Heritage
Fantastic museums, amazing treasure houses, maritime
treats and Britain's largest collection of cathedrals - enjoy the Heritage of the East of England.
Time Travel East
Re-live the East of England's rich and turbulent history.
Explore a Neolithic flint mine at Grimes Graves
(nr. Brandon), then view the Bronze Age timber circle of Seahenge at the Lynn Museum (King's Lynn). Get a taste of ancient life at Flag Fen (Peterborough), or the West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village (nr. Bury St. Edmunds). Don't miss the famous royal burial site of Anglo-Saxon Kings at Sutton Hoo (nr. Woodbridge). For Roman times, head to Colchester Castle Museum to try on a toga, or ride aboard Queen Boudica's chariot in the Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery. Verulamium Museum at St. Albans has wonderful Roman mosaics. Whilst the Norman invasion of 1066 brought the region some spectacular castles, such as Castle Rising, Framlingham and Hedingham.
Check out our full listing of historic sites
Read our brief guide to the History of the Region
Gunpowder, Steam Trains and Jam
You will be spoilt for choice with our range of museums.
Learn about the region's former industries, such as medieval cloth at Lavenham Guildhall, lace-making at Bedford Museum, explosives at the Royal Gunpowder Mills (Waltham Abbey) and the art of jam-making at Tiptree. Our rich farming heritage is brought to life at the Museum of East Anglian Life (Stowmarket) and Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse (nr. Dereham).
Stockwood Discovery Centre in Luton has the UK's largest collection of
horse-drawn carriages. More transport treats with the classic cars of Stondon Museum (Lower Stondon), or the impressive working engines at the Museum of Power (nr. Maldon). All aboard for a steam train ride at the The Poppy Line (Sheringham), Colne Valley Railway (Castle Hedingham), Leighton Buzzard Railway and Nene Valley Railway (Peterborough) - or a trip on the ‘Gama Goat' at the military collection of Muckleburgh (nr. Sheringham).
The famous Fitzwilliam in Cambridge has world-class collections of art
and antiquities. For something out of the ordinary, ride on a horse simulator at Newmarket's National Horseracing Museum, try the medieval stocks for size at the Tales of the Old Gaol House (King's Lynn), seek out the gruesome Red Barn Murder relics at Moyses Hall Museum (Bury St. Edmunds), or come face-to-face with an extinct moa at The Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum in Tring.
Check out our full listing of museums and steam trains
Treasure Houses
Visit one of our historic houses, where you can wander through rooms full of family artefacts and priceless heirlooms. There are so many to choose from - the Jacobean gems of Audley End House (nr. Saffron Walden) and Blickling Hall (nr. Aylsham), the eccentric oval-shaped Ickworth (nr. Bury St. Edmunds) and 18th C. Woburn Abbey, home of the Dukes of Bedford. Hatfield House is where Queen Elizabeth I spent her childhood in the adjacent Old Palace. Whilst at Royal Sandringham (nr. King's Lynn), the present Queen has her country retreat. Palladian-style Holkham Hall forms part of a great agricultural estate. Turn back the clock at 15th C. Oxburgh Hall, or under the gaze of the gargoyles and turrets at Knebworth House (nr. Stevenage). Re-live Tudor times with the re-creations of Kentwell Hall (Long Melford).
Check out our full listing of historic houses
In the Footsteps of the Famous
Follow in the footsteps of our famous people. From Katherine of Aragon, Dick Turpin and John Bunyan, to Queen Boudica, Lord Nelson, John Constable, Benjamin Britten and Oliver Cromwell - they have all shaped our colourful history.
Check out our full listing of famous people
Visit one of our historic houses, where you can wander through rooms full of family artefacts and priceless heirlooms.
SeaEast
With 250 miles of coastline, the East of England is full of fascinating maritime connections to discover - famous mariners, museums, smugglers, lighthouses and lifeboats.
In Great Yarmouth, explore our rich fishing heritage at Time and Tide, then learn about the life and times of local Norfolk boy (and naval hero) Lord Nelson The seafaring treats of Harwich come alive at several museums in the town. Climb the lighthouses at Happisburgh or Southwold for great sea-views, or visit the impressive coastal fort at Tilbury The RNLI's most decorated lifeboatman is celebrated at The Henry Blogg Museum (Cromer). Explore the historic maritime towns of King's Lynn (once home of the Hanseatic League), Brightlingsea, Burnham-on-Crouch and Maldon, with its Thames Sailing Barges At Felixstowe, view the huge ships at the UK's largest container port, or head to the former herring fishing town of Lowestoft, where the Maritime Museum has courageous tales of those who have braved the North Sea.
Check out our full listing of maritime-related places to visit
Heavenly Treats
Come and visit Britain's largest collection of cathedrals. Discover their fine architecture, rousing music and quirky curiosities. Seek out the resting place of Britain's first Christian martyr in St. Albans, admire the new lantern tower at Bury St. Edmunds and explore the US connections at Chelmsford Bring your binoculars to view superb roof bosses at Norwich, climb Ely's 14th C. Octagon tower, then pay your respects in Peterborough at the tomb of Queen Katharine of Aragon.
Check out our full listing of cathedrals
The East of England is famous for its churches - they are one of the nation's great treasures. Look out for spectacular hammerbeam angel roofs (such as St. Wendreda's in March) and the famous round towered churches of Norfolk and Suffolk. In Essex, you can visit England's oldest Saxon church at Bradwell-on-Sea Whilst those at Saffron Walden, Worsted and Lavenham are superb mementoes to the wealth of the medieval cloth industry. Founded in 1441, magnificent King's College Chapel in Cambridge has the world's largest fan-vaulted ceiling.
Download our free Pick of the Churches information sheet
Stars and Stripes
Discover the East of England's strong associations with the USA.
Follow in the footsteps of the New World settlers, including Captain Bartholomew Gosnold - who in 1607, helped establish the first permanent English-speaking settlement in America. Explore the story of Norfolk-born John Rolfe, and his wife, the famous Native American princess Pocahontas. Visit the town of Harwich, home of Christopher Jones, Master of The Mayflower - the vessel which sailed the Pilgrim Fathers to the New World in 1620. Trace the descendants of five US Presidents, including George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Discover ‘The Friendly Invasion', when from 1942, the East of England became home to hundreds of US servicemen - and the big band sounds of Glenn Miller and his orchestra.
Download our free Stars and Stripes information sheet - a comprehensive guide to the region's connections with the USA - from it's founding to the present day.
