkwright’s 1783 Masson Mills at Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, England, are the finest surviving and best preserved example of an Arkwright cotton mill.”
Blists Hill Industrial Town - “Experience life as it was over 100 years ago through the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a recreated Victorian Town.”
Beamish, The Living Museum of the North - Beamish is a world famous open air museum, telling the story of life in North East England during the 1820s, 1900s & 1940s.
19 Princelet Street – A preserved 18th and 19th century London slum building.
Weild and Downland Open Air Museum – “A centre which rescues representative examples of vernacular buildings from the South East of England. The Museum also has good collections representing country crafts and industries, building trades and agriculture”.
Museum of Science and Industry – “From the heart of Manchester—the world’s first industrial city—we tell stories about ideas that change the world.”
Salt's Mill, Saltaire - The former textile mill is now an art gallery, shopping centre, and restaurant complex in Saltaire, Bradford, West Yorkshire
The East Lancashire Railway – Lancashire’s historic railway
Summerlee Industrial Museum – “Summerlee is the museum of Scottish industrial life and is based around the site of a 19th century ironworks.”
New Lanark – “The importance of New Lanark has been recognised by UNESCO as one of Scotland's six World Heritage Sites”
Barrowbridge, Bolton – “A former industrial village, Barrow Bridge was once the home of three mills, and one chimney still stands as a monument to the industrial past.”
Quarry Bank Mill – “One of Britain's greatest industrial heritage sites, showing how a complete industrial community lived.”
Port Sunlight Museum and Garden Village – “It is argued to be the finest surviving example of early urban planning in the UK.”