English National Monuments
- England is home to a large number of ancient sites and historic monuments.uk flag image by kolesn from Fotolia.com
England is one of four countries making up the United Kingdom, the others being Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is a country with a long history that has been populated by various groups of people for the past 35,000 years. As such, it is home to a large number of ancient sites and historic monuments of national importance. - Stonehenge is in the county of Wiltshire.Stonehenge image by Juan Ordaz from Fotolia.com
Located in the county of Wiltshire, Stonehenge is perhaps the most famous of prehistoric English monuments. The structure was built in three phases between approximately 3100 B.C and 1600 B.C., making it over 5,000 years old, which is older than the pyramids of Egypt. The purpose of Stonehenge remains a mystery, although theories exist that it may have been used for astronomical purposes, funeral rites, ancestor worship and even human sacrifices. It may have served a number of purposes down through the centuries. In 1986, Stonehenge was designated as a World Heritage Site, along with the nearby Avebury Henge monument, another prehistoric monument built during roughly the same time period as Stonehenge.
Stonehenge
Wiltshire SP4 7DE
United Kingdom
011-44-0870-333-1181
stonehenge.co.uk - Hadrian's Wall was built in A.D. 122.Hadrian"s Wall Six image by Ben Groves from Fotolia.com
Built as a frontier fortification in A.D. 122, Hadrian's Wall represented the northern most border of the Roman Empire at the time of construction. It was one of two such walls built by the Romans, the other being the Antonine Wall, which was constructed 20 years later. Hadrian's Wall is approximately 73 miles long and runs coast to coast, just south of the Scottish border from Bowness on Solway, just west of Carlisle, through Newcastle to the Roman fort, Arbeia, in South Shields. The Romans also constructed ditches, milecastles and forts that housed Roman soldiers along the wall. The purpose of the wall was to mark the edge of Roman territory, control who crossed the border, and to protect Roman territory south of the frontier from the northern "barbarians." Hadrian's Wall was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1987.
Hadrian's Wall Heritage Ltd.
East Peterel Field
Dipton Mill Road
Hexham
Northumberland NE46 2JT
United Kingdom
011-44-0143-460-9700
hadrians-wall.org - The Tower of London was built during the reign of William the Conqueror.The Tower, London image by Elzbieta Sekowska from Fotolia.com
Like Big Ben, the Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, with its distinctive four turrets reaching toward the sky, is an English architectural icon. It is a protected national monument that was built during the reign of William the Conqueror in the 1070s, and has housed the Crown Jewels since 1303. During its long history, the Tower has been a fortress, palace and prison. Two wives of Henry VIII--Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Katherine Howard--were executed on the grounds, and Queen Elizabeth I was imprisoned here in 1554 by her half-sister, Queen Mary I.
The Tower of London
London EC3N 4AB
United Kingdom
011-44-20-3166-6000
hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon
