Forfar is a town in Angus, Scotland that serves as the administrative center for Angus Council. It has a population of around 13,500. Notable features include Forfar Loch Country Park, which is popular for walking, and its proximity to scenic areas like Glen Doll. The town's economy relies on agriculture and tourism. It is also known for the traditional Forfar bridie pastry.

1. Forfar

2. Forfar is a parish,
town and
former royal
burgh of about 13,500
people
in Angus, Scotland.
Forfar is the county
town of Angus,
which was officially
known as Forfarshire
from the 18th
century until 1929,
when the ancient
name was reinstated,
and today serves as
the administrative
centre for Angus
Council.

3. Lowson Memorial
Church, off Montrose
Road. This is
a category A
listed church in late
Scots Gothic style
built in 1914 by A
Marshall Mackenzie,
who also designed
Crathie Kirk. The
church contains
notable stained glass
windows by Douglas
Strachan. The church
serves the east side of
Forfar, and provides a
mix of traditional and
contemporary styles
of worship.

4. The town lies
in Strathmore and is
situated just off the
main A90
road between Perth and A
berdeen, with Dundee (the
nearest city) being 13 miles
(21 km) away. It is
approximately five miles
(8 km) from Glamis Castle,
seat of the Bowes-Lyon
family and ancestral home
of Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth the Queen
Mother, and where the late
Princess Margaret, younger
sister of Queen Elizabeth
II, was born in 1930.

5. Another feature of
the town is the
Forfar Loch
Country Park,
which is popular
amongst locals as a
walking venue. It is
said that the Forfar
Loch extended over
much more of
Forfar in the 1800s,
going as far up as
Orchardbank and
Wellbrae.

6. A drainage
project brought
the water level
down. In about
the same time
period the loch
was used to
dump raw
sewage;
thankfully this
practice is no
longer
continued: it is
now treated
sewage.

7. The town is
near to the
Angus Glens,
including Glen
Doll, Glen Clova
and Glen
Prosen, that are
popular with
skiers and hill
walkers. The
area is notable
for the beautiful
scenery of the
mountains and
Strathmore.

8. Agriculture and
tourism are
some of the
town's major
industries. It
also acts as an
administrative
centre for Angus
Council, with a
new multi-
million pound
office complex
currently on the
outskirts of the
town.

9. The town is home to
the renowned
Forfar bridie,
popular with locals
and visitors. The
Forfar bridie has
been featured on
many TV
programmes. A
recipe for the Forfar
bridie was also
featured in "Maw
Broon's Cookbook".

13. During the first war
of independence, the
castle of Forfar was
held by the English.
After Robert Bruce's
victory over the Earl
of Buchanan, Philip,
the Forester of
Platane, together
with some of his
friends raised ladders
against the wall and,
climbing over,
surprised the garrison
and slew them. He
then yielded the
castle to Bruce, who
rewarded him and
gave instructions for
its demolition

16. Berwick-
upon-
Tweed

17. Berwick-upon-Tweed is
a town in the county of
Northumberland and is
the northernmost town
in England, on the east
coast at the mouth of
the River Tweed. It is
situated 2.5 miles (4 km)
South of the Scottish
border. It is roughly 56
miles East-South East of
Edinburgh, 65 miles north
of Newcastle upon Tyne
and 345 miles north of
London.

18. Berwick-upon-
Tweed had a
population of
11,665 at the
time of
the United
Kingdom
Census 2001.
A civil
parish and
town council
were created in
2008

19. Founded as an Anglo-
Saxon settlement during
the time of the kingdom
ofNorthumbria, the area
was for over 400 years
central to historic border
war between the
Kingdoms
of England and Scotl
and. The last time it
changed hands was when
England retook it in 1482.
Berwick remains a
traditional market
town and also has some
notable architectural
features, in particular
its defense ramparts and
barrack buildings.

20. The name
“Berwick” is of Old
English origin, and
is derived from the
term bere-wīc,
combining bere,
meaning “barley”,
and wīc, referring
to a farm or
settlement.
“Berwick” thus
means “barley
village” or “barley
farm

21. In the post-Roman
period, the area may
have been inhabited
by
the Brythons of Bry
neich. Later, the
region became part
of
the Angliankingdom
of Bernicia. Bernicia
later united with the
kingdom of Deira to
form Northumbria,
which in the mid-
10th century entered
theKingdom of
England under Eadr
ed

22. In 1551, the town was made
a county corporate. During
the reign of
Queen Elizabeth I of
England, vast sums – one
source reports "£128,648,
the most expensive
undertaking of the
Elizabethan period"– were
spent on its fortifications,
in a new Italian style (trace
italienne), designed both to
withstand artillery and to
facilitate its use from within
the fortifications. These
fortifications have been
described as "the only
surviving walls of their
kind"

25. The Royal
Border
Bridge on
the East
Coast Main
Line

27. The Royal
Tweed
Bridge in
Berwick

30. York

34. York is a walled city,
situated at the
confluence of the
Rivers Ouse
and Foss in North
Yorkshire, England.
The city has a rich
heritage and has
provided the
backdrop to major
political events
throughout much of
its two millennia of
existence. The city
offers a wealth of
historic attractions,
of which York
Minster is the most
prominent, and a
variety of cultural
and sporting
activities.

35. The city was founded
by the Romans in
71 AD, under the
name of Eboracum. It
became in turn the
capital of the Roman
province of Britannia
Inferior, and of the
kingdoms
of Northumbria and J
orvik. In the Middle
Ages, York grew as a
major wool trading
centre and became
the capital of the
northern ecclesiastica
l province of
theChurch of
England, a role it has
retained

36. York Minster is
a cathedral in York,
England and is
one of the largest of
its kind in Northern
Europe. The minster
is the seat of
the Archbishop of
York, the second-
highest office of
the Church of
England and is the
cathedral for
the Diocese of York;
it is run by a dean
and chapter under
the Dean of York.

38. The minster has a very
wide Decorated
Gothic nave and chapter
house, a Perpendicular
Gothic choir and east
end and Early
English north and
south transepts. The
nave contains the West
Window, constructed in
1338, and over the Lady
Chapel in the east end is
the Great East Window,
(finished in 1408), the
largest expanse of
medieval stained glass in
the world. In the north
transept is the Five
Sisters Window,
each lancet being over 16
metres (52 ft) high. The
south transept contains
a famous rose window.

40. The Gothic style in
cathedrals had arrived in
the mid 12th
century. Walter de Gray
was made archbishop in
1215 and ordered the
construction of a Gothic
structure to compare
to Canterbury; building
began in 1220. The north
and south transepts
were the first new
structures; completed in
the 1250s, both were
built in the Early English
Gothic style but had
markedly different wall
elevations. A
substantial central
tower was also
completed, with a
wooden spire. Building
continued into the 15th
century.

41. The English
Reformation led to the
looting of much of the
cathedral's treasures and
the loss of much of the
church lands.
Under Elizabeth I there
was a concerted effort to
remove all traces
of Roman
Catholicism from the
cathedral; there was
much destruction of
tombs, windows and
altars. In the English
Civil War the city was
besieged and fell to the
forces of Cromwell in
1644, but Thomas
Fairfax prevented any
further damage to the
cathedral.

42. York Minster is
the second
largest Gothic c
athedral of
Northern
Europe and
clearly charts
the
development of
English Gothic
architecture
from Early
English through
to
thePerpendicul
ar Period

43. The present building was
begun in about 1230 and
completed in 1472. It has
a cruciform plan with an
octagonal chapter
house attached to the
north transept, a central
tower and two towers at
the west front. The stone
used for the building
is magnesian limestone,
a creamy-white coloured
rock that was quarried in
nearby Tadcaster. The
Minster is 158 metres
(518 ft) long and each of
its three towers are 60
metres (200 ft) high. The
choir has an interior
height of 31 metres
(102 ft).

44. The North and
South transepts were the
first parts of the new
church to be built. They
have simple lancet
windows, the most
famous being the Five
Sisters in the north
transept. In the south
transept is the
famous Rose
Window whose glass dates
from about 1500 and
commemorates the union
of the royal houses
of York and Lancaster. The
roofs of the transepts are
of wood, that of the south
transept was burnt in the
fire of 1984 and was
replaced in the restoration
work which was
completed in 1988.

46. York as a whole and
particularly the
Minster have a long
tradition of creating
beautiful stained glass.
Some of the stained
glass in York Minster
dates back to the
twelfth century. The
76-foot (23 m) tall
Great East Window,
created by John
Thornton in the early
fifteenth century, is
the largest example
of medieval stained
glass in the world.

47. Other spectacular
windows in the Minster
include an ornate rose
window and the 50-foot
(15 m) tall five
sisters window. Because of
the extended time periods
during which the glass
was installed, different
types ofglazing and
painting techniques that
evolved over hundreds of
years are visible in the
different windows.
Approximately 2 million
individual pieces of glass
make up the cathedral's
128 stained glass windows.

49. Coventry

50. Coventry is
a city and
metropolitan
borough in
the county of West
Midlands in England.
Coventry is the 21st
largest English district
by population. It is
also the second largest
city in the Midlands,
after Birmingham,
with a population of
316,900

52. Historically within Warwi
ckshire, Coventry is
situated 95 miles (153 km)
northwest ofcentral
London and 19 miles
(31 km) east-southeast
of Birmingham, and is
further from the coast
than any other city in
Britain. Although
harbouring a population
of almost a third of a
million inhabitants,
Coventry is not amongst
the English Core Cities
Groupdue to its proximity
to Birmingham.

53. Coventry was the
world's first twin
city when it formed a
twinning relationship
with theRussian city
of Stalingrad (now Vol
gograd) during World
War II. The
relationship developed
through ordinary
people in Coventry
who wanted to show
their support for
theSoviet Red
Army during the Battle
of Stalingrad.

55. Coventry
Cathedral, also
known as St
Michael's Cathedr
al, is the seat of
theBishop of
Coventry and
the Diocese of
Coventry,
in Coventry, West
Midlands,England.
The current (9th)
bishop is the Right
Revd Christopher
Cocksworth.

58. The city has had
three cathedrals. The
first was St. Mary's,
a monastic building,
only a few ruins of which
remain. The second was
St Michael's, a 14th
century Gothicchurch
later designated
Cathedral, that remains
a ruined shell after its
bombing during
the Second World War.
The third is the new St
Michael's Cathedral,
built after the
destruction of the
former and a celebration
of 20th century
architecture.

60. The Cathedral has a
strong emphasis on the
Bible[citation needed] and
aims to be a centre for
good preaching and
training for the diocese.
It runs regular mission
events such as the
innovative Spirit of Life
days where over 2000
local residents are
encouraged to explore
their faith in God
through Christian
spirituality.

61. St Michael's
Victory over
the Devil, a
sculpture by
Sir Jacob
Epstein

63. The new St
Michael's
Cathedral,
built next to
the remains
of the old,
was designed
by Basil
Spence and A
rup, built
by John
Laing and is a
Grade I listed
building

67. The selection
of Basil
Spence for the
work was a result
of a competition
held in 1950 to
find an architect
for the new
Coventry
Cathedral; his
design was
chosen from over
two hundred
submitted.

75. Another major visitor
attraction in Coventry city
centre is the free-to-
enter Coventry Transport
Museum, which has the
largest collection of British-
made road vehicles in the
world. The most notable
exhibits are the world speed
record-breaking
cars, Thrust2 and ThrustSSC
. The museum received a
major refurbishment in 2004
which included the creation
of a striking new entrance as
part of the city's Phoenix
Initiative project. The
revamp saw the museum
exceed its projected five-year
visitor numbers within the
first year alone, and it was a
finalist for the
2005 Gulbenkian Prize.