50 Famous Landmarks in England for Your Bucket List

Here’s my guide to 50 famous landmarks in England. There is such a wealth of great English landmarks with so much history, heritage and natural beauty crammed into a relatively small country.

In this article I show you over 50 of the country’s most famous treasures, from ancient stone circles to modern skyscrapers and natural wonders to some of the most famous buildings in the world. 

I have visited all of these landmarks – in some cases countless times – and hope you can get to see many of them for yourself.

There aren’t many more famous landmarks in England than the Queen’s official London residence, Buckingham Palace.

Many visitors make a beeline for it to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony, a free peek at the pomp and pageantry that surrounds the British Royal Family.

The State Rooms of the Royal Palace are also open to visitors ten weeks a year, and there are plans to open the Gardens at the rear of the Palace in the near future as well.

The area around the Palace is off limits to buses, so you’ll need to make a short but very enjoyable walk through one of the Royal Parks or along The Mall to get there. 

St Paul’s is another of the top few most famous London landmarks, the symbol of London’s rebirth after the 1666 Great Fire and also the city’s spirit of resilience as it survived the London Blitz.

Its great dome still dominates the western end of the City of London, and provides an outstanding viewpoint to survey the ever-changing cityscape. Don’t miss the interior, Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, with its lavish golden arches and sculpture the high point of English Baroque.   

See also: The Best Churches In London To Visit 

Tower Bridge is undoubtedly the best-known of the Thames bridges in London, spanning the river close to the Tower of London. Its design – a combined suspension and bascule bridge – is unique, with a central section that can be raised allowing tall vessels to pass through.

It’s also something of a Victorian Gothic fantasy, like a castle with spires and turrets on a river, straight out of a fairytale. The excellent Tower Bridge Experience takes you behind the scenes to show you how it all works and the view from the top.  

See Also: 20 of the Most Beautiful Bridges In Europe 

The most popular of many squares in London,  Trafalgar Square is right in the centre of London, a few metres from the plaque from which distances from the city are measured. 

It’s a traditional gathering place for concerts and protests, and is home to several of the most famous landmarks in London. These include the National Gallery, St Martin in the Fields Church, Sir Edwin Landseer’s bronze lions and Nelson’s Column surveying the whole endlessly busy scene from high above.  

Piccadilly Circus is a busy junction between two of the most famous streets in London, Shaftesbury Avenue and Piccadilly.

It’s a popular gathering place, especially among tourists, beneath two well-known landmarks of London – the winged figure of Anteros (often mistakenly called Eros) on the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain and the giant plasma screens constantly playing adverts and short films. 

The oldest of the famous landmarks in London, the Tower of London was built in the immediate aftermath of the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The formidable central White Tower was completed in 1078, the keep of the whole Castle complex, with outer walls added subsequently. One of the great icons of London, it’s home to the Beefeaters, or Yeomen Warders, ceremonial palace guards and tour guides.

Tower of London highlights include the simple St John’s Chapel in the White Tower and the Crown Jewels. 

Westminster Abbey is the nearest thing there is to a national church of England.

It’s the venue of royal coronations, some royal weddings and state funerals, and id the burial place of many English monarchs and great figures from British life. 

This Gothic masterpiece had its finishing touches, including the west front towers, added in the 18^th century. It is crammed with British history and visiting Westminster Abbey – especially if you happen to be visiting on a relatively quiet winter weekday – is one of the most rewarding things to do in London.  

Windsor Castle, just to the west of Greater London, is the largest Castle in the United Kingdom, and the Queen’s regular retreat from London.

 It started out as a defensive castle built by William the Conqueror in the years after his successful 1066 invasion of England. Over the centuries it became a popular palatial residence for monarchs including Henry VIII.

Most of the medieval Castle was remodelled in the 19^th century, including the dominant 12th century Round Tower, the highest point in the Castle. St George’s Chapel, in the Lower Ward, is a supreme example of the late Gothic English Perpendicular style (see also King’s College Chapel, Cambridge). 

Stonehenge is one of the most iconic landmarks in England, and possibly the most famous prehistoric stone circle in the world.

It’s estimated to be around 5,000 years old, and built with great sophistication, so that the sun rises behind the Heel Stone and into the main circle on the summer solstice, June 21^st.

Recent research strongly suggests that the site may have been partly moved from the Preseli Hills in West Wales, where a monument with exactly the same configurations has been discovered.  

The University of Cambridge is one of the most famous places in England, and King’s College Chapel easily its best-known landmark.

The College – and Chapel – were founded by King Henry VI in the mid-15^th century, but progress on the latter was hindered by the Wars of the Roses, during which he was deposed. He intended it to be as magnificent as a Cathedral, and his successors, including Tudor Kings Henry VII and Henry VIII certainly accomplished this.

It’s one of the most beautiful churches in England, and up there with the Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey as one of the high points of the unique English Perpendicular style. 

Gold Hill is one of the prettiest streets in England, and is well-known to Brits of a certain vintage as the setting for a 1970s TV advert for Hovis bread.

A boy pushes his bread-laden bike up the improbably steep cobbled street to the tune of Dvorak’s New World Symphony. The ad agency and director couldn’t find a suitable Yorkshire location, and went with Gold Hill, in Shaftesbury, over 200 miles to the south. It’s British viewers’ favourite TV advert of all time.

The street looks exactly the same with its thatched cottages on one side and Abbey ramparts on the other.  

One of the finest natural landmarks of England, this winding limestone gorge in the western county of Somerset is the highest in England, its cliffs rising 450 feet.

One of the most enjoyable things to do in Cheddar Gorge is to climb it and soak up the views from the clifftops – you can climb both sides.

Down below, you can also visit Gough’s Cave, where the unfortunate Cheddar Man, a poor soul who perished painfully 9,000 years ago, was discovered in 1903.  A must see if you’re heading for the West Country. 

The city of Bath is home to several famous English landmarks, including the Royal Crescent, perhaps the grandest street in England. Royal Crescent is a curve of thirty splendid townhouses designed and built by John Wood the Younger between 1767 and 1775, and it overlooks a vast lawn and Royal Victoria Park below.

The Museum at No 1 Royal Crescent gives you a glimpse into life in Bath during its late 18^th century Georgian heyday. The Crescent is a very short walk from The Circus, one of the finest squares in Europe.   

Wells Cathedral in Somerset is one of the most famous landmarks of England and one of its greatest medieval churches. It’s surrounded by the most complete Cathedral precincts in the country, including the fortified Bishops’ Palace and the Vicar’s Close, one of the best-preserved medieval streets in Europe.

The Cathedral itself has a stunning west front, an open -air gallery of outstanding medieval statuary and inside, a striking scissor-arch supporting the central tower. 

See Also:10 Best Things To Do In Wells Somerset and The Most Underrated Cities In Europe  

The village of Ironbridge, its Gorge (through which the River Severn flows) and the nearby village of Coalbrookdale are considered one of the cradles of the 18th century Industrial Revolution in England.

Abraham Darby refined the technique of smelting iron ore with coke in a blast furnace to produce pig iron in the early 1700s, but died young, aged 39, in 1717. His work was continued by his son, Abraham Darby II and grandson Abraham Darby III, exploiting the area’s coal, limestone and iron ore. The latter was responsible for the Iron Bridge – the world’s first cast-iron bridge – which was completed in 1781.  

Hampton Court is one of two – the other being St James’s in central London – surviving Palaces from the portfolio of King Henry VIII. The first part you see is the Tudor wing,  given to the King by Cardinal Wolsey in 1529. Much of the Tudor original was destroyed by King William III who was intent of rivalling Louis XIV’s Palace at Versailles.

It’s certainly one of the most striking Baroque buildings in Britain, with a splendid formal garden. It’s one of the best-known landmarks in Britain, and a great family day out. 

Hampton Court Palace is one of the most famous tourist attractions to visit as a day trip from London.

Gloucester is a fairly workaday city but for its wondrous Cathedral, built over 500 years and spanning Romanesque, Gothic and Perpendicular styles.

The solid Norman nave is the oldest part of the church, and the 14^th century Great East Window the most fascinating, with a rare close-up view of this masterpiece.

The intricate fan-vaulted cloisters date from the later Perpendicular period,  and many Hogwarts scenes from the first two Harry Potter movies were filmed there. 

Chi-chi Chester is home to several fine England landmarks, including the fine late Gothic St Werburgh’s Cathedral, the famous Chester Rows walkways and the circuit of Roman Walls.

We’ve gone with the ornate Eastgate Clock, another Chester icon, situated on a footbridge above a shopping street. The clock was added to the bridge in 1899, and commemorates the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897.

It looks especially beautiful at night, and is supposedly the second most photographed clock in England after Big Ben. 

See Also: 21 Best Things To Do In Chester

The Shard of Glass is the highest UK landmark, soaring 310 metres (1,020 feet) above the streets of Southwark, on the South Bank of the Thames.

It’s considerably higher than its counterparts across the river Thames in the City of London, and offers a great 72^nd floor viewpoint over the whole of London, the Thames estuary and more on a clear day.  The viewpoint has become a very popular tourist attraction.

Avebury is a gorgeous English country village surrounded by two ancient (possibly 5,000 years-old) stone circles and a ceremonial avenue of stones leading towards the intriguing mound of Silbury Hill to the south.

It’s an amazing place, and along with nearby Stonehenge a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  One of the most fascinating British landmarks – try to allow yourself half a day or so to see it all. 

Liverpool Anglican Cathedral is the largest church in Britain and the eighth largest in the world.  It was built in Gothic Revival style by Giles Gilbert Scott, who also gave the world the K6 red telephone box, and was completed in 1978, years after the architect’s death. I

I recently returned there 30 years after my previous visit, and was blown away. It’s vast, high and spacious, yet somehow warm and intimate.

A friend of ours has a superb view of the Cathedral, on the hill above the city, from 20 miles away in North Wales – even from there it’s a mightily impressive sight. It should be one of the most famous landmarks of England, and hopefully it’ll gain greater recognition in the years ahead. 

This awesome suspension bridge is the finest of Bristol landmarks, a stunning work of engineering carrying the B3129 road 101 metres (331 feet) above the river Avon.

It was designed by master engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who died five years before its 1864 opening.  It’s the best-known symbol of Bristol, and there are great views from the docks below the river and up on the Clifton side of the Bridge. 

See Also: 11 Great Landmarks in Bristol To Visit

Canterbury Cathedral, 70 miles south-east of London, is one of the most important historical places in England, and the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

It owes its status to the mission of St Augustine, who came to Kent in 597 to attempt to convert Saxon king Ethelbert, and set up his headquarters and the first Archbishopric there.

In 1170 it was the scene of the murder of one of his successors, Thomas a Becket, which led to the Cathedral becoming one of the major European pilgrimage destinations of the Middle Ages. One of the greatest English landmarks, much of the outstanding church dates from the time of Becket, and the stained glass depicting his martyrdom are a fascinating historical record.  

York Minster was founded in the 7^th century AD and has grown to become one of the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe.  It’s only surpassed in size by Cologne Cathedral in Germany, which was completed in the late 19^th century.

It’s unique in that it has sections of each of the main periods of English Gothic architecture – Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular. One of the most impressive landmarks in Britain. 

The fine Georgian city of Bath was founded 2,000 years ago by the Romans , who built the town of Aquae Sulis around the natural springs they found there.

The Roman Baths are a complete Roman bath-house complex, with hot and tepid water baths, a cold-water plunge pool and a heated area called a laconicum. They also contain a wealth of archaeological treasures, including the stone head of the goddess Sulis Minerva.  

One of the best time to visit the Roman Baths is late on a winter afternoon, when fire burns from torches around the edge of the Great Bath, with steam rising from the warm water. The view from above is amazing, with the splendour of Bath Abbey rising behind the ancient scene.

The Malvern Hills are a small series of steep hills on the border of the counties of Worcestershire and Herefordshire. They rise quite abruptly from the relatively flat surrounding area, and offer stunning views over the countryside and down to the Bristol Channel on a clear day. They have been an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since 1959.

The range of hills is only around 8 miles end to end, reaching a height of 425 metres (1,394 feet) at Worcestershire Beacon.  Although they only cover small area, they are one of the most famous landscapes in England, and have inspired artists including the composer Edward Elgar, who lived nearby.

They also have some excellent walks, and are a favourite spot for many paragliders. 

See Also: Things To Do In Hereford

The area around the Somerset town of Glastonbury is full of legends and myths, from there being a secret entrance to a fairy kingdom to Joseph of Arimathea taking the young boy Jesus in search of tin. It is also said to be the Isle of Avalon, to which legendary British King Arthur retreated after his final battle.

Whatever you believe, Glastonbury Tor, the solitary hill that rises above the low-lying Somerset Levels, has an almost mystical quality about it. The conical hill has a 14^th-century church tower on its summit, making it an identifiable landmark from many miles away.

If you happen to be in the area in autumn, mists often form in the surrounding landscape, leaving the Tor and tower seemingly floating above. It’s an incredible sight.

Coventry Cathedral is one of the most fascinating English landmarks, and one of the greatest British buildings of the 20^th century.

The original Cathedral of Coventry was the medieval parish church, which was ‘upgraded’ to Cathedral status in the early 20^th century. However, this fine church was almost completely destroyed by a Luftwaffe bombing raid on 14^th November 1940. Rather than rebuild it, it was decided to erect a new Cathedral on a site next to it.

The architect Basil Spence designed the new Cathedral, and it has many striking features. These include the statue of St Michael Slaying the Devil by Jacob Epstein, a wonderful Baptistery window by John Piper and the font below it, hewn out of a rock from a hillside above Bethlehem.

The ruins of the old Cathedral stand unchanged, a permanent and poignant reminder and symbol of reconciliation. Coventry has long been twinned with Dresden and Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad), both of which were also devastated during the Second World War.

The London Eye – also once known as the Millennium Ferris Wheel is one of the most famous London landmarks, offering some of the best views of the city.

It’s located outside County Hall on the South Bank, just across Westminster Bridge from the Houses of Parliament, and commands extraordinary views over the surrounding area.

A ‘flight’ takes 30 minutes, taking you over 500 feet above the city. The best view is across to the Houses of Parliament, and along the riverfront towards Waterloo Bridge.  We have managed to get walk-up tickets at off-peak times during the daytime, but online tickets are considerably cheaper.  Also bear in mind that if you want to catch sunsets in London that you’ll need to book in advance.

The Angel of the North has become one of the most iconic landmarks in northern England since being put in place next to the main A1 road near Gateshead in 1998.

The vast sculpture – 20 metres high and 54 metres wide – is the work of sculptor Antony Gormley, who is also responsible for Another Place, a series of 100 cast-iron figures on the beach at Crosby, near Liverpool.

Since the Angel was installed, the surrounding trees have grown in height, partly obscuring the view from certain angles.  This was always the intention – eventually it is hoped that the figure will appear to have a woodland setting.

The Tyne Bridge is one of several famous British landmarks in the north-east of England.  It spans the River Tyne, linking the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (on the north bank) and Gateshead (on the south).

The Bridge was completed in 1928, and is 389 metres in length and 59 metres (194 feet) high. It was built just before – and was the model for – the longer and wider Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Salisbury Cathedral is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in England, set in the Cathedral Close, one of the most beautiful streets in the country as well.

It’s one of the great Early English Gothic churches, and replaced the earlier cathedral at Old Sarum, an ancient settlement on the outskirts of the modern city.

Its spire is the tallest in England, at 404 feet (123 metres), and it has been home to nesting peregrine falcons since 2013. You can also take the Tower Tour, which culminates in a view up the inside of the spire.

Salisbury Cathedral is the subject of several paintings by English artist John Constable, and some of these views, from countryside around the city, have hardly changed in 200 years.

Hadrian’s Wall – named after the Emperor – is one of the most impressive of Great Britain landmarks, and far and away the largest on our list of landmarks in England.

It was built in the 2^nd century AD to mark the northern boundary of the Roman Empire, separating the Roman province of Britannia from the unconquered territory of Caledonia. Hadrian’s wall lies wholly within England, and has never constituted the border between England and Scotland.

The Wall is 73 miles – 118 km – long,  and the best-preserved sections are on higher ground – the lower-lying sections of the wall would have served as a quarry for locals. Some of the best places to appreciate the Wall are Walltown Crags and Housesteads Roman Fort.

Along with the earthwork Antonine Wall to the north in Scotland, and some other sites in Germany, it is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.

The Jurassic Coast is one of the most famous natural landmarks in England, and includes some of the finest coastal scenery in England. Some of the most best places to visit on the Jurassic Coast include the iconic Durdle Door natural rock arch, nearby Lulworth Cove and the chalk cliffs and pinnacles of Old Harry Rocks near Swanage to the east.

The coastline’s name isn’t entirely accurate, as it was formed over the entire Mesozoic era – comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods – between 250 and 65 million years ago, and the sudden extinction of the dinosaurs.

Many tend to associate the Jurassic Coast with Dorset, but a significant proportion of it is also located to the west, in Devon. It is 95 miles – 153 km – long in all, from Old Harry Rocks in the east to Exmouth in the west.

Until the advent of air travel, for many visitors  the first sight of England would have been the White Cliffs of Dover, one of the best-known traditional British landmarks. They have always been a symbol of arrival, and also homecoming.

The White Cliffs of Dover held particular emotional resonance during the Second World War. The forces hurriedly evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940 saw them as a symbol of safety and refuge, and Dame Vera Lynn’s famous wartime song ‘(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover’ made them – and their significance – known to the whole country.

The chalky White Cliffs extend a total of 8 miles – 13 km – either side of the town and port of Dover, and their highest point is 350 feet (110 metres).

The vast Victorian Romanesque edifice of the Natural History Museum dominates South Kensington, and one of the main approaches to Central London from the west.

It is as impressive inside as outside, and the main entrance, the Hintze Hall, makes a bold statement, with the skeleton of a blue whale, the largest creature on the planet, hanging in mid -air between the cathedral-like arches.

The scope of the Natural History Museum’s collection is immense – it covers every aspect of life and the universe, from geology to dinosaurs to the evolution of humans to what lies beyond us in space. Entry to the Museum is free, and some exhibitions (such as the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year) require a ticket.

Blackpool is the great bastion of British seaside traditions, and the 158-metre (518 feet) Blackpool Tower is its calling card.

The Tower overlooks the seafront and the fantastic wide beach. You can climb close to the top for a superb view over the town and the Lancashire coast in both directions.  As well as being the area’s best-known landmark, it is also home to the Tower Ballroom, much beloved among ballroom dancing aficionados, and a Circus and dungeon.

One of the best times to visit Blackpool is during the annual Illuminations, when the Tower is a focal point of the famous display of lights. 

The Eden Project is one of the most popular attractions in Cornwall.  It’s a combination of indoor rainforest and outdoor botanical garden, set in a former china clay pit near St Austell in the Cornish countryside.

Their most recognizable features are the two Biomes, transparent dome-like structures made from ETFE thermoplastic rather than the traditional glass. The Tropical Biome houses the world’s largest indoor rainforest, while the smaller Mediterranean Biome has a collection of ancient olive trees and some stunning flowers from Western Australia which bloom Down Under in the spring.

The British Museum is one of the most famous buildings in London, housing one of the richest collections of cultural and historical artefacts anywhere in the world.

It’s an enormous Neo-Classical building, completed in 1857 by Robert Smirke, though the institution dates back over a century earlier, to 1753.  However, the Museum’s ever-expanding collection meant that the vast North Wing also had to be added to house everything.

The British Museum underwent something of a rebirth in 2000, with the opening of the Great Court, designed by Norman Foster. It’s a large open space around the central dome, with its glass roof flooding it with light even on the murkiest of days.

The Great Court is also the best place to embark on your discovery of the Museum, with easy access to all of the principal collections from there.

Warwick Castle was originally founded by William the Conqueror in the late 11^th century, gradually developing into one of the foremost castles in England during the Hundred Years War in the 14^th century under the Beauchamp family. England’s King Edward IV was imprisoned there during the Wars of the Roses.

After being besieged during the English Civil War in 1642, the Castle no longer had a military purpose, and was turned into a vast country mansion under the new owners, the Grevilles. 

Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown was later brought in to landscape the property, and Antonio Canaletto, the famous Venetian painter, was commissioned to paint five scenes of Warwick Castle – the most he painted anywhere in England.

It has been a full-on tourist attraction since 1978, when it was taken over by the Tussauds Group – many of their waxwork exhibits remain. Many events are held in the Castle, including Wars of the Roses re-enactments and falconry displays.

Norwich Cathedral is the main landmark of East Anglia and one of the most magnificent cathedrals of England.  Much of it dates from Norman times (11^th and 12^th centuries) including the arches of its unusually long nave and the tower section of the spire, the second highest in England at 315 feet.

The lofty chancel, with its original rounded arches, is also hugely impressive, and the second-largest cloister in the country hides a remarkable survival.

Very little medieval sculpture survived the destructive zeal of Henry VIII and, a century later, the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War. However, the series of intricate carved stone bosses in the cloister vault somehow escaped the fate of so many other lost medieval treasures. 

The third pier to be built in the city, Brighton Pier – also known as Brighton Palace Pier – is the only one left in the city after the collapse of the Chain and West Piers.

Completed in 1899, it originally included a theatre, which hosted performances by the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel.  This remained in use until the 1970s.

Since then the focus has been on its amusement arcades and funfair, which is located at the seaward end of the Pier. It’s a great place to enjoy the classic British seaside experience.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace is one of three attractions in Stratford-upon-Avon dedicated to the life of the most famous writer in the English language.

 The large late-medieval house was owned by William Shakespeare’s father John, who became mayor of Stratford in 1568. William, the third of eight children, inherited the house on his father’s death in 1601, and after his own death it was passed to his elder daughter Susanna, and in turn to her daughter Elizabeth.

After serving for some years as the Swan and Maidenhead Inn, the house was acquired for the nation in 1847 after a fundraising campaign supported by Charles Dickens.

Once the tallest building in the world – until the collapse of its 160-metre central spire in 1548 – Lincoln Cathedral is a stupendous Gothic masterpiece, one of the great Cathedrals of the British Isles and, indeed, Europe.

It is a formidable sight, especially with its grand west front and twin towers and the central tower behind. Most of it was built in the Early English Gothic style, with its characteristic pointed arches. This also included the unusual ‘crazy’ vaulting and the rose windows in the transepts, two of the finest in England.

While looking around the choir, you’ll almost certainly see the famous Lincoln Imp. According to legend, two were on the loose and an angel turned one to stone. He is now immortalized on one of the pillars.

Blenheim Palace was built for the 1^st Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, near Woodstock in Oxfordshire in the early 18^th century.  It was intended as reward for his endeavours against the French and Bavarians during the Wars of the Spanish Succession and was designed in the English Baroque style.

It is the only building in the country without royal or religious affiliation to be designated a Palace. It was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, Britain’s Prime Minister during the Second World War, and is currently owned by the 12^th Duke of Marlborough.

The Radcliffe Camera is a famous domed circular building in Oxford University that houses the Radcliffe Science Library.

The commission to design and build the library was won by James Gibbs after the death in 1736 of Nicholas Hawksmoor, who had been responsible for much of nearby Blenheim Palace.  

It has become one of the most iconic buildings in the University. Built in the Palladian style, it’s best seen from the Tower of the neighbouring University Church, which has some of the best views of Oxford.

Chatsworth is one of the finest stately homes in England, and has been owned by the same family, the Cavendishes, since 1549. It has been the seat of the Dukes of Devonshire since then, and is situated on the River Derwent, close to the edge of the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire.

The original Elizabethan House was replaced by the English Baroque House we see today, and substantial parts of it were complete by the end of the 17^th century. Only a small number of rooms out of over 300 are open to the public, but these include the magnificent Painted Hall and State Rooms.

Chatsworth also boasts extensive gardens, and one of the highlights is the 1^st Duke’s Baroque Garden, which includes the Cascade water feature and Cascade House, and the Neoclassical Flora’s Temple.