Steve's World Blog Information and articles on cities, towns and villages around the world.

April 6, 2012

Sherborne Dorset

Filed under: England,History,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , — needahand @ 2:26 pm

Sherborne Dorset – Sherborne is a small town in the county of Dorset in southern England, located on the River Yeo, 6 kilometres from the town of Yeovil (Somerset). Sherborne had 9,350 inhabitants in 2001, it is in the District of West Dorset and has a variety of historic buildings and schools, the best known of which is Sherborne School. The town takes its name from scir burne (Old English) as “a clear river source”. Origins of the town date back to the 7th Century, Sherborne was an important town and religious centre of Wessex, one of the seven kingdoms of England. Saxonian King Alfred’s older brothers Athelbald of Wessex and Athelberht of Wessex are buried in the abbey  (Sherborne Abbey). Sherborne is located close to Dorset’s border with Somerset, to the east of Yeovil and to the north of Dorchester. Sherborne is the 9th largest town in Dorset.

See a map of Dorset here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/dorset-map.html

Dorking Surrey

Filed under: England,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , , , — needahand @ 11:52 am

Dorking Surrey – Dorking is a town in England, below the North Downs in Surrey, about 40 kilometres south of London. The town has 17,000 inhabitants and belongs to the district of Mole Valley. Dorking began as a small postal station on Stane Street, the Roman road from London to Chichester. In the 11th Century, this Surrey town was listed in the Domesday Book as the Manor of Dorchinges. The landlords were the Dukes of Norfolk, who lived in Dorking, until they moved to Arundel. In the Middle Ages, Dorking, was a prosperous agricultural market, which benefited from its location on a variety of important roads. In 1750 the building of the Turnpike Road made Dorking a post station on the way to Brighton and the coast. This position was lost with the construction of the railway. Dorking is situated south of the town of Leatherhead and west of the town of Reigate, in the county of Surrey.

View a map of Dorking, Surrey here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/dorking-map.html

April 5, 2012

Harlow Essex

Filed under: England,History,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , — needahand @ 3:25 pm

Harlow Essex – Harlow is a town in Essex in south-east England. It was created in 1947 as a New Town from the towns of Harlow, Great Parndon, Latton, Little Parndon and Netteswell and today with some 80,000 inhabitants, is one of the largest north-eastern suburbs of London. Administratively, Harlow is both a town and district in Essex. Harlow was the first British town, which was equipped with a pedestrian zone in the town, also here in 1951 was the first residential tower in the country, now a listed building. Harlow is located approximately 30 km northeast of London’s city centre. It has a highway access to the M11 (London-Cambridge) and a station on the London-Cambridge line.The Harlow area has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, in Parndon was found an axe, which was dated to about 6000 BC. The place name Harlow indicates a foundation by the Anglo-Saxons. Harlow was in the Magna Carta and was mentioned as a typical rural village. Harlow is situated to the north-west of Chelmsford and also to the north-west of Brentwood.

View a map of Harlow, Essex here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/harlow-map.html

Northallerton North Yorkshire

Filed under: England,Travel,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , , , — needahand @ 10:32 am

Northallerton North Yorkshire – Northallerton is a market town and civil parish of England in the district of Hambleton, North Yorkshire . It is in the Mowbray Valley and its population amounts to about 16,000 people. It was formerly the capital of the North Riding of Yorkshire, and since 1974 it has become part of North Yorkshire. The region has been inhabited since Roman times, but the town has gained importance only since the 11th  century when William II of England gave the land to the Bishop of Durham. Under the authority of the bishop, Northallerton became a major religious centre. It is also located in the heart of the conflict between the kingdoms of England and Scotland, notably at the Battle of the Standard, in 1138, during which 12,000 men were killed. More recently trade and transport have taken on new importance in the town. Its location on the main road between Scotland and London makes an important stop for buses that travel the route. Northallerton is quite close to the North Yorks Moors and is a good base for touring this popular area, it is roughly midway between Darlington and Thirsk (location of the famous racecourse) and is about thirty two miles from York.

See a Northallerton, Yorkshire map here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/northallerton-map.html

Find more UK maps here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk

Catterick North Yorkshire

Filed under: England,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , , — needahand @ 9:14 am

Catterick North Yorkshire – Catterick is a village and civil parish in the district of Richmondshire in North Yorkshire, England. It dates back to Roman times, when Cataractonium was a Roman fort protecting the crossing of the Great North Road and Dere Street, over the River Swale. It has 2,743 inhabitants (2001). Around the year AD 600, Catterick was the scene of a battle between the Britons and the Angles of Bernicia, recounted in the poem Y Gododdin. Catterick was then the seat of the kingdom of Rheged. North-west of Catterick is the well known Catterick Racecourse a flat and National Hunt horse racing circuit. Catterick is situated just off the A1 motorway between Richmond and Bedale, it is about 43 miles from York.

View a map of Catterick, North Yorkshire here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/catterick-map.html

April 4, 2012

Herne Bay Kent

Filed under: England,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , — needahand @ 6:05 pm

Herne Bay Kent – Herne Bay is a coastal town in north-eastern Kent in England, United Kingdom. It is part of the Canterbury district and has a population of about 35,000 inhabitants. The town is situated at the estuary of the River Thames 7 km north of the city of Canterbury and 2 km east of the town of Whitstable. The seafront of Herne Bay houses a clock tower built in 1837. Until 1978, Herne Bay had the second longest pier in the UK. The town of Herne Bay began as a small port that received goods and passengers from London en route to Canterbury and Dover. The town then developed as a spa town since the early 19 th century after construction by investors of its pier and promenade.

See a Kent map here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/kent-map.html

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