(by 3 people)
Best UK Literary Locations
The UK has inspired a huge amount of world-class literature ranging from Hamlet to Harry Potter.
This lens lists the best places to visit if you want to explore British Literary Culture in more detail
1) Stratford-upon-Avon
The town of Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of one of the most famous playwrights in the world, William Shakespeare.The town is devoted to Shakespeare and is home to the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company).
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust also conserves five houses directly linked to the bard, including Shakespeare's Birthplace and the house of Anne Hathaway (Shakespeare's wife). Tickets can be purchased to see the three houses in town, or all five.
2) Edinburgh
Edinburgh has long been a haven for wordsmiths. Famous residents have included the poet Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson (Kidnapped, Treasure Island), and more recently Irvine Welsh and JK Rowling.The city hosts the Edinburgh International Book Festival every year and it has been designated a UNESCO City of Literature
Edinburgh Literary Tours
- Edinburgh Book Lovers' Tour
- Edinburgh Literary Tours - Book Lovers' Tour & Literary Pub Crawl
- Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour
- Join the intrepid duo, Clart (as in muck!) and our clean-hankied intellectual McBrain, who will lead you on a brilliant and witty dramatic romp through the wynds, courtyards and pubs of Edinburgh's Old and New Town.
Edinburgh Guidebooks
The Literary Traveller in Edinburgh: A Book Lover's Guide to the World's First City of Literature
Amazon Price: $22.95 (as of 10/11/2008)
The Edinburgh Literary Companion
Amazon Price: $17.95 (as of 10/11/2008)
Pocket Map and Guide Edinburgh (EYEWITNESS POCKET MAP & GUIDE)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 10/11/2008)
Edinburgh (City Guide)
Amazon Price: $17.99 (as of 10/11/2008)
3) Rye
The seaside town of Rye in East Sussex has been a base for a host of writers. Perhaps the most famous of these was Henry James who lived in Lamb House for the last 18 years of his life and wrote The Awkward Age, The Wings of a Dove, The Ambassadors and The Golden Bowl within it's walls.Other notable authors who have lived and worked in Rye include Rumer Godden, EF Benson and Joan Aiken
Rye Tourist Information
- Visit Rye
- Visit Rye is the official tourist and local business website for Rye, East Sussex. Visit Rye provides information for visitors looking to stay, eat, shop and explore the maritime cinque port.
4) Jamaica Inn
Jamaica Inn, situated on the bleak Bodmin moors, inspired Daphne Du Maurier's book of the same name.It was built in 1750 as a coaching inn and was a popular haunt for tea and brandy smugglers who brought in 50% of their illegal wares via the Cornish and Devon coast. Today it is still a hotel and restaurant, although the clientele tends to be a little more respectable these days!
New YouTube vids
5) Hay-on-Wye
This small town in Wales is a mecca for bibliophiles. It boasts over thirty bookshops - most selling second-hand books and is home to one of the UK's most famous literary festivals - the Hay Festival. Hay-On-Wye Official Information
- Hay-on-Wye Official Website
- Hay-on-Wye - The Official website. Bookshops, Accommodation, Antiques, Business, Leisure Activities.
6) London
No UK literary list would be complete without London. The capital's influence on the nation's literature is immeasurable. Here are just a few of the must-see locations for booklovers:Foyles on Charing Cross Road
The Charles Dickens Museum
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Poet's Corner (Westminster Abbey)
British Library
Books about Literary London
Walking Literary London (Globetrotter Walking Guides)
Amazon Price: (as of 10/11/2008)
A Walk Through Charles Dickens' London
Amazon Price: (as of 10/11/2008)
A Reader's Guide to Writers' London
Amazon Price: $35.00 (as of 10/11/2008)
7) Haworth
The Brontes (Charlotte, Emily, Anne & Branwell) are one of the most notable families in British literature. They lived and wrote at Haworth Parsonage from 1820 to 1861.Haworth is a pretty village, set high on the bleak Pennine moors. Many of the settings for Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre can be found around the area.
Novels by the Bronte Sisters
Wuthering Heights (Bantam Classics)
Amazon Price: $4.95 (as of 10/11/2008)
Jane Eyre (Signet Classics)
Amazon Price: $4.95 (as of 10/11/2008)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Modern Library)
Amazon Price: (as of 10/11/2008)
8) The Lake District
The Lake District in Cumbria has been fertile ground for poets and writers since 1770 when William Wordsworth set up home at Dove Cottage.Other notables include Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Ruskin, Beatrix Potter and Arthur Ransome.
New YouTube vids
Britain's Best Breaks: Lake District: The Wordsworth Trust
Cumbria, with its mountains, fells and lakes is simply one huge visitor attraction where nature provides as many thrills as you can handle. You can enjoy cruises on the lakes, especially Windermere, trace the fascinating history of the region in a variety of innovative museums and galleries. You'll find old railways offering a return to the graceful age of steam, and exciting towns like Kendal, Penrith and Keswick packed with exciting places to visit and things to do. Details at www.britainsbestbreaks.tv
Runtime: 0:38
413 views
0 Comments:
9) Whitby
The ancient seaport of Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast is famed for it's association with Bram Stoker's masterpiece,Dracula.The town also features heavily in A.S. Byatt's Possession and GP Taylor's children's novel Shadowmancer.
Whitby Dracula Walks
- Whitby Walks - In Search of Dracula
- A chilling tour of Whitby's streets where Dracula stalked and vampires still do.
10) Lyme Regis
The last entry on the list is yet another coastal town, but this time on the South coast in Dorset.Jane Austen was a regular visitor to Lyme and used it for one of her settings in Persuasion. More recently John Fowles centred his novel, The French Lieutenant's Woman around this stunning location and later it was made into a film.
Novels inspired by Lyme Regis
The French Lieutenant's Woman (Vintage Classics)
Amazon Price: (as of 10/11/2008)
Persuasion (Penguin Classics)
Amazon Price: $6.00 (as of 10/11/2008)
Is there anywhere else you can think of?
Please add your comments and suggestions below!
|
confetta
YaY! Posted August 23, 2008 |
|
lisabeth
Hello UK. Its a shame for you that Stellar Wind 2012 is NOT for sale there yet. From what I have read on CAtherine BARBER's webpage...she tried to get it published there but...was rejected. Now, she's on her way to becoming a best selling author. check it out: Stellar Wind 2012..its all over the web!!! Posted May 25, 2008 |
|
|
ank
hi Meloramus, i really liked your lens.it is really informative especially for those who r book lovers because it gives information regarding Top 10 Places in the UK for Booklovers.i have also created a lens- Posted March 22, 2008 |
Lyme Regis has also been host to many other literary people. Notably, Henry Fielding, Tolkien and Beatrix Potter, amongst others. It is also known for its links with Whistler, who painted The Little Rose of Lyme and William Turner.
Posted August 11, 2007
10. Lyme Regis is also part of Thomas Hardy's Wessex. The cottage where he was born is open to th public.
Posted July 23, 2007
