Listening to Pick of the Week on Radio 4 last night they had an excerpt from Bill Bryson on Ramblings in which he claimed that one of the incredible things about the UK is that you can be parachuted in and

Nowhere in the UK are you more than five miles from a site of global importance.

(paraphrasing a lot)

Which set me to thinking, what’s globally important where you live?

For me, living in Wylam in Northumberland, our village has a decent claim to be the birthplace of the railways with the first ever commercial adhesion locomotives built for the local colliery. This then inspired a young chap by the name of George Stephenson who happened grow up alongside the waggonway and went on to bigger and better things…

So what’s within 5 miles of you that left its mark on the world?

I would have to google them as nothing springs to mind

Cardiff’s coal exporting history; Caerphilly’s cheese; the Roman settlement at Caerleon

Birth place of Adam Sedgwick (one of the ‘fathers’ of modern geology); Ribblehead Viaduct; Yorkshire Dales!

Pavilion:

Oldest Electric railway in the world (sadly all on dry land now):

The first locomotive to run in the USA was built 5 minutes from my house.
The Titanic’s anchor chain was also built close by though I doubt that’s of global importance.
Saddam Hussein’s infamous Super Gun was being part built close by too.

Kingley Vale SSSI.

So what’s within 5 miles of you that left its mark on the world?

Hogwarts.

Burrell collection
Govan shipyards
CRM house for an art lover perhaps.

I went to school next to Alnwick castle
http://www.alnwickcastle.com/explore/history/the-percy-family/earls-of-northumberland
School balls in the Castle were always good fun
Could get to Holy Island and lots of other amazing history, Roman ruins and Hadrians wall, Cragside the first Hydro Electric powered house https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cragside
and a load more

The largest bomb ever dropped on the UK was near me – however it was a test, not an attack:

The Grand Slam was a 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) earthquake bomb used by RAF Bomber Command against strategic targets during the Second World War. It was the most powerful non-atomic bomb used in the war.

Known officially as the Bomb, Medium Capacity, 22,000 lb, it was a scaled-up version of the Tallboy bomb and closer to the original size that the bombs’ inventor, Barnes Wallis, had envisaged when he first developed his earthquake bomb idea. It was also nicknamed “Ten ton Tess”.

After release from the Avro Lancaster B.Mk 1 (Special) bomber,[2] the Grand Slam would reach near-supersonic speed, approaching 1,049 ft/s (320 m/s), 715 mph (1150 km/h). When it hit, it would penetrate deep underground before detonating. The resulting explosion could cause the formation of a camouflet[9] (cavern) and shift the ground to undermine a target’s foundation.

And most frighteningly:

because of the low rate of production and consequent high value of each bomb, aircrews were told to land with their unused bombs on board rather than jettison them into the sea if a sortie was aborted 😯

all from Wiki

This is walking distance.

This is walking distance.

In which case the radio show gave a list of half a dozen other places you could also have picked.

King Charles first immortalised the town by declaring in later years whenever anyone mentioned the weather, if it is raining anywhere in my kingdom it will be raining in Tavistock.

He was right…

Thought of another. This one is closer still.

Bill Oddie’s first ever published article was about the birds on the reservoir half a mile from our house.

Good show that, worth listening to on iplayer. It also summed up my American wife’s reasons for living in the UK- basically that there is no logical reason for living here but it’s just “right”.

Anyway, we live in the home of the modern mill and on the edge of a world heritage site and a national park.

So what’s within 5 miles of you that left its mark on the world?

Muffin the Mule

Crofton Beam Engines – the only steam engines in the world still doing the job they were designed for (Bank Holidays at least, and when the electric pumps pack up).

The Boulton & Watt beam was installed in 1809. I still find that astonishing, Wellington was still fighting in the Peninsular War!

They made the first radio transmission across open sea near me.

Cardiff is less than 5 miles away too, Biggest and busiest port in the world for most of the industrial revolution, starting point for Scott’s ill fated expedition to the Artic, Henry Morgan the infamous Pirate and inspiration for ‘Captain Morgan Rum’ was born in Cardiff, as was Roald Dahl.

Hmmmm. Drawing a complete blank here…….although if we squeeze the 5miles up slightly, does having the designer of the Mosquito’s house count? That’s it, really.

Edit: just read P-Jay’s post, Roald Dahl lived down the road! Got one!!

Clitheroe Castle and Byrnes’ wine shop both half a mile walk

although if we squeeze the 5miles up slightly, does having the designer of the Mosquito’s house count?

Asuming you’re near Hemel Hempstead then, Francis Bacon lived at Gorhambury too.

18th/19th century cotton industry was pretty big round our way, few textiles related things about.

Birth place of D.H. Lawrence but that’s all I can think of.

edinburgh city centre…

the problem with where I live is that there’s not a lot of anything within 5 miles except the great, bucolic, british countryside. Which I suppose is one of the things that makes Britain great. It’s certainly the second most important thing I miss when Im away (the first being Real Ale, natch)

Did Dickens leave a mark on the world? or just Britain? Much of the inspiration is from actual local places (back home).

HMS Victory was built back home. Rope might not have made much impact, but all of the warships that that rope was attached to probably have.

What has not yet made an impact, is SS Montgomery. Although when it does go up, it’ll make the first start on Boris Island without even need for a dredger or digger.

Oh and Pocahontas.

Sure I camped out in Crofton Steam engines house many years ago while canoeing the Kennet and Avon canal. The whole trip is a bit hazy in my memory as we stopped in pretty much every pub on the way.

Anyhow, near me, Anderton Boat Lift.

and Polyethylene was first discovered, (invented probably not quite the correct word as I believe the building exploded regularly) at ICI Winnington.

I live in Reading, does AWE count?

In Prudhoe, so same as OP!

I live in Reading, does AWE count?

Reading the Trident threads, apparently it’s the only thing that makes the UK significant.

I live in the birthplace of the father of the Bicycle Industry

Bill Oddie’s first ever published article was about the birds on the reservoir half a mile from our house.

Edgbaston local?

Being from Birmingham – too many things to mention.

In Prudhoe, so same as OP!

You’ve got the only castle in the Northumberland never captured by the Scots, home of one of the leaders of the Rising of the North. That’s pretty good!

…actually, I’d go for Whittle Dean Reservoirs which Lord Armstrong backed in order to provide the water pressure for the first Hydraulic cranes on Newcastle Quayside, revolutionising docks all over the world.

the problem with where I live is that there’s not a lot of anything within 5 miles except the great, bucolic, british countryside. Which I suppose is one of the things that makes Britain great. It’s certainly the second most important thing I miss when Im away (the first being Real Ale, natch)

This.

In fact, where I am there’s arguably less than there used to be – it’s now arable and mixed farming, whereas it was (until 1950 anyway) an area of willow growing and weaving.

Hence why my house apparently has a view of a wood, when all I can see are fields (but not while the bloody maize is 9 feet tall in the field behind us…).

EDIT: where I’m from is famous for two things: beer and a streaker on a horse.

I work at an old airfield – home to the UK’s nuclear deterrent during the 60’s.

and…

I’m also less than 5 miles from the first battle fought during the English Civil War – Edgehill on Sunday 23rd October 1642 apparently 8)

I work at an old airfield – home to the UK’s nuclear deterrent during the 60’s.

and…

I’m also less than 5 miles from the first battle fought during the English Civil War – Edgehill on Sunday 23rd October 1642 apparently

Oh yes. I forgot those ones!

Not to mention some weird looking rocks.