England – Henley-in-Arden (En)
Henley-in-Arden is one of the prettiest towns in England: a mile-long High Street of medieval, Tudor, Georgian and Victorian architecture including 150 historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants. It has a history that dates back to the 12th century.
What to see
We start at the beginning of the main street, which is full of historic buildings. The first one we saw was the Baptist Church, rebuilt in 1937 after a disastrous fire the previous year, preserving the walls of the 1867 church.
We continued along the main street and arrived at the Church of Saint John the Baptist, built in the 15th century, with important Victorian and Edwardian additions, which we were able to see inside and which is linked to the Heritage Centre, a museum of the history of the city from the Norman conquest to the present day.
We continue walking along the main street where you find The Guild Hall, a 15th-century building where members of the city’s religious and commercial fraternities met. The 15th-century Market Cross which was and remains a center for all public activities and proclamations and the famous Henley ice cream parlor where since the 1930s, visitors have indulged in the ice cream parlor and tea rooms.
Then we visited the different pubs: the most beautiful is the White Swan; The Nags Head is from the 16th century; The Mount offers a delicious menu, specially created by Michelin-starred chef Glynn Purnell; The Bluebell provides an international menu; and the Black Swan an award-winning pub in its community. We decided to have lunch on the terrace of The Nags Head where we shared a prawn sandwich and a coronation chicken sandwich.
Our next city will be Bude on the coast of Cornwall, a paradise for nature lovers, which you can see in the next blog!
