Georgian Towns in England
Who doesn’t love a Georgian building? Sash windows, pediments and high ceilings make a home-owner swoon. Cities like Bath or London are renowned for their Georgian architecture. However, there are many small towns with equally lovely examples. Georgian wealth wasn’t limited to spa resorts and port cities. Many market towns did rather well too. From Yorkshire in the north to Dorset in the south, there are some fine Georgian market towns in England.
As brick became the predominant building material in the 1700s, many towns were rebuilt. The birth of new industries meant many had a rebrand. Others had no choice due to being burnt down by fire. Timber buildings were swept away to be replaced with Georgian townhouses. If money didn’t allow, a classical facade was added. Georgian was the style of the day and many Georgian towns remain little changed today.
Georgian Towns in England
- Farnham
- Lymington
- Marlow
- Chichester
- Bradford on Avon
- Blandford Forum
- Weymouth
- Ludlow
- Wisbech
- Holt
- Stamford
- Ashbourne
- Southwell
- Louth
- Beverley
- Easingwold
- Richmond
- Cockermouth
- Berwick upon Tweed
- Yarm
UK GEORGIAN TOWN UPDATE: BONUS - Pershore
Georgian Towns in South-East England
1. Farnham
It was the Bishops of Winchester who decided to expand the Saxon town of Farnham. Positioned on the route from London to Winchester, it was the natural place for a town and in the 12th century it happened. Wheat brought early wealth, then eventually hops (used for brewing beer).
During the 18th century, the ample supply of clay around Farnham led to the town being rebuilt in brick. It was the Georgian era and rich merchants embraced the style for the homes and premises. Today, the town owes its charmed appearance to Charles Borelli – a Victorian businessman. He used his wealth to buy up a great deal of historic properties, remodelling some to his antiquarian taste. By the time they were sold to the open market, Farnham was a conservation area.
2. Lymington
Lymington is one of the prettiest Georgian towns in England. Before the great ports of Portsmouth and Southampton became naval capitals, England’s seafaring journeys departed here. Lymington started out as a Saxon village, becoming a medieval town dealing in salt. As time drew on its prosperity grew, supplemented by boat-building and smuggling.
The 18th century affluence of Lymington is visible on its Georgian high street. Elegant Georgian townhouses sit beside hotels, inns and shops – demonstrating Lymington was the place to be. When the UK’s naval ambitions called for bigger boats, Lymington’s port became somewhat redundant. Industry also petered out. This decline left Lymington frozen in time. Today, fortunes have reversed. The town’s port is once again busy with boats (this time yachts) and the Georgian high street bustles with life.
3. Marlow
The earliest recording of Marlow dates to 1015 when it was known as Merelafan. The town owed its success to both its riverside location and its bridge connecting Reading with High Wycombe. By the 12th century, Marlow had become a market town. Though the market petered out in later years, many merchants continued to do well.
Many of the buildings that give Marlow its charming facade date to the 17th and 18th centuries. Early classical houses create a picturesque town with a riverside location. Improvements in the road network made the Georgian town a fashionable resort. Today grand Victorian villas line the river while the town centre remains very much Georgian.
4. Chichester
Chichester is one of England’s finest Georgian towns (though technically it’s a city). It was one of King Alfred’s ‘burghs’, becoming a market town with a cathedral. In the Middle Ages the town was also one of England’s most important ports, exporting wool, wheat and malt.
By the 18th century Chichester had regressed to being a market town. Nevertheless, it still did well with many craftsman and some powerful merchants. Thanks to the abundance of clay in the area, Chichester was rebuilt in brick. Fine Georgian houses sprung up, from the terraced to the grand. Despite some later prosperity, these streets were left largely untouched. Today Chichester is firmly a Georgian market town in character.
Georgian Towns in South-West England
5. Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is a town in harmony with its setting. The town rises on a slope above the river with gables, turrets and terraces lining its hills. Bradford owes its existence to a monastery founded in 700. The abbey fostered a market and wool became the chief export.
When it came to spending their money, clothiers chose their houses. Though there’s buildings from all periods, the Georgian style prevails. Around every corner lies an elegant residence with pediments, sashes and balustrades. Many old weaver cottages were also re-fashioned into the Georgian style. In the 19th century, the rise of the northern ‘mill towns’ caused Bradford’s cloth industry to decline. Today the town retains a calm gentility, far removed from the crowded streets of nearby Bath.
6. Blandford Forum
The town of Blandford Forum has been an important river crossing since Anglo-Saxon times. By the 13th century it was a thriving market town with a successful livestock market. In the 18th century the town shifted to lace-making, with malting and brewing supplementing the trade.
Like London sixty years earlier, nearly all of Blandford was destroyed by fire in 1731. Within a matter of hours, almost 90% of the town had gone. A subsequent Act of Parliament ensured any rebuilding was to be done in brick. The town was rebuilt over the next ten years to designs by local architects ‘The Bastards’. Georgian was the style, with a wide market place and classical buildings. The redesigned town centre survives virtually intact, very much Georgian in character.
7. Weymouth
Weymouth entered history as a medieval seaport. The town originally consisted of two settlements, one importing wine and the other exporting wool. When they amalgamated in 1571, Weymouth became a chief port of England. So regarded was its trade that Henry VIII built a castle to protect it from invasion.
When sea bathing came to be seen as good for health, Weymouth started a new chapter. Wealthy Georgians came to ‘take the waters’ here and George III took up residence. As Weymouth’s success grew, Georgian terraces came to be built – the greatest near the waterfront. However as the 20th century drew on, the town began to decline as people started to holiday abroad. This means it changed little in the intervening years and today is firmly Georgian in character.
Georgian Towns in the West Midlands
8. Ludlow
Ludlow is a honeypot of all architectural styles, however Georgian is one of its finest. The town started out as a stronghold against the Welsh, with a Norman castle on a hilltop location. Medieval Ludlow prospered as a market town. However, following the conquest of Wales, it took a new direction as the administrative capital of the region. Wealthy lawyers and businessmen flocked to the area and built fine timber houses.
Ludlow’s success continued into the 18th century as it became a fashionable social centre. The nobility built fine Georgian houses along its main streets, giving the town a sense of gentility. The town takes its character from these buildings, despite a number of Tudor and older structures. As the town stagnated in the 20th century, it remains little changed since its heyday.
Georgian Towns in East England
9. Wisbech
Self-proclaimed ‘Capital of the Fens’, Wisbech is a Georgian town whose reputation contradicts its architecture. Historically, the town was situated in an almost impenetrable fastness of mist salt marshland. In the 17th century, Dutch engineers successfully drained the land, creating a highly fertile plain with a port at Wisbech.
In its heyday, the port was handling 70,000 tons of cargo each year. To celebrate the town’s new mercantile wealth, great rows of Georgian townhouses sprung up across Wisbech. Evidence of the town’s Georgian prosperity is everywhere. The town has its own crescent (rare outside cities) with fine mansions lining its river. Wisbech is also home to the handsome Georgian Brewery Elgood’s, founded in 1795 and still very much in operation.
10. Holt
In the Domesday Book, the Georgian town of Holt is recorded as a town with a port and market. Proximity to natural springs allowed the town to prosper, becoming a center of trade and commerce. Much like London 50 years earlier, a terrible fire swept through Holt in 1708. Wooden buildings were burnt to the ground and the town took a new direction.
Over the next 100 years, Holt was rebuilt using brick, stone and flint. Today it is largely Georgian in character, with back lanes and alleys from the Victorian era. Holt changed little in its history – continuing as a market town with little industry. The market remained an important part of life until the 1960s when it closed. Today, Holt remains a small Georgian market town characterised by grand shops and townhouses.
Georgian Towns in the East Midlands
11. Stamford
Stamford is one of the best Georgian towns in England. The origins of Stamford go back to the 9th century when it was part of the Kingdom of Mercia. Positioned on the road from London to York, the town was at an important crossroads, with the River Welland connecting the North Sea.
Wool brought early prosperity, however this died out. In the 18th century, improvements in road and river transport made the town a coaching stop. Ambitious merchants began to flock to the area, many setting up shop. Booming trade meant a makeover and businessmen chose the Georgian style. When the great era of coach travel ended, so did the town’s fortunes. Hardships worsened when the railway bypassed the town. This however turned out to be Stamford’s gain, as the town never moved on from its Georgian heyday.
12. Ashbourne
Dubbed ‘The Gateway to the Peak District’, Ashbourne started life as a medieval market town. A charter granted in 1257 and for much of its history, it was a resting stop for pilgrims on their way down south. However, in the 17th century, Ashbourne took a new direction. Between 1680 and 1820, its medieval timber-framed buildings were replaced by brick and stone Georgian houses.
Ashbourne became a fashionable resort for tourists who came for its dances, card parties, theatres and nearby Dovedale. Regular markets combined with coaching traffic to create booming trade. For years countryfolk mixed with businessmen and the gentry, with the town boasting 50 pubs at its peak. Nevertheless, the railway marked the end of Ashbourne’s coaching days. The town declined, becoming economically fossilised as the Georgian town which survives today.
13. Southwell
Southwell has Roman origins, however its present history dates to the 11th century when construction began on its Minster. For centuries, the archbishops were lords of the manor and Southwell fostered a market exporting its produce.
Southwell’s most interesting buildings relate to the Minster. In the 18th century, several secular families in Southwell rose in prominence from service to the archbishops’ estate. They built fine Georgian houses and made the town a fashionable place for genteel families. An assembly room and theatre were both constructed and Southwell took on a Georgian appearance. In the 19th century industry declined and the town remained largely unchanged. So preserved is the town that Sir John Betjeman once said “the Georgian elegance of Southwell ensures that few small towns are as unspoilt.”
14. Louth
Self-proclaimed ‘Capital of the Wolds’, Louth is the centre of a sparsely populated region of Lincolnshire. The town owes its existence to the Cistercians who drained its marshes to create meadows for cattle farming. Louth marketed the produce and along with grain, grew rich from the proceeds.
In 1536, the vicar of Louth preached the ‘pilgrimage of grace’ in an attempt to stop the dissolution. It failed and Louth remained on the margins of English political and religious life. Nevertheless, it continued as a market town, fostering a wealth that made it the agricultural centre of north Lincolnshire. Slowly the mud and thatch houses were rebuilt in brick, with 18th century wealth put into erecting many fine homes around the church. The Georgian town remains largely the same today and continues as a genteel market town.
Georgian Towns in Yorkshire, England
15. Beverley
Beverley owes its existence to a monastery, founded in 935 by King Athelstan. The town grew up in the excellence of its setting. The area was ripe for agriculture and Beverley grew rich exporting its produce. Though the monastery was dissolved, the town retained its minister and prospered as a market town.
Beverley’s medieval past is ever-present. However, the town is best known for its handsome 18th century buildings. The Georgian era marked a golden time for Beverley – trade and agriculture thrived, while horse racing, gentlemen’s clubs and a theatre brought in the gentry. In the early 20th century however, traditional industries began to decline and Beverley became a provincial backwater. Today its narrow streets remain largely unchanged since the 18th century, making Beverley one of the most picturesque towns in all of England.
16. Easingwold
Easingwold is a Georgian market town on the edge of the Yorkshire moors. The town is recorded in The Domesday survey as Eisecewalt and in 1221 a market was granted. The market failed to take off. However it revived once the surrounding land was put to farming in the 1640s.
Despite its market and industry, the coaching trade brought real wealth to Easingwold. The town was located on the road between York and Newcastle and at its peak contained 26 inns. A lot of rebuilding went on, Easingwold becoming Georgian in character. Success was short-lived however as the railway bypassed the town. For years Easingwold was cut off from the network and as a result stagnated. The decline meant it changed since its glory days. Today it remains an unspoiled Georgian town.
17. Richmond, North Yorkshire
Richmond is a Georgian town built in stone and encompassed by hills. At the centre of the town lies its castle – built in 1071 by William the Conqueror. A market was soon established and the town flourished from wool and agriculture. Even today a cobbled market place forms the town’s centre, huddled below the castle.
Unlike other towns, Richmond’s wool industry increased in the 18th century, supplemented by lead mining and stocking-knitting. Today, the majority of buildings date from this period. The town is decidedly Georgian in character, with grand townhouses and terraced cottages packed into the hills. It also has a preserved Georgian Theatre, built in 1788. Richmond never outgrew this 18th century heyday – while the industrial centres of Yorkshire grew, it remained a rural market town. Today it is largely unchanged, remaining one of the finest Georgian towns in England.
Georgian Towns in North West England
18. Cockermouth
Cockermouth owes its existence to its river – the Cocker. The town has Roman origins, however it really came into being in the 11th century. The Normans built a castle here and consequently, a town developed. By the 13th century it was a thriving market town with many mills and workshops. The medieval street plan from this time remains largely intact.
As the industrial era approached, Cockermouth became a mill town. The ample water supply was perfect for manufacturing and at one point, there were over 40 industrial sites. Wealth from the 18th and 19th century trade was used to rebuild Cockermouth. The style chosen was Georgian. Constructed from local slate and stone, Georgian buildings now characterise the town. Today it is firmly a Georgian market town, with Kirkgate and Market Place being its finest streets.
Georgian Towns in North East England
19. Berwick upon Tweed
Berwick upon Tweed is a Georgian market town with a turbulent history. Due to its position on the English/Scottish border, the town changed hands 13 times in its history. By the 11th century, Berwick was an important economic hub and royal burgh. Merchants set up trades here with wool and a fishing port providing further income. The town’s main purpose however was militaristic.
By 1603, Berwick was no more than a poor garrison town. However, the Act of Union of 1707 enabled the town to resume former trade with the Scottish borders. Prosperity resulted in the old town being almost completely rebuilt. The town is characterised by its Georgian townhouses built in carefully masoned stone. Its greatest years were between 1750-1850, after which it never reached the same success. Today, it’s one of the best Georgian towns in England.
20. Yarm
The Georgian market town of Yarm is situated in a horse shoe bend of the River Tees. The town’s name is Anglo Saxon for ‘fish pools’ and for much of its life, it was the most important port on the River Tees. In 1207 Yarm was granted a market and numerous trades sprung up. Brewers, tanners and shipbuilders settled here, with coaching traffic providing additional income
In the late 17th century, Yarm came to be rebuilt in brick with clay sourced from land near the river. The town is Georgian in character, with grand shops and townhouses on a cobbled high street. As ships grew in size, Yarm’s port became redundant. Trade shifted to Stockton and though some industrialisation took place, the town changed little. Today it’s a perfectly preserved Georgian market town.
BONUS: UK Georgian Town Update
21. Pershore
So-called “capital of the plum” (in reference to the plum orchards here), Pershore is one of the most perfectly preserved Georgian towns in England. The Georgian town of Pershore grew up around the ancient abbey and for hundreds of years prospered as an agricultural settlement. With a monastery, market and acres of arable fields, the town was quite the place. Elizabeth I is even believed to have visited The Worcestershire town.
By the 18th century, Pershore’s fortunes grew, with glove making and a tannery, supporting the agricultural industry. Though the town continued to prosper right into the Victorian era, it’s historic centre changed relatively little. It did receive a railway station however, meaning you visit the town by train. Thanks to Pershore being designated a ‘GEM town’ in the 60s on account of its historical buildings (most which date to the 18th century), Pershore remains as glorious as it did in its Georgian heyday.