From mysterious stone circles to magnificent castles, Britain is an entrancing mixture of ancient-age history and contemporary innovation. Experience its legacy first-hand on one of our bookable small-group adventures – authentic Epic Trips or compact Mini Trips are available – to experience it first-hand!
Looking to uncover some of Stonehenge’s mysteries or simply behold its beauty, this incredible monument should not be missed.
Stonehenge
Stonehenge, one of several Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments and cemeteries located on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, consists of a circular banked enclosure with an internal ditch – making up part of over 350 Neolithic and Bronze Age henges and stone circles in Britain.
Sarsen stones, with their horseshoe-shaped formation and unique carved weapons thought to have been made by those living nearby at the time of construction, stand out as rare megalithic monuments in Britain.
No one is sure why Stonehenge was built, though its construction may have held religious significance to Druids (Celtic priests). Today, its surrounding features–Avenue and Southern Circle at Woodhenge as well as Durrington Walls South Henge Circle–have been declared UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982, is an ancient building with captivating features that tell stories of faith and history. Crypts, stained-glass windows and choir performances add further beauty.
Medieval Europe was marked by an immense religious enthusiasm that resulted in magnificent buildings like Canterbury Cathedral soaring skyward with their grandeur and beauty. One such large-scale example was seen at Oxford.
Medieval pilgrims visiting it would have been stunned by its size and beauty; pilgrims would pay for the privilege of viewing, taking home pewter flasks filled with holy water said to contain Becket’s blood for as a souvenir.
Canterbury became an even greater pilgrimage site when Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury who had been murdered years earlier, was canonized and his shrine moved to an ornate new building in 1220. Pilgrims brought silver wire from home as offerings and prayers were also recorded requesting miracles from Becket.
Roman Baths
The Roman Baths are an exceptional historic site that reflect both Roman and British cultures, as well as how Roman plans and ideas influenced British society.
Discovering the baths is like entering another world. Walk through their temple and bathing complex while visualizing what life was like for people who used to visit; even view its original spring that provides hot water!
This spring was dedicated to Sulis Minerva, a Romano-Celtic goddess associated with healing and sacred waters. Over time, people traveled far and wide to soak up its waters and pray at these Baths.
There were various rooms at Roman baths, from caldarium (a large plunge pool) and laconium (a hot room where people could sit and sweat) to natatio (a swimming pool), all housing waters containing forty-three different minerals that produced constant series of bubbles. Since Romans didn’t use soap, they would use olive oil as an antiseptic before leaping into warm water to cleanse themselves before using strigils (an instrument for scraping off excess oil and dirt from their bodies) after bathing was complete.
Tower of London
The Tower of London is an amazingly magnificent castle, fortress, prison and palace that has been constantly modified over time. Now visitors can tour many of its towers as exhibits; one such exhibit features armor from around Europe called the Line of Kings.
Yeoman Warders or Beefeaters have long stood guard at the Tower, providing centuries of protection. This fortress originally served as home for medieval kings who worshiped at Chapel Royal and hosted foreign rulers during ceremonial occasions.
Later it served as England’s main prison; people considered threats to national security were held here – such as two of Henry VIII’s wives (Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard) as well as Lady Jane Grey and Guy Fawkes – the man responsible for trying to blow up Parliament with gunpowder were locked up here.
