Places to visit

The number of places with Cromwell connections is enormous. The very detailed publication The Cromwellian Gazetteer by Peter Gaunt, Alan Sutton and the Cromwell Association, 1987, is the most complete listing. The book is still in print and can be purchased from the Cromwell Museum, (www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/cromwell).

For anybody seriously pursuing Cromwell sites the most obvious starting point is Huntingdon, the town where he was born and the location of the Cromwell Museum.

The nearby Hinchingbrooke House, open on summer Sunday afternoons and once the home of Cromwell’s grandfather, and then 
his uncle Sir Oliver Cromwell, 
should also be visited if possible. 

Cromwell moved from Huntingdon to St Ives in 1631, but the site of his house is lost, and little remains to be seen of his time there, other than the Parish Church. In 1636 the family moved again to Ely. The house where they lived is now a visitor attraction and Tourist Information Centre, and contains an interesting display.
Visit tourism at East Cambs.

In 1640 Cromwell was elected MP for nearby Cambridge in both the Short and Long Parliaments. Sidney Sussex College which he had attended in 1616-1617 is now the resting place of what is believed to be Cromwell’s head. Cambridge Castle at the north end of the City is also of interest with its Civil War fortifications.

From the start of the Civil war onwards in 1642  Cromwell moved the length and breadth of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. There are several English Heritage sites with strong Civil War connections . For example:
Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire; Ashby de la Zouch Castle, Leicestershire; Boscobel House, Shropshire; Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire; Sherborne Castle, Dorset; Portland Castle, Dorset; Pendennis Castle, Cornwall; Old Wardour Castle, Wiltshire; Beeston Castle, Cheshire; Helmsley Castle, North Yorkshire; Scarborough Castle, North Yorkshire; Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight; Deal Castle, Kent; Dover Castle, Kent; Donnington Castle, Berkshire. Many of these mount special events during the year.

There are also several National Trust  properties with Cromwell connections. For example: Chavenage House, Gloucestershire; Sutton House, Hackney, London; Carlyle’s House, Chelsea, London.

Other places worth visiting for their Civil War or Cromwell collections and connections include:

Basing House Ruins, Basingstoke, Hampshire www.hants.gov.uk/museum/basingho/ 
Museum of London, London Wall, London, EC2Y 5HN 
www.museum-london.org.uk/ 
National Army Museum, Chelsea, London, SW3 4HT
www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/
The Commandery Civil War Centre, Worcester
www.worcestercitymuseums.org.uk/comm/commind.htm 

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