1 The site of Malmesbury Abbey - www.malmesburyabbey.com – is known to have been a place of worship as early as the seventh century, although the current structure dates from a few centuries later. A series of structural collapses greatly reduced the size of the building, but part of the nave serves as the parish church of the town which developed around it. The abbey was famously the burial place of a great Saxon monarch, Athelstan, although his remains were later lost, leaving only his tomb.

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2 Glastonbury Abbey - www.glastonburyabbey.com – is known across the world as a place of pilgrimage, history and myth. The remains of the structure give visitors a sense of the magnificent spectacle it would have presented before its dissolution in the 16th century. The site of the abbey, according to legend, was that of England’s first Christian place of worship. Another legend has the abbey as the final resting place of King Arthur. An extensive information centre and museum is packed with fascinating exhibits.

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3 St Laurence’s Church in Bradford-on-Avon is one of relatively few English Churches whose architecture predates the Norman Conquest. According to the writings of William of Malmesbury, the ancient historian associated with Malmesbury Abbey, the church was standing in the 1120s but even then was believed to be centuries old. Information about the Saxon Church ca be found at www.htboa.org/saxonchurch.html

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4 Lacock Abbey - www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock-abbey-fox-talbot-museum-and-village - traces its history back to the 13th century, although it was converted into a country home some four centuries later. The building houses the Fox Talbot Museum of photography, although plenty of traces of the structure’s religious history remain, notably the old chapter house where church officials held important meetings.

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5 Begun in 1220 and mostly complete less than 40 years later, Salisbury Cathedral - www.salisburycathedral.org.uk - had to wait a few decades longer for its most notable feature to be finished. At 404 feet - 123 metres - the spire is the tallest of any church building in the country. The cathedral is also home to one of only four remaining original copies of Magna Carta, the document which formed the basis of modern democracy and the rule of law.

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6 Bath Abbey - www.bathabbey.org - began life as a monastery, and was well established centuries before the Norman Conquest. In common with many of the country’s ancient places of worship, it went through various alterations and rebuilding processes before becoming the beautiful example of Gothic architecture it remains to this day.

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7 The relatively small Somerset community of Wells is home to what is without doubt one of Britain’s most magnificent cathedrals. Begun in 1175, Wells Cathedral - www.wellscathedral.org.uk - is perhaps best known for an astonishing front featuring some 300 original carvings, but there are countless other fascinating features. These include the scissor arches - inverted arches on top of conventional ones - supporting much of the roof, and beautiful stairway to the chapter house. The chapter house itself, with its famously beautifully-worked ceiling, is not to be missed.

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8 Founded as an abbey nearly 900 years ago, Bristol Cathedral - bristol-cathedral.co.uk - was officially reclassified in 1542. During the centuries which followed, various additions and alterations were made. One of the most recent, a window in the south choir aisle, was installed only 54 years ago.

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9 Many features of Gloucester Cathedral - www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk - draw the interest of history and architecture enthusiasts from throughout the world. The most magnificent include the huge Great East Window and the vaulted cloisters which were once home to monks, and through which visitors are welcome to walk. King Edward II, who died in 1327, is entombed at the cathedral.

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10 Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford has been designated a cathedral since the mid-16th century, but its site has been connected with local religious life for much longer. It is not only a cathedral but the chapel of the Oxford college whose name it bears. Its website is www.chch.ox.ac.uk/cathedral

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