The Most Beautiful Country Towns of England

by Hugh Palmer

An inspirational tour and celebration of some of the most attractive small towns in the English countryside.

Complementing the best-selling The Most Beautiful Villages of England , Hugh Palmer has produced a stunning sequence of images of those ancient towns in which the true heart of England lies. All the places included here embody a long, preindustrial heritage; they are also communities of a well-preserved beauty, widely visited by travelers from all parts of the world.

Twenty-five of the most beguiling small towns of rural and seaside England are included. Here are market towns that have traditionally owed their importance and prosperity to the agricultural land surrounding them, towns that grew up by river crossings, small ports harboring both fishing and trading fleets, centers of religious activity, and even spas.

The whole of England is represented in Palmer's delightful photography and perceptive commentaries, revealing how history, site, and the availability of local building materials have combined to shape the appearance of towns in different parts of the country. Darker stones lend a slightly forbidding yet noble air to the towns of the north, such as Barnard Castle. The eastern counties have a wealth of ancient half-timbered architecture, punctuated by buildings in flint and limestone, while to the west lie the honey-colored streets and houses of the Cotswolds.

Here, too, are towns formed by their social and cultural contexts—the elegant Georgian and Victorian houses of Buxton, Derbyshire, reflecting its heyday as a fashionable spa; the imposing terraces in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, an expression of its importance as a market town and religious center with a magnificent abbey.

A Traveler's Guide, listing places to visit, to stay, and to eat, helps both armchair and actual travelers enjoy even more a visit to England's delightful countryside. 260 color photographs.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Art, British Literature

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 2005

About the author

Hugh Palmer is a leading photographer of landscape, architecture and gardens. His work has been published in many magazines, including Harpers & Queen, Country Life and World of Interiors. He has also carried out a host of other book commissions including The Secrets of Venice and many titles in Thames & Hudson's Most Beautiful Villages series.

Reviews

[Naomi Klinefelter]

crying

[Richard Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a sumptuously illustrated book of 25 English country towns and this merits the 3 stars. I had hoped for more, having been delighted by Alec Clifton-Taylor’s books on the English country towns. The narrative is brief to the point of being scant with nothing much to make it worth more than a quick scan. I suppose the book can be read with the books by Clifton-Taylor but.....

[Alyssa Bohon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge detailed pictures, minimal text noting local history and scenic highlights. A satisfactory light immersion in place. These are like mini mental health vacations, for those like me who don't have much opportunity to travel farther than the library, but have enough imagination to enjoy someone else's travels with a good camera and a fine publisher.

[Angela Incigneri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunningly beautiful but not many words. Does it qualify?

[Ruth Soz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I miss England! This is a great coffee table style (oversized) book with vivid pictures and nice detail about those country towns that you might miss if you were a first or second time visitor and didn't know any better.