Places to See in the UK Before You Die

Stonehenge

Top Place to see in the UK

Stonehenge is a prehistoric stone circle and is believed to have been constructed around 3100BC. No one knows exactly what purpose it served, but it is thought to have been a centre of pagan worship.

The site is managed by English Heritage. The stone circle cannot be accessed during normal opening hours, although they occasionally hold visits in the early morning and late evening.

Chatsworth House

One of the best country houses in the UK

The UK is dotted with a huge amount of exceptional country houses and castles, but one of the most beautiful is Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, home of the Duke & Duchess of Devonshire since 1549.

As well as housing one of Europe's finest private art collections, the stately home also has a magical 101 acre garden, a farmyard and adventure playground. It's free to visit the surrounding grounds. The 2005 movie version of Pride and Prejudice was filmed at Chatsworth, as was The Duchess. It is believed that Jane Austen based Pemberley on this stunning estate.

Lake Windermere

The biggest lake in England

Lake Windermere, in Cumbria is 2 miles long, one mile wide and 220 feet deep. It is the largest natural lake in England and is part of the Lake District National Park.

Although popular with tourists, the west shoreline is almost completely owned by the National Trust, which makes it a haven for wildlife.

This stunning landscape is also known for it's connection with Beatrix Potter and Arthur Ransome.

The Giant's Causeway

The Giant's Causeway is a World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland.

The area is made up from about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns which were created after a volcanic eruption.

The name comes from the legend of Finn MacCool. The story goes that mythical Irish giant Finn built the causeway to get to Scotland and battle with a rival giant called Benandonner.

Tresco Abbey Gardens

The Sub-Tropical Tresco Abbey Gardens, found in the Scilly Isles, are regarded by botanists as one of the most interesting and varied botanical experiments in the world.

Many of the plants would not stand a chance on the Cornish mainland, less than 30 miles away. Yet even in Winter more than 300 plants will be in flower. The garden is home to species from 80 countries, ranging from Brazil to New Zealand and Burma to South Africa.

The Eden Project

The Eden Project is one of the most exciting modern projects in the UK. The complex in Cornwall houses 100,000 plants in two giant transparent domes, each recreating different global climate conditions.

Situated in an abandoned clay pit, it is a testament to creative and scientific ingenuity.

Windsor Castle - The Royal Family's Weekend Bolt Hole

Looking down from a plane circling Heathrow, the crenelated towers of Windsor Castle are often the first sight of the UK avisitor gets. They are unmistakeable.

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Windsor Castle, The Queen's Favorite Home, Seen From the Thames

Photo courtesy of www.britainonview.com

Windsor is an easy train journey from London. The castle, a short walk from the station, dominates the town. The building itself (not including grounds) covers 13 acres and is the biggest inhabited castle in the world. William the Conqueror picked the site, west of Londonoverlooking the Thames and it has been a Royal residence and fortress ever since - almost 950 years. The Queen still spends most weekends there and, we've heard it is her favorite "home from home".

You can easily spend a whole day visiting. Expect to see:

• The State Apartments Very grand, ceremonial rooms
• The Semi State Rooms Because they either overlook the Queen's private apartments, or they are in use for annual ceremonial events, these rooms are not always open.
• Art treasures from the Royal collection Imagine having family portraits by Holbein, Rubens and Van Dyke.
• St. George's Chapel Where 10 sovereigns and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor are buried.
• Queen Mary's Doll House An amazing collection of tiny works of art, book and music manuscripts that is always popular with visitors.

Because Windsor is a working castle, with many ceremonial events, the schedule of openings and the price of tickets is a bit complicated. Best check the Windsor Castle website for the latest information. Even at the full price of £14.50, tickets to Windsor Castle are a great deal. Register when you buy one and you can re-enter the castle an unlimited number of times for a whole year.

coldplay

coldplay 

Coldplay are a British rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London.^[3]After they formed under the name Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish Will Champion joined as a drummer, backing vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist, completing the line-up. Manager Phil Harvey is often considered an unofficial fifth member.^[5] The band renamed themselves "Coldplay" in 1998, before recording and releasing three EPs; Safety in 1998, Brothers & Sisters as a single in 1999 and The Blue Room in the same year. The latter was their first release on a major label, after signing to Parlophone.

They achieved worldwide fame with the release of the single "Yellow" in 2000, followed by their debut album released in the same year,Parachutes, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. The band's second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), was released to critical acclaim and won multiple awards, including NME's Album of the Year. They have also come top of the BBC Radio 2 poll of the favourite album of all time. Their next release, X&Y, the best-selling album worldwide in 2005, was met with mostly positive reviews upon its release, though some critics felt that it was inferior to its predecessor. The band's fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), was produced byBrian Eno and released again to largely positive reviews, earning several Grammy nominations and wins at the 51st Grammy Awards.On 24 October 2011, they released their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto, which received mixed to positive reviews, topped the charts in over 34 countries, and was the UK's best-selling rock album of 2011.

The band has won a number of music awards throughout their career, including eight Brit Awards—winning Best British Group three times, fiveMTV Video Music Awards, and seven Grammy Awards from twenty five nominations. Coldplay have sold more than 60 million records worldwide. In December 2009, Rolling Stone readers voted the group the fourth-best artist of the 2000s.

rolling stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Their early mission was to share an enthusiasm for rhythm and blues, but they were received as symbols and leaders of rebellious youth. The first settled line-up had Brian Jones on guitar and harmonica, Ian Stewart on piano, Mick Jagger on lead vocals and harmonica, Keith Richards on guitar and backing vocals, Bill Wyman on bass and Charlie Watts on drums. Jones founded and led the band, but after teaming as co-writers Jagger and Richards assumed leadership. Jones' increasing physical and mental troubles forced his departure from the band two weeks prior to his death by drowning in 1969. Since Wyman left in 1993, the full band members have been Jagger, Richards, Watts and guitarist Ronnie Wood who joined in 1975 replacing Jones' successor Mick Taylor.

The Rolling Stones were in the vanguard of the British Invasion of English bands that became popular in the US from 1964–65. They were also instrumental in making blues a major part of rock and roll, and of changing the international focus of blues culture away from the cosmopolitan blues preferred by most African-Americans to the more primitive blues typified by John Lee Hooker and by Chess Records artists such as Muddy Waters, writer of "Rollin' Stone", the song after which the band is named. Robert Palmer said the Rolling Stones' "remarkable endurance" stems from being "rooted in traditional verities, in rhythm-and-blues and soul music" while "more ephemeral pop fashions have come and gone".

top hits:

• “Sweet Virginia”
• “Satisfaction”
• “I Know It’s Only Rock N Roll (But I Like It)”
• “Shattered”
• “Jigsaw Puzzle”
• “Mother’s Little Helper”

beatles music demo

Music

The Beatles

 were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. Their best-known lineup, consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, became the greatest and most influential act of the rock era, introducing more innovations into popular music than any other rock band of the 20th century.^[1] Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later utilized several genres, ranging from pop ballads topsychedelic rock, often incorporating classical elements in innovative ways. In the early 1960s, their enormous popularity first emerged as "Beatlemania", but as their songwriting grew in sophistication, they came to be perceived by many fans and cultural observers as an embodiment of the ideals shared by the era's sociocultural revolutions.

The band built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act and producer George Martin enhanced their musical potential. They gained popularity in the United Kingdom after their first modest hit, "Love Me Do", in late 1962. They acquired the nickname the "Fab Four" as Beatlemania grew in Britain over the following year, and by early 1964 they had become international stars, leading the "British Invasion" of the United States pop market. From 1965 on, the Beatles produced what many critics consider their finest material, including the innovative and widely influential albums Rubber Soul (1965),Revolver (1966), Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The Beatles (1968), andAbbey Road (1969). After their break-up in 1970, they each enjoyed successful musical careers. Lennon was shot and killed in December 1980, and Harrison died of lung cancer in November 2001. McCartney and Starr remain musically active.