Posted: 19 May 2012 10:27 AM PDT
Here is a list of the best small towns & villages of England that really should be visited by people who love small beautiful places. Most of the small towns & villages in England still operate as independent places & able to support our day to day life. This list provide you with a starting point for your journey to those beautiful places in England.
1. Avebury
Stone Circles in Avebury, England [ Photo by 
Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. Unique amongst megalithic monuments, Avebury contains the largest stone circle in Europe, and is one of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain. It is both a tourist attraction and a place of religious importance to contemporary Pagans. Radiocarbon dating and analysis of pollen in buried soils have shown that the environment of lowland Britain changed around 4,250–4,000 BCE. The change to a grassland environment from damp, heavy soils and expanses of dense forest was mostly brought about by farmers, probably through the use of slash and burn techniques. Environmental factors may also have made a contribution. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
2. Beer
Beach at Beer, Devon, with Beer Head behind. [ Photo by Gaius Cornelius / public domain ]The village of Beer is situated on the 95-mile long Jurassic Coast, England's first natural World Heritage Site and its picturesque cliffs, including Beer Head, form part of the South West Coast Path. The name is not derived from the drink but from the old Anglo-Saxon word "bearu" ("grove"), referring to the original forestation that surrounded the town. It is a pretty coastal village that grew up around a smugglers' cove and caves which were once used to store contraband goods. These are now part of the attraction of the village. Many of the buildings are faced with flint, a hard glassy stone found in the local chalk rock. Historically, the main sources of income for the village include fishing and lace production. Boats are winched up the beach as there is no harbour, and fresh fish is sold nearby. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
3. Bibury
Arlington Row, Bibury, UK was built in 1380 as a monastic wool store. [ Photo by Saffron Blaze / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Bibury is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is situated on the River Coln, about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) northeast of Cirencester. The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary is Saxon with altar additions. From AD 1130 until the English Reformation it was a peculier of Osney Abbey in Oxford.. Adjacent to the church is the village primary school whose building was originally built in the 1850s. The school currently has around 30 pupils in 2 classes. On the Arlington (west) side of the village is Arlington Baptist Church, where a congregation has been meeting since the 1740s. The artist and craftsman William Morris called Bibury "the most beautiful village in England" when he visited it. Its honey-coloured 17th century stone cottages with steeply pitched roofs once housed weavers who supplied cloth for fulling at nearby Arlington Mill. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
4. Bourton-on-the-Water
Footbridge over the River Windrush at Bourton-on-the-Water. [ Photo by Saffron Blaze / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Bourton-on-the-Water is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England that lies on a wide flat vale within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village has a population of 3,297 inhabitants (2009 est), making it a rather large village as its population actually exceeds those of nearby Stow-on-the-Wold and Burford, both of which are considered small market towns. The village of Bourton-on-the-Water is known for its picturesque High Street, flanked by long wide greens and the River Windrush that runs through them. The river is crossed by several low, arched stone bridges. These arched bridges lending to Bourton-on-the-Water being called the “Venice of the Cotswolds”. Also like Venice, Bourton-on-the-Water often has more visitors than residents during peak times of the tourist season. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
5. Burnsall
View of Burnsall, Yorkshire from west height, showing Wharfe, bridge, town, chapel, church, Burnsall Fell behind–late summer. [ Photo by Alethe / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Burnsall is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Wharfe in Wharfedale, with a five-arched bridge over which the Dalesway passes, and is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is 2 miles, who became mayor of London (and may be the inspiration for 'Dick Whittington'), and has always been used as a school. St Wilfrid's Church (a grade I listed building) is almost entirely Perpendicular. Amongst its well-known internal features are an 11th century font carved with bird and beasts, twelve Anglo-Saxon sculpture fragments and a 14th century alabaster panel depicting the Adoration of the Magi. The church-yard, which has a number of interesting grave-stones, is entered from the main road by a large and well-kept Lychgate. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
6. Castle Combe
The main street and Bybrook River [ Photo by Castle Combe is a small village in Wiltshire, England, with a population of about 350. It is renowned for its attractiveness and tranquillity, and for fine buildings including the medieval church. The 14th century market cross, erected when the privilege to hold a weekly market in Castle Combe was granted, is situated where the three principal streets converge. Some small stone steps near the cross were for horse riders to mount and dismount and close by are the remains of the buttercross. The village has twice played host to the Combe Sunday event, a music extravaganza which attracted 4,000 visitors to the village in 2006. The village prospered during the fifteenth century, when it belonged to Millicent, the wife of Sir Stephen Le Scrope and then of Sir John Fastolf (1380–1459), a Norfolk knight who was the effective lord of the manor for fifty years. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
7. Chipping Campden
The gate and East Banqueting House of Campden Court and St James's Church in Chipping Campden [ Photo by Saffron Blaze / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Chipping Campden is a small market town within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It is notable for its elegant terraced High Street, dating from the 14th century to the 17th century. ("Chipping" is from Old English cēping, "a market, a market-place"; the same element is found in other towns such as Chipping Norton, Chipping Sodbury and Chipping (now High) Wycombe.) A rich wool trading centre in the Middle Ages, Chipping Campden enjoyed the patronage of wealthy wool merchants (see also wool church). Today it is a popular Cotswold tourist destination with old inns, hotels, specialist shops and restaurants. The High Street is lined with honey-coloured limestone buildings, built from the mellow locally quarried oolitic limestone known as Cotswold stone, and boasts a wealth of fine vernacular architecture. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
8. Clovelly
Clovelly is a village on the north Devon coast, England, about twelve miles west of Bideford. [ Photo by Smtunli, Svein-Magne Tunli / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Clovelly is a village in the Torridge district of Devon, England. It is a major tourist attraction, famous for its history and beauty, its extremely steep car-free cobbled main street, donkeys, and its location looking out over the Bristol Channel. Thick woods shelter it and render the climate so mild that even tender plants flourish. As of the 2001 Census, the ward of Clovelly Bay, including Clovelly, had a total population of 1,616. The estate is run by the Clovelly Estate Company, under the leadership of The Hon. John Rous, a descent of the Hamlyn family who have owned the village, estate and manor house Clovelly court since 1738. He is the son of Hon. Mary Rous and Keith Rous, the 5th Earl of Stradbroke. The visitor centre has been operational since 1988, before which there was no entrance fee to access the village, but instead a car park fee. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
9. Craster
Haven Hill Craster [ Photo by Craster is a small fishing village on the Northumbrian coast of England. It has a small harbour and offers a view northwards along the rocky shore to the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle. This is the nearest point of access to the castle and the approach must be made on foot as there is just a grassy path. The next village to the north is Embleton. For many years, the village has had a herring-curing business: Craster kippers are well known in England. The local herrings are smoked in a traditional manner by the Robson family. The remains of a tower on the end of the harbour are all that can be seen now of the much taller building which was part of the overhead equipment which used to convey the local stone from where it was quarried to boats in the harbour. The disused quarry is now a car park. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
10. Dorchester
Dorchester, High West Street, looking east from the junction with The Grove and Bridport Road [ Photo by Steinsky / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Dorchester ( ) is the county town of Dorset, England. A historic market town, Dorchester lies on the banks of the River Frome, in the Frome Valley, just south of the Dorset Downs and north of the South Dorset Ridgeway, that separates the area from Weymouth, 8 miles (13 km) south. The Romans walled the town and the remains can still be seen today. The walls were largely replaced with walks that form a square inside modern Dorchester. Known as 'The Walks' a small segment of the original Roman wall still exists today near the Top 'o Town roundabout. By 864, the area around Durnovaria/Caer Durnac was dominated by the newly established Saxons, who came to refer to themselves as Dorsaetas ('People of the Dor' – Durnovaria). (based on a wikipediaarticle / cc by-sa)
11. Dunster
Dunster Yarn Market (a covered market for the sale of local cloth, built in 1609) and Dunster Castle, Exmoor. [ Photo byArpingstone / public domain ]Dunster is a village and civil parish in west Somerset, England, situated on the Bristol Channel coast 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south-southeast of Minehead and 20 miles (32.2 km) northwest of Taunton. The village has a population of 862 (2001). Dunster was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Torre, meaning 'The rocky hill' from the Old English tor. The prefix 'Duns' may well be a reference to the Saxon Dunn, who held land in nearby Elworthy and Willet before 1066. Dunster was the birthplace of the song All Things Bright and Beautiful when Cecil Alexander was staying with Mary Martin. The nearby hill, Grabbist, was originally heather-covered before tree plantation and was described as the "Purple headed mountain". Mary Martin was daughter of one of the owners of Martins Bank. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
12. Edale
Grindsbrook Booth, Edale [ Photo by Edale ( ) is a small Derbyshire village and Civil parish in the Peak District, in the Midlands of England. The Parish of Edale, area 2,844.8 hectares (7,030 acres), is in the Borough of High Peak. Edale is best known to walkers as the start (or southern end) of the Pennine Way, and to less ambitious walkers as a good starting point for evening or day walks, accessible by public transport from Sheffield or Manchester and with two pubs supplying real ale and food. As spelt, the name is first recorded in 1732. Earlier recorded versions of the name are Aidele (1086), Heydale (1251), Eydale (1275), Eydal (1285) and Edall (1550). Historically, Edale was the name of the valley of the River Noe. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
13. Eton
Eton Riverside [ Photo by Eton is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, lying on the opposite bank of the River Thames to Windsor and connected to it by Windsor Bridge. The parish also includes the large village of Eton Wick, 2 miles west of the town, and has a population of 4,980. Eton was in Buckinghamshire until 1974, when it was transferred to Berkshire. Since 1998 it has been part of the unitary authority of Windsor and Maidenhead. On a Parish level, the town is represented by seven councillors in the Eton Town Council, a body which also includes seven councillors representing Eton Wick. On Borough level, the town is part of the Eton and Castle electoral ward and is currently represented by one councillor (George Fussey of the Liberal Democrats) in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
14. Hawkshead
The Sixpenny Bears Public House, Hawkshead [ Photo by Hawkshead is a village and civil parish in the Cumbria, England. It is one of the main tourist honeypots in the South Lakeland area, and is dependent on the local tourist trade. The parish includes the hamlets of Hawkshead Hill, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to the north west, and Outgate, a similar distance north. Hawkshead is situated just north of Esthwaite Water, in a valley to the west of Windermere and east of Coniston Water. It is part of Furness, making it a part of the ancient county of Lancashire but in the administrative county of Cumbria. It is one of the prettiest villages in the Lake District, with many buildings dating from the 17th century. It has a lively community and a high pub to population ratio. The township of Hawkshead was originally owned by the monks of Furness Abbey; nearby Colthouse derives its name from the stables owned by the Abbey. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
15. Lacock
Image of the High Street of Lacock Village [ Photo by Lacock is a village in Wiltshire, England, 3 miles (5 km) from the town of Chippenham. The village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trust, and attracts many visitors by virtue of its unspoiled appearance. Lacock is mentioned in the Domesday book, with a population of 160–190; with two mills and a vineyard. Lacock Abbey was founded on the manorial lands by Ela, Countess of Salisbury and established in 1232; and the village — with the manor — formed its endowment to "God and St Mary". Lacock was granted a market and developed a thriving wool industry during the Middle Ages. Reybridge, and a pack horse ford, remained the only crossing points of the River Avon until the 17th century. Most of the surviving houses are 18th century or earlier in construction. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
16. Mevagissey
Mevagissey harbour at dusk. Cornwall, UK. [ Photo by Mevagissey (Cornish: Lannvorek) is a village, fishing port and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately five miles (8 km) south of St Austell. The village nestles in a small valley and faces east to Mevagissey Bay. The inner and outer harbours are busy with a mixture of pleasure vessels and working fishing boats, the remains of a once major industry. However, tourism has supplanted fishing as the dominant industry in recent years. Mevagissey village centre consists of narrow streets with many places to eat and shops aimed at the tourist trade. The outer areas are built on the steep slopes of the surrounding hillsides and are mostly residential. Mevagissey had a power station built in 1895, powered by pilchard oil, which provided electricity for the lighthouse and surrounding streets. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
17. Painswick
Painswick, Gloucestershire from Longridge [ Photo by Jongleur100 / public domain ]Painswick is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. Originally the village grew on the wool trade, but it is now best known for its parish church's yew trees and the local Rococo Garden. The village is mainly constructed of locally quarried Cotswold stone. Many of the buildings feature south-facing attic rooms once used as weavers' workshops. Geographically Painswick is situated on a hill in the Stroud district, overlooking the Stroud valleys. Its narrow streets and traditional architecture make it the epitome of the English village. There is a golf course near the Painswick Beacon. During the first English civil war (1642–1645) Gloucester was a Parliamentarian stronghold of some strategic importance. Consequently it was surrounded by forces loyal to the King. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
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