Brindley Place red brick church building reflected in water. West Midlands landmark buildings redevelopment in historic city centre reflection in stream. Birds and clouds in sky.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Midlands & the Marches

If you're searching for quintessentially English countryside – green valleys, chocolate-box villages of wonky black-and-white timbered houses, woodlands steeped in legend such as Nottinghamshire's Sherwood Forest, and stately homes that look like the last lord of the manor just clip-clopped out of the stables – you'll find it here in the country's heart.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Chatsworth House
Peak District
Known as the 'Palace of the Peak', this vast edifice 3 miles northeast of Bakewell has been occupied by the earls and dukes of Devonshire for centuries…
Hereford Cathedral
The Midlands & the Marches
After Welsh marauders torched the original Saxon cathedral, the Norman rulers of Hereford erected a larger, grander cathedral on the same site. The…
King Richard III: Dynasty, Death & Discovery
The Midlands & the Marches
Built following the incredible 2012 discovery and 2013 DNA testing of King Richard III's remains, Leicester's high-tech King Richard III visitor centre…
Morgan Motor Company
The Midlands & the Marches
Morgan has been handcrafting elegant sports cars since 1909. You can see the mechanics at work on two-hour guided tours of the unassuming shedlike…
Library of Birmingham
Birmingham
Resembling a glittering stack of gift-wrapped presents, the Francine Houben–designed Library of Birmingham is an architectural triumph. The 2013-opened…
Shakespeare's New Place
Stratford-upon-Avon
When Shakespeare retired, he swapped the bright lights of London for a comfortable town house at New Place, where he died of unknown causes in April 1616…
Shakespeare's Birthplace
Stratford-upon-Avon
Start your Shakespeare quest at the house where the renowned playwright was born in 1564 and spent his childhood days. John Shakespeare owned the house…
Barber Institute of Fine Arts
Birmingham
At the University of Birmingham, 3 miles south of the city centre, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts has an astonishing collection of Renaissance…