As a member of English Heritage, it's nice to take advantage of the variety of properties around…read moreEngland. Boscobel House in Shropshire provides a great afternoon out, and is only 30 miles from Birmingham. This house dates back to the 1600s, and was used to shelter Catholics from religious persecution. There are a number of priest holes inside the hunting lodge. Out back there is a small garden, a dairy barn, and the Royal Oak. This is the famous tree in which King Charles II hid in. There is also a lovely tea room in the stables offering fresh and affordable lunch. There are 2 guided tours each day, 11am and 2pm. Our guide Robin was very knowledgeable and provided an excellent tour throughout the hunting lodge. He even opened up one of the priest-holes to allow our group to try and squeeze in. If you are feeling ambitious, there is a lovely country walk along the farmland to visit a free English Heritage property, White Ladies Priory. Apparently King Charles II hid here as well. If you're looking for something unique and very affordable, give Boscobel House a visit.

I LOVE HISTORY! And…read moreof course this place has a serious bit of relevance to history in the UK. The oak isn't the original oak, but it's a descendant of to, which is a bit of a bummer, but they couldn't do anything about that (and that also means that The Royal Oak pub down the road probably has the best claim to the repetitive name in England!) Good tea rooms and tiny shop- and you can have a tour or go round on your own steam. It's not as extensive as some places around, but they get 5* for letting us go in the priest holes when it was quiet- woohoo!!!

Inexpensive to get in, and although Roman isn't my favourite era, this is a darn decent place- it's…read moregood for both adults and kids. A lot of the ruins are above ground, the bath houses, and the basilica walls. There are "historically accurate" replicas, and they hold some pretty big reenactments to go and watch. It's certainly worth a visit in my opinion, and has a tea room and your standard bits and bobs on site.

We have been meaning to visit this place for years and eventually took the plunge after seeing the…read more"Rome Wasnt Built In A Day" TV show. The villa from the TV show is still there with audio aids to tell you all about it. Cross the road (ancient Wattling Street) and go to the Roman Town Ruins (Wroxeter used to be the 4th biggest settlement in Roman England). The place is quite well preserved considering its age and has lots of great visual aids to help you to understand the ancient layout of the bath house and city. The museum is quite small but really well laid out and informative. The attached shop has all the EH accompaniments. About £13 for a family of 4 and free for English Heritage members, well worth a visit.

Lilleshall Abbey is just down the road from where I live, so I've visited there a few times over…read morethe years, especially for various school projects, drawings and paintings etc. There isn't a great deal to see here - it's worth a visit just to look at the ruins and see the views, but I couldn't imagine there's enough to spend large about of time there. It snowed the last time I went which gave the opportunity for some lovely photographs.

I have visited here a lot, especially when I was a child at school! Interesting place to spend a…read morefew hours learning about the history. They charge reasonable prices for entry and the views and architecture are amazing.

I was hesitant to come here as the pricing seemed a little high, and it wasn't the only castle I…read morewas planning on visiting while I was in Wales. It was well worth the price, however, as the castle gardens and museum are pristinely kept, and the staff knowledgeable of the histories surrounding the artifacts and paintings within, it was a very enjoyable experience. You're not allowed to photograph any of the interior of the castle, as per the wishes of the castle's resident as he is still technically the owner, but I really wish there were some sort of virtual tour available online so I could get a better look at some of the paintings and pottery. The entire castle is very dimly lit, probably for the purpose of preserving the art from light damage, and it was very difficult to see much as there were rope barriers barring patrons from getting too close, which I'm sure is just good housekeeping as many of the floors were decorated with priceless Persian rugs. I really wish there were some museum quality lighting, most of the ceilings were painted with either battle scenes or scenes from Greek or Roman mythology. The gardens were gorgeous, and I was surprised to see regional plants from California and the Rocky Mountains. One of the best parts of the gardens was our little friend James, a cat that resides at the castle for general rodent control. He followed us around for head-scratches, but then disappeared for a while. We saw him again when we were exiting the gardens, lying next to a large blood stained patch of earth where one of the stewards said he'd recently disemboweled a mouse.

Great experience . Medievil castle converted to stately home set in a picturesque setting . Onsite…read moreis a museum devoted to Clive of India .

As a fan of the arts and crafts movement Wightwick Manor was a delight to visit, home of the…read moreManders family (manders paint) the house was built in the 1880s in the style of a medieval manor house. The guided tour of the house was informal and informative, the rooms are in there original decor the only alterations that have been made are for health and safety reasons and you wouldnt notice if not shown. William Morris wallpaper and textiles William de Morgan tiles its an alladins cave of treasures. The gardens are well kept , and very pretty . There if a tiny tearoom where i had the best sandwich ,ever stilton and apple yum.The National Trust maintain this property but the family still keeps a flat in the house for their own use. Admission is by timed tickets and openings vary so it might be worth phoning beforhand well worth a visit (tel 01902 761400)

A lovely property, wonderfully preserved by the National Trust…read more I honestly do not think you will find a better example of the arts & crafts movement anywhere. There is an enormous amount of William Morris interior items - in fact the house stands pretty much as a William Morris museum. A lovely exterior too with quaint and attractive gardens.

Spanning the River Severn, this was the first arched bridge in the world to be made out of cast…read moreiron (in the 18th century) and has been described as the 'Stonehenge of the Industrial Revolution'. Now a famous landmark and tourist attraction, it is still a marvellous sight. We enjoyed walking across it and also admiring the views of the surrounding town and countryside. Well worth a visit.

A magnificent iron bridge that spans the River Severn running through, funnily enough, Ironbridge…read more Built by Abraham Darby III and now recognised as one of the great symbols of the Industrial Revolution, the remarkable structure still dominates the small town. The secrets of how and why it was built are revealed in an exhibition housed in the original Tollhouse on the south side of the Bridge. The bridge was the first major iron bridge of its time, although you can still see a mini prototype of this bridge (and I mean mini), 5 miles south of Shrewsbury. It's called the Cantlop bridge and it is a very small cast iron road bridge that spans the Cound Brook (http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/cantlop-bridge/ ). It has particular historical significance as it is believed to have been designed by Thomas Telford as a fore runner to and inspiration behind the Ironbridge, and is the only Telford-approved cast-iron bridge remaining in situ in Shropshire. More detailed information can be found at http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/our_attractions/the_iron_bridge_and_tollhouse/history/ It's lovely to take a walk across for great views of the River Severn and the Severn Gorge, although the best views are from the many local pubs and cafes which run adjacent to it!

It's just a bridge get over it!! (If you'll excuse the pun). A small single span cast iron road…read morebridge over the Cound Brook just outside Shrewsbury. It has particular historical significance as it is believed to have been designed by Thomas Telford as a fore runner to and inspiration behind the famous bridge of iron at Ironbridge, built by Abraham Darby, which spans the river Severn. Cantlop Bridge is the only Telford-approved cast-iron bridge remaining in situ in Shropshire. It's a bit of a bugger to find (3/4 mile SW of Berrington on an unclassified road off the A458 approximately 5 miles South of Shrewsbury), but certainly worth a visit for any budding historians or architects out there. It's available to view at any time of the year and is completely free.

This is well worth a visit to Shrewsbury to see, even grab a drink and sit outside one of the pubs…read moreon route. The Cariage Parade takes annually and it is usually the first sunday of the month in September. The actual parade is horse drawn carriages, and they travel in convoy from Attingham Park, (3 miles outside Shrewsbury, Attingham Pak is a National Trust Property), the journey continues down the A5, along Abbey Forgate, into the town centre of Shrewsbury into the Quarry, where the carriages and horse can be seen in their full order. A lot of effort goes into this parade, the horses vary in size from Shetland Ponies to Shire Horses, the horseman themselves are all dressed up in their finery. This is the must do, and the best thing its free.

The Shrewsbury Carriage parade is put on by local members of the British Driving Society. It takes…read moreplace annually at the beginning of September on a Sunday. The exact date can be seen prior to the event on the British Driving Society website under Shropshire. Basically, local people drive their turnout ( a horse(s) and carriage, in convoy from Attingham Park ( a National Trust Property just outside the town), into Shrewsbury to The Quarry, where the Lord Mayor has a chat with participants before they return to Attingham for tea in The Orangery. All of us dress up in our finest and polish the horses and vehicles to perfection. Its a great spectacle. All types of horses from miniature Shetlands to Shires participate and the vehicles could be traditional, dating back 100 years or modern. Most of us drive horses for pleasure. Some compete in local shows, driving trials etc etc. We are very friendly and local people line the street to wave and appreciate the parade. If you are in the area, why not come along and have a look, as well as enjoying the many beautiful places the county of Shropshire has to offer.