Places alessandralee Wants to Go

A 19th-century British industrialist built this Louis XIII–inspired chateau for his homesick French wife.

The oldest residential street in Europe also features an optical illusion.

This window celebrates the role of tea, coffee, cocoa, and cotton in creating the fortune of the man who commissioned it.

This hidden 13th-century tavern room has a few Shakespearean connections.

Inside this magnificent 12th-century church is one of the finest carved wagon-roofs in all of England.

At the height of alum production at this factory, human urine was a valued commodity.

This whimsical, unique clock has been entertaining shoppers for well over 20 years.

This rare aquatic phenomenon is one of the more accessible tidal bores in Morecambe Bay.

A hidden gem in the middle of the city's infamous Jewelry Quarter.

This hill and tower are steeped in legend, from King Arthur to the Holy Grail.

Named after a lodging site that existed nearby, a bridge has existed at this location since 1455.

This museum is dedicated solely to this millennia-old handheld cooling device.

An ancient woodland that inspired a young J.R.R. Tolkien.

Above an abandoned Underground station, this charming bookstore is home to strange antiquities and literary works.

A creepy tree with a local legend that inspired a nearby theme park ride.

The ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian monastery can be found alongside World War II tank traps and pillboxes.

A well-studied colony of endangered bats roosts in this abandoned Victorian Gothic mansion.

Discovered on a shipwreck after more than 400 years, this Renaissance ratter tells a very waggly tale.

Cycle, walk, or run up and down on an old historic railway path.

What started as a way to address damp basement walls turned into a house filled with intricate hand-carved designs.

A legendary ghostly hound supposedly left dark marks on a place of worship.

The church is gone, but the graves and legends remain.

This mysterious chalk figure of a horse has been recreated and restored for more than a century.

Mysterious stone faces line a hidden path great for seeing wildflowers, bird watching, and rock climbing.