TRAVEL TRADE BUYER’S GUIDE 2019-2020 Supported by VisitBritain and VisitEngland through the Discover England Fund. CONTENTS 04 12 Introduction Fountains Abbey and 06 Studley Royal Water Gardens Lake District National Park 14 08 Saltaire Hadrian’s Wall 16 10 Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City Durham Castle & Cathedral 18 Getting there and around 4 Introduction Introduction 5 ELCOME TO ENGLAND’S WORLD HERITAGE STORY This guide provides you with a source of information on Northern England’s six UNESCO World Heritage sites. England’s Northern World Heritage These itineraries have been is a deep and rich one – one of developed in close conjunction the greatest stories ever told. with Mountain Goat (mountain- It’s a tale of mighty emperors, goat.com), a local company that ancient mystics, poetic dreamers has operated a wide range of tour and four lads from Liverpool that experiences and services in the changed the world. It’s a story that Lake District, Yorkshire your guests can experience for and beyond since 1972. As well as themselves at close quarters with an experienced operator, Mountain these carefully curated itineraries. Goat are a versatile and flexible These are journeys through the destination management company history, culture, countryside and that offer a range of touring communities of Northern England. services including luxury, private, Here they can experience first- bespoke tours, short breaks and hand the extraordinary cultural packages that are readily tailored significance of six World Heritage to a customer’s needs. Sites and get a lasting flavour of Northern England’s superb We hope this guide inspires you collection of landscapes, urban and your organisation to do more spaces, accommodations and business in Northern England. dining options – all with a strong Please contact the team if you dollop of legendary northern need help with accommodation warmth that will linger long information and support to beyond their return home. build itineraries. englandsworldheritagestory.com [email protected] +44 (0)1539 822 222 6 Lake District National Park Lake Lake District District National National ParkPark 7 AKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK Beauty takes its time. In this case, 500 million years. But the result is a landscape of mountains, lakes and tarns that has long since bewitched poets and painters; beguiled walkers, hikers and nature lovers; and inspired the birth of the conservation movement, with the understanding that beautiful landscapes restore the human spirit. Basically, modern tourism was invented in the Lake District. In the 18th century the Lake fashioned farming practices, all of District was ‘discovered’ by the which are still in evidence today. creative community, particularly Consistent preservation efforts have the Romantics like Wordsworth, ensured that much of the landscape Coleridge and Southey – collectively you see today – the stone-walled known as ‘the Lake Poets’ – who fields and rugged farm buildings in treated the landscape as a source their spectacular natural backdrop of sublime inspiration and copper- – is as the 18th-century poets fastened their conviction that would have seen them. communion with nature could The spread of industrialisation solve all human problems. and the beauty of the Lake District But the Lake District is much inspired 19th century campaigners more than just beautiful lakes and to protect ‘open spaces,’ which later towering peaks. It is a cultural gave rise to the National Trust and landscape of profound significance inspired the pioneers of national – from ancient slate mines to parks in countries throughout traditional stone walls and old- the world. Did you know? One of the best-known campaigners for conservation in the Lake District was Beatrix Potter, who lived in the area and bred her own flock of native Herdwick sheep – and her commitment to conservation brought her to be a co-founder of the National Trust. 8 Hadrian’s Wall Hadrian’s Wall 9 ADRIAN’S WALL Hadrian’s Wall is a perfect example of Roman forward-thinking, planning, tenacity and power. Begun in AD 122 in the reign of the emperor Hadrian, this impressive defensive fortification is the most important monument of Roman Britain. It ran from the banks of the River Tyne in the east to the Solway Firth in the west, spanning 73 miles before continuing down the Cumbrian Coast to Ravenglass and was the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire. A significant portion of the wall • Chester’s Roman Fort and Museum still stands today, along with many The best-preserved Roman cavalry fort of the forts, milecastles and turrets. in Britain. Explore a Roman bath-house A popular way to visit is on foot complex and a Victorian-style museum along the Hadrian’s Wall Path full of incredible finds. National Trail - a long-distance • Housesteads Roman Fort footpath running from coast to Take in breath-taking panoramic views coast. Other highlights include: and wander the most complete example • Corbridge Roman Town of a Roman Fort anywhere in Britain. Walk along a Roman high street • Birdoswald Roman Fort and don’t miss the Corbridge Hoard – The best place to see the longest one of the most significant finds continuous stretch of the wall today. from Roman Britain. Don’t miss the Roman fort, turret and milecastle too. Did you know? Hadrian’s Wall was the main area of operations for the ‘Border Reivers,’ raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Their ballads and their words are now common in the English language such as “bereave” and “blackmail. Greenmail was the proper rent you paid, blackmail was “protection money”! Presidents Andrew Jackson, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon are all descendants of border reivers, as was Neil Armstrong, who visited the area the year after he walked on the moon. 10 Durham Castle & Cathedral Durham Castle & Cathedral 11 URHAM CASTLE & CATHEDRAL Two of the greatest monuments of the Norman Conquest of Britain face each other in a dramatic setting on a narrow peninsula in one of England’s most attractive medieval towns. Durham Cathedral, built between 1093 and 1133, is one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Europe – and the first European cathedral to be roofed with stone-ribbed vaulting, which allowed for the construction of the pointed transverse arches and hey presto! the Gothic style of architecture was born. The site is also outstanding It’s also the final resting place because of its political history: of St Cuthbert, the saint whose The castle and cathedral reflect place of burial has been a place the unique status of the Prince- of pilgrimage for over 1500 years; Bishops of Durham. The Prince- and the Venerable Bede, the 7th Bishops were religious leaders century scribe who is credited as who also had secular powers the ‘inventor of England’ and the — they governed a virtually father of English history. autonomous state that formed the buffer zone between England and Scotland from the late 11th century until 1603. Did you know? In the Middle Ages, anyone who’d fallen foul of a court judgement could bang the main knocker and ask for 37 days’ sanctuary in the cathedral before having to serve their sentence. 12 Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens 13 OUNTAINS ABBEY AND STUDLEY ROYAL WATER GARDENS Studley Royal is one of the few great 18th-century gardens to survive pretty much in its original form and is one of the most spectacular water gardens in England. The landscape garden is an outstanding example of the development of the ‘English’ garden style throughout the 18th century, which influenced the rest of Europe. It was designed around the equally The remainder of the estate is no less spectacular ruins of Fountains Abbey, one significant. At the west end of the estate of the few Cistercian houses to survive is the transitional Elizabethan/Jacobean from the 12th century and providing an Fountains Hall, partially built from unrivalled picture of a great religious reclaimed abbey stone. With its distinctive house in all its parts. Together, they’re a Elizabethan façade enhanced by a formal glorious picture of pastoral elegance and garden with shaped hedges, it is an the most visited of all of the National outstanding example of its period. Trust’s pay-to-enter properties. Did you know? The creator of Studley Royal was John Aislabie, a politician who was directly involved in the scandalous South Sea Bubble of 1719. The revelations of his involvement led to his resignation and imprisonment for corruption. Upon his release, he retired to Studley and devoted the rest of his life to the development of the gardens. 14 Saltaire Saltaire 15 ALTAIRE Saltaire is a complete and well-preserved industrial village created in 1851 by industrialist, philanthropist (and teetotaller), Titus Salt for the maximum benefit of his workers. The architectural and engineering Its textile mills, public buildings quality of the complete ensemble, and workers’ housing are built comprising the exceptionally large in a harmonious style of high and unified Salt’s Mill buildings architectural standards and the and the New Mill; the hierarchical urban plan survives intact, giving employees’ housing, the a vivid impression of Victorian Dining Room, Congregational philanthropic paternalism, which in Church, almshouses, hospital, turn had a profound influence on school, institute and Roberts Park – developments in industrial social all built in a 25-year building spree. welfare and urban planning in the United Kingdom and beyond – including Italy and the United States. Did you know? When Salts Mill opened in 1853, it was the biggest factory in the world. 3000 workers toiled away at 1200 looms, producing 30,000 yards of cloth every single day. Today part of the old factory is home to the world’s largest permanent collection of art by David Hockney, who is from the area.