The ancestral home of beloved English poet Lord Byron has a bizarre history.

In this medieval fish bowl, the carp weren't pets.

This romantic, decaying 13th-century ruin on the edge of Sherwood Forest is reputedly one of England's most haunted places.

The world's first successful water-powered cotton mill paved the way for the factories of the British Industrial Revolution.

Its impressive still-working beam engine is a thing of beauty for engineering history fans.

This 2,000-year-old tree inspired the nursery rhyme "Rock-a-bye Baby."

A monument with a strange legend involving a horse's tongue.

Hundreds of years ago, this lion-shaped door knocker could help a person accused of a crime find temporary safe haven in Durham Cathedral.

This library dates back to the late 17th century and was one of the first public lending libraries in England.

The 2,000-year-old pieces of metal are an ancient soldier's military discharge papers.

Take afternoon tea in a 17th-century almshouse.

These lamps were created to expel sewer gases after an event known as The Great Stink.

An unusual stone chair can be found on the banks of the River Wear, not far from Durham Cathedral.

A rather grand, but tiny, folly on the banks of the River Wear associated with a Polish count.

An abandoned tower once used to study the cosmos hides within a thicket of greenery.

This sculpture commemorates a naturalist and an illustrator whose work was a forerunner to modern field guides.

This gorgeous space is England's largest independent library outside of London.

This century-old grotesque has a mysterious history and may not actually be a rabbit.

The remains of a Dominican friary, once one of the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom.

Also known as "Robin Hood's tree," this tree became a famed location along Hadrian's Wall before it was cut down in an act of vandalism.

A stone copper was sculpted on the wall of the Carlisle Cathedral to honor a local hero.

The medieval-looking hammer beam teak roof may be a Victorian vanity, but it's still absolutely magnificent.

This museum honors the young maritime hero who became an unexpected Victorian-era celebrity.

Shimmering sea-colored mosaics and Jesus statues cover this opulent building.