South East
Counties: Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, the Isle if Wight, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, West Sussex.
Main cities and town: Oxford, Reading, Brighton and Hove, Guildford, Portsmouth, Milton Keynes, Slough and Southampton.
South East is the third largest region of England and the most populous. There are two major airports of the UK - Heathrow Airport (the UK's most busiest airport) and Gatwick Airport.
The river Thames flows through the region, and there can be found two national parks - the New Forest and the South Downs. South East has many famous places: the University of Oxford, Blenheim Palace, Windsor Castle, Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral are just some of them.
Buckinghamshire
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The county town of Buckinghamshire is Aylesbury /ˈeɪlzbəri/. Other large settlements include Marlow, Princes Risborough, while High Wycombe, Amersham, Chesham and the Chalfonts are the parts that are some of the most populated places.
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The origins of the name Buckinghamshire are Anglo-Saxon - it means The district (Scire) of Bucca's home. "Bucca's home" refers to a town Buckingham which was named after an Anglo-Saxon landowner.
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The county has had this name since the 12th century, even though the county has existed since it was a part of Mercia (585-919).
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Main places of interest: Claydon House, Hughendon Manor, Waddesdon Manor, Mentmore Towers, Bletchley Park.
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The Chiltern Hills that run through the south of Buckinghamshire attarct many tourists, walkers and cyclists from London.
Weddesdon Manor
EAST SUSSEX
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East Sussex used to be part of the historic county of Sussex which was established in the ancient kingdom of the South Saxons that date back to the 5th century AD.
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The county is full of chalk hills that run across the southern part of the county from west to east. One of the most popular landmarks of this kind is Beachy Head, along with the flats along Normans Bay and the South Downs.
Beachy Head
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East Sussex has a lot of castles: Bodiam, Herstmonceux, Lewes and Pevensey.
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Other places which deserve to be visited are Battle Abbey that was built to commemorate the Battle of Hastings; home of Rudyard Kipling - Bateman's; the Litlington White Horse, the Long Man of Wilmington, and Hammerwood Park among others.
Hampshire
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The abbreviated name of the county is Hants.
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Winchester is the county town which used to be England's capital city.
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Two largest cities of Hampshire are Southampton and Portsmouth.
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The name Hampshire has its origins from the city of Southampton that was known as Hamtun in Old English meaning "village-town".
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Hampshire dates back to Roman Britain but it was first recorded in the 11th century in Domesday Book.
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There are many museums in the county: the City Museum in Winchester (that shows the Iron Age until the Victorian period), the National Motor Museum, the Gilbert White museum, and many others.
West Sussex
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The county town of West Sussex and its only city is Chichester.
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There are seven districts: Worthing, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, Crawley, Mid Sussex and Adur.
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The name Sussex derived from the Old English meaning "South Saxons", even though the area of the county was inhabited many years before that.
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There have been various invasions since then. During the Roman period, West Sussex's indigenous Celtic tribe was conquered and the territory became a Roman province. The Saxons established the Kingdom of Sussex in 477 which lasted until c. 827 when it was annexed by Wessex.
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West Sussex has a big number of castles that includes Arundel Castle, Bramber Castle, as well as many stately homes - Goodwood, Uppark, Petworth House, etc.
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Other places of interest: Wakehurst Place, St Leonard's Forest, Tilgate Park, Chichester Cathedral, Bosham Church, etc.
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Kent
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The county town of Kent is Maidstone.
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The name Kent is said to be of British Celtic origin meaning "coastal district", "corner" or "land on the edge".
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The territory of Kent was settled by the Germanic people, mainly by the Jutes, after the withdrawal of the Romans. The area became known as Cantia, a Jutish kingdom in 730 and Cent in 835. The largest city of Kent was Canterbury.
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One of the most famous places of Kent is Canterbury Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in England. It has been the seat of the seat of the Archbishops of Canterbury since the 6th century, when England was converted into Christianity by St Augustine.
Canterbury Cathedral
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Interestingly, Kent played a major role in England's notable rebellions (e.g. Peasants' Revolt of 1381; Jack Cade's Kent rebellion of 1450; Wyatt's Rebellion of 1554 against Queen Mary I).
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There are two sites along Watling Street, which were fortified by the Romans and Normans. They are Richborough and Dover Castles.
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Other main places of interest include Canterbury city walls, Rochester Castle, three castles constructed in late medieval times - Deal, Walmer and Sandown Castles.
Oxfordshire
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Oxfordshire lies between the River Thames to the south and the Cotswolds to the west.
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The county consists of five districts: City of Oxford, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse nd West Oxfordshire. The main centres of population include the city of Oxford, Banbury, Kidlington, Witney, Thame, Didcot, Wantage and some others.
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Alfred the Great was born in this county - in Wantage, Vale of While Horse.
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One of the most popular destinations of Oxfordshire is, of course, the University of Oxford which was founded in 1096. The importance of the university grew during the Middle Ages.
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Other notable buildings to visit: the Sheldonian Theatre (1664-68), Blenheim Palace built by John Vanbrugh, Chastleton House, Mapledurham House (an Elizabethan stately home), the Abbey in Sutton Courtenay, the Uffington White Horse, etc.
Alfred the Great
University of Oxford
One of the most ancient universities located in the county of Oxfordshire is known worldwide. Interestingly, it's not just a simple university - it's a whole city. The arear of the university has many buildings, departments, cafes, restaurants, libraries and even bars. Click on Read More to learn about this amazing place!
Berkshire
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The county is abbreviated as Berks and its county town is Reading.
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There are six districts in Berkshire: West Berkshire, Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell Forest, Windsor and Maidenhead, Slough.
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Berkshire is particularly famous for the Windsor Castle, a royal residence that is owned by the British royal family.
Windsor Castle
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Throughout the history, the county has been the centre of some notable battles: Alfred the Great's campaign against Danes (the battles of Englefield, Ashdown and Reading), the First Battle of Newbury in 1643 and the Second one in 1644.
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Some of the famous natural sites include Swinley Forest, Windsor Great Park, Crowthorne and Stratfield Saye Woods. Other places of interest: Basildon Park, Bisham Abbey, Highclere Castle, the Living Rainforest, Shaw House, Welford Park, etc.
Surrey
/ˈsʌri/
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In the 5th and 6th centuries the county was conquered by Saxons, but in 825 it was absorpted by Wessex.
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One of the fortresses originally built by the Normans and which represent that era is Guildford Castle. Farnham Castle was built in the 12th century as a residence for the Bishop of Winchester. The first one later became one of the favourite residences of King Henry III.
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The 16th-century architecture in Surrey include the country houses of Loseley Park and Sutton Place, along with the Royal Grammar School founded in 1509.
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Runnymede is a popular destination famous for being the place of the sealing of the Magna Carta in 1215.
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Surrey is one of the most wooded counties in England. The most beautiful places include Box Hill, Leith Hill with its tower, Frensham Ponds, etc.
Runnymede
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The largest towns of Surrey are Glidford /ˈɡɪlfərd/, Woking /ˈwoʊkɪŋ/, Ewell /ˈjuːəl/, Camberley /ˈkæmbərliː/ .
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The county appeared in some literary works - e.g. Jane Austen's novel "Emma" is set in the fictional town of Highbury, Surrey; as well as in films, e.g. The Holiday and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
Isle Of Wight
/waɪt/
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It is a second-most populous island in England located in the English Channel, 2-5 miles off the coast of Hampshire.
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For many years the island was the pagan Kingdom of Wihtwara settled by the Jutes. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, the island was owned by William Fitz Osbern who became the Lord of the Isle of Wight. Carisbrooke Priory and the fort of Carisbrooke Castle were founded at that time.
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Queen Victoria spent her childhood holidays on the island. The she made Osborne House her winter home and thanks to that the isle became a fashionable destination for holidays.
Queen Victoria
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The accent of the Isle of Wight's inhabitants is similar to the traditional dialect of Hampshire.
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The position of the island caused the construction of three prisons that exist to this day: Albany, Camp Hill and Parkhurst.
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Other places of interest: Branding Roman Villa, the Needles (a row of three stacks of chalk), Quarr Abbey, Yarmouth Castle, etc.
landmarks
Bodiam Castle
- This is a castle built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge and located in East Sussex, near Robertsbridge.
- Bodiam Castle was constructed to defend and protect England's south from the French during the Hundred Years' War.
- Starting from 1641, during the English Civil War, the castle was sold by its keeper Lord Thanet in order to pay his bills. After that, Bodiam Castle was subsequently dismantled and became a picturesque ruin.
- The following years the castle was under restoration and not long ago became open to visitors.
- Even though the exterior of Bodiam Castle was well restored, The interior is ruinous. However, it is possible to see the whole plan of the castle inside which represents an ideal medieval castle
Claydon House
- This is a country house located in the Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire.
- Since 1620 Claydon has been home of the Verney family. There are many memorials to the family in the church of All Saints that is near the house.
- Sir Edmund Verney was one of the popular inhabitants of the house. He was chief standard bearer (a flag-bearer) to King Charles I during the English Civil War and he was killed while defending the standard. It is believed that his ghost is haunting the house now.
- Nowadays, the Verney family is still living in the house in the red-brick south wing, but it is anyway open to the public. It is available to see all the interiors and explore the yards and gardens.
Blenheim Palace
- Located in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, it is the only non-royal country house in England that holds the title of palace, which was build between 1705 and 1722.
- The palace was named so after the 1704 Battle of Blenheim and it was going to be a reward to John Churchill for his military triumphs against the French and Bavarians in the War of the Spanish Succession.
- The construction began in 1705 with financial support of Queen Anne, but then this support was canceled. That's how the construction continued for more than a decade.
- Blenheim Palace is particularly notable because it was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.
- Nowadays, the palace remains the house of the Dukes of Marlborough and is open to the public, as well as the palace's gardens and park.
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