The towns of Britain's countryside are among the most charming and unchanged in Europe's history, steeped in heritage that reflects at once an unexpected diversity of purpose and a ubiquitous loyalty to longstanding tradition. Organized geographically, this book is a unique photographic tour of the most beautiful towns in every region of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. From the Norman castle towns of the south-east to the spectacular Roman architecture of Bath and St. Albans, and from Celtic cottage farms in the Scottish lowlands to the stone, coal, and iron towns of the Welsh borders and the industrial north, 101 Beautiful Small Towns: Britain is as much about the history of the Isles as it is about their beauty today. Tom Aiken's eloquent and informative text not only draws attention to aesthetic, natural, and architectural points of interest in every region, but also brings to life the history of each place, from Shakespeare's Stratford to the royal Hampton Court, the monastic abbeys of Yorkshire to prehistoric Ireland, and from the Pagan past of the Scottish Highlands to the legends of Roman Britain. A thorough appendix provides travel tips and details and locations for hotels, restaurants, and shops of interest in all the towns.