British Cities

Britain is a historic country, the history of which dates back to the Bronze Age in 4000 B.C. The first people in this country were the Celts. When the Romans started occupying the British Isles, the Celts migrated to the mountainous parts of the country such as Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland.

The Romans built military camps around which towns began to appear. The names of those towns are derived from the latin word "castrum", meaning "a military camp". Thus today´s British towns have names with the suffixes "–cester" or "–chester". Some of those towns, for example, are Chichester, Leicester, Worchester, Manchester, Winchester, and others.

Other occupants of Britain, the Vikings, founded towns with the suffix "-by" in their names. Some such towns, for example, are Rugby, Selby, Derby, and others. The Vikings mostly settled in the north and centre of England.

Thousands of people travel to Britain to see the famous British cities, such as London, and their sights.

London is the most famous city in Britain. It is the capital of England and also of the U.K. It is the largest city in the country and an important port. It is also the seat of government. The queen lives there with her family in Buckingham Palace. London is also Britain's financial, historic, and cultural center.

Canterbury is a town with a famous Cathedral where Thomas Beckett was murdered. Canterbury is very famous for the Canterbury Tales museum and the tales themselves. They were written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century. Chaucer is considered to be the first Renaissance writer in England. He wrote about people of different social classes of his time.

Dover is a very useful port in southeastern England, famous for its white chalk cliffs. Above Dover, you can see Dover Castle which was constructed by William the Conqueror in the Medieval Ages after 1066. You can even find relics of World War II in Dover. There are underground tunnels that were used as the headquarters of the central staff of the war with Sir Winston Churchill at its head. An organization called English Heritage owns the castle and the tunnels.

Liverpool is a major seaport and industrial city. It is a city where famous horse-races are held. Liverpool is also famous as the place of origin of the music group called The Beatles

Plymouth is a historic seaport.

Bath is a health spa that has been used since the Roman times. Stratford upon Avon is the birthplace of poet and playwright William Shakespeare. It is a location of many theatres.

Oxford is the UK´s oldest university city with 33 colleges. Cambridge is also a university with a famous library. York is famous for York Minster – the largest gothic cathedral in England.