The 10 Oldest Cities in the UK

Did you know there are ten cities in the UK whose city status is said to have been held since 'time immemorial' according to ancient prescriptive right afforded to them by the presence of an Anglican cathedral? This video explores all ten in depth, complete with the story of how each came to be.
As stated in the video, the list order is not chronological as no one knows the order! Rather, the cities are listed from north to south.
All footage is my own, and originates from my flagship channel, 4K Explorer, which you can check out here: -- / @4kexplorer

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Just to clear up some confusion: the premise of this list is cities with the longest unbroken city status. So that means Roman history is essentially a red herring in this case as the Romans abandoned Britain in the 5th century.

[@robtyman4281]

Ah, so this is why Chester doesn't appear here then? As it should really be in this list.

[@peterharrison966]

Totally Agree, If Chester not on this List then I Reckon the List Is Wrong,But The we all Entitled to Believe What Is Right or Wrong

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

@@robtyman4281 It is slightly baffling as to how people are mostly kicking off about Chester in particular, considering Chester Cathedral was an abbey church until the 16th century.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

@@peterharrison966 How is it wrong? The Diocese of Chester formed in 1541.

[@EdwardThomas-mn5vd]

Chester should be on the list and that is final.!

[@stevenhoughton1406]

I live in Birmingham and I have never been to Any of these places ever. I'm going to make it my mission to try and visit as many of these places as possible. I really do need to get out and explore more.

[@MartinMilnerUK]

You do. I am quite surprised you have not been to York. The train links are excellent.

[@heliotropezzz333]

Worcester is close to you. I grew up in Brum and have been to all these cities except for Bangor, Winchester and Lichfield. I like exploring the UK and had always wanted to visit the latter 2 but haven't yet got round to it (plans to visit Winchester earlier this year were thwarted). Lichfield was the home of Dr Samuel Johnson, a favourite historical character. I didn't know much about Bangor before or that it was so old. Now I want to visit it.

[@marieascot]

Lichfield is a must

[@superderv]

I'm from Birmingham but moved to Lichfield 3 years ago... It's a 30 minuet drive from Birmingham City centre! Come and say hi

[@stephfoxwell4620]

And go to Stamford. No Cathedral,but the best collection of medieval churches and 17th century coaching inns in Britain.

[@mrbutch308]

I am an American, living in the state of Pennsylvania. In my state there are towns and cities bearing the names of every one of these cities in Great Britain, with the exception of Lichfield. Most are in eastern Pennsylvania near Philadelphia and one is in the west part of the state near Pittsburgh.

[@darthwiizius]

Well, Penn was quite influential in the State named after him (they probably shouldn't have named an island after him though), but it's not uncommon to see British influences. Even Washington is an Anglo-Norman surname (you can tell the difference between Anglo-Saxon surnames and Norman in general because Anglo-Saxons tended toward vocational names like Walker, Smith, Field etc where Normans tended toward topological based surnames like Washington (a town in County Durham) etc) harking from County Durham and the Washington heraldic shield of stars and stripes is featured in stained glass windows at Durham Cathedral, no doubt the family were involved in financing the build as this was a mechanism for raising the profile and status of both the place a cathedral was built but also of those who paid for it to be built.

[@Stand663]

Wasn’t the original US capital Pennsylvania before it became Washington. ? I think I read it somewhere long ago.

[@darthwiizius]

@@Stand663 Philly?

[@mrbutch308]

@@Stand663 Actually New York City was the first capital of the newly independent USA in 1785. That is where George Washington took his oath of office as First President. The capital moved to Philadelphia from 1790 through 1800. After that the city of Washington was purposely built to be the young nation's capital. A few other cities served as capital, such as Baltimore, but for only brief periods.

[@mrbutch308]

@@Stand663 There was representative government in each of the colonies before the Revolution. After the Treaty of Paris, in which Great Britain conceded defeat and recognized American independence, there were lengthy discussions and debates in Philadelphia where the Continental Congress was meeting. The Founding Fathers - men like Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton and the others - were brilliant scholars whose erudition was recognized in the courts of Europe. The drafting of the Constitution of the United States was a painstaking process and no they were not just making things up as they went along; they understood law, government, democracy, history, etc. It is the Constitution which spells out the role and responsibilities of the president, and this form of government is a republic, not a monarchy, and functions without the royal protocols or offices.

[@suecox2308]

Fascinating--some surprises here--I didn't realize Hereford was so ancient--thank you!

[@vordman]

My home city. We have a copy of the Magna Carta, the Mappa Mundi and the largest chained library in the world. But I agree, it often gets overlooked and it's probably more famous these days as the home of the SAS and Bulmers Cider!

[@faithlesshound5621]

"Here" was what the Anglo-Saxons called an army: it's cognate with the modern German "Heer."

[@brucewilliams8714]

This was great. I have been to all these cities in my visits to Britain, because of their cathedrals. Indeed, I've visited every ancient cathedral; plus some that began as a parish church; and the three modern purpose-built - Liverpool, Coventry and Guildford. I really appreciated your research and presentation. Greetings from Australia.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Hey, thanks for the kind words! Liverpool's probably my favourite modern(ish) cathedral.

[@russell-di8js]

Saint Asaph in North Wales is atop a hillock in the flat Vale of Clwyd & in my opinion as a local is well worth a visit

[@tocaat2410]

Good on ya for mentioning Guildford, which is my local cathedral (one of a very few built in modern times - I remember wandering about the unfinished building when still a school kid). I emigrated with family to Australia (Melbourne) while still attending school. Lived there until early 30s, when I returned to England for career reasons (now live about 30 minutes away from Guildford).

[@sifridbassoon]

I'm jealous

[@jhindle7883]

That's pretty impressive achievement considering that there are 97 cathedrals in the UK. I went to Liverpool Anglican Cathedral as a boy, on a school trip just after the war (I'm 89 now) and was blown away. I made it my quest to visit as many as I could in my lifetime - old age has prevented me from completing that target, but I gave it a good try.

[@Maggy47]

York is my favourite city to visit however Durham is close to me and never tire of shopping there

[@mikecoulson9709]

York is my birthplace, I’ld love to visit Durham 😊

[@RomayPM]

Edinburgh, though I don't believe it has a cathedral, though I might be wrong, I love that city. Then York and Durham for me 😊

[@L-mo]

York is great, as is much of Yorkshire, I want to return.

[@stephfoxwell4620]

Wells had the best group of medieval Ecclesiastical buildings in N Europe. Closely followed by Winchester.

[@martinlee5604]

This is excellent. One of the best videos I've watched.

But inaccurate.

[@claymor8241]

Is your browser working?

[@TheEulerID]

Lichfield is the only remaining medieval cathedral with a triple spire, but Lincoln Cathedral had one until 1548 which, at 525 feet, was the tallest building in the world for over 200 years.

[@risvegliato]

yes indeed! I live in Lichfield Diocese, but Lincoln is my favourite cathedral by far. It fell down more than once I think?

[@LewisLittle66]

@@risvegliato It did indeed (not the whole cathedral, but the spire). First time, the whole roof including the spire was destroyed by fire in 1124. The re-built spire fell during an earthquake in 1185 and again it was re-built. This one collapsed in 1548 and was not re-built due to prohibitive cost.

[@andrewwaddoups3544]

The Litchfield cathedral had a twin in Coventry, as it was the bishopric of Litchfield and Coventry, and the King of Mercia, Leofric was buried with his wife Godiva there. Coventry cathedral was destroyed by Henry VIII in the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th Century. Coventry was established by King Offa, and it is believed that is where Coventry gets its name from, Offa's Tree. Coventry is a city of equal age as Litchfield, and was also a County at one stage.

[@faithlesshound5621]

It's a good thing they didn't rebuild that spire in Lincoln, otherwise Russian Military Intelligence might have come calling with nefarious intent in 2018. The alien builders were charging too much, I suppose?

[@psychonaut689]

@@andrewwaddoups3544 It's Coventry not Oventry mate. I require an explanation as to how it got the C.

[@JaneAndrews-y3b]

I learn something new every time I join your channel Alex, just love all this information often about familiar places. Looking forward to more of your super content on this channel

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[@dijanawarrender8627]

I wrote my list before watching your video and it featured St Albans, Colchester and Edinburgh

Coventry should be included. It is one of the original British cities.

[@willowtree9291]

St Albans did not become a city until 1877. I was living there in 1977, and remember the celebrations of a century as a city. Of course the settlement dates back much further.

[@qlyck8937]

Colchester IS the oldest city. There’s no if’s, buts or maybes.

[@gazbrucia1654]

a very well researched and presented clip. I was fortunate to spend 20 years living in York, spectacular. Maybe you should do a follow up Cities 11-20.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks, that's not a bad idea. And yeah, York is amazing!

[@DS-um9hi]

​@@AlexinGreatBritainif you do, please leave Chester out, I am having fun reading all the frothing comments! 😅

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

@@DS-um9hi Haha, that'd be the ultimate troll!

[@harrisonofthenorth]

Most excellent, I'd consider adding Glasgow to the list, where Glasgow Cathedral is considered to have been re-established in the reign of David I, which although originally founded as a monastic cell in the 7th century, would seem to be older than some of the others that you mentioned. The difficulty, of course, is the controversy over whether David I established it during his reign, or re-established it during his reign. Perhaps it should just be in a special category called 'Noteworthy', particularly because it's founder was a Celtic bishop and who for a while had his Celtic seat there.

[@malcopops4]

This does raise the problem that the definition of great Britain has changed so much during the time frame. Would probably be better to use current definition of Britain & current definition of city & just look at which have the oldest evidence of settlement. Would probably end up in a very long list though!

[@harrisonofthenorth]

@@malcopops4 The current and previous definitions of Britain seem to be the same - if a place has a cathedral, or is designated as a city, then it is a city; and Britain is Britain, that place that is named after the Pretanike and consists substantially of Albion and it's surrounding islands. You'll have to expound because I don't see your point. Unless you are just implying using comparative population numbers and assigning a threshold to the ancient world where meeting it constituted a city irrespective of modern-day definitions. But then there are ancient cities that are defined by that which is inside an ancient wall, called a walled city. Someone would have to do a study, however I think that from the moment that a place had a cathedral that it was a city, even in the ancient world, because the simple matter that it had the seat of a bishop, it must have been substantial in population numbers, bishops don't build cathedrals in hamlets.

[@maryannedouglas]

@@malcopops4 Unless you're confusing england with Great Britain or the UK, i don't see where you're coming from. Great Britain is defined as the big island in a group of islands off of Europe's west coast. That hasn't changed, has it? And Glasgow is a city on the island of Great Britain, or has it moved?

[@malcopops4]

@@maryannedouglas I was confusing the terms great Britain & United Kingdom (which Scotland & Northern Ireland have been in&out of during the timeframe in question). My point about current definition of a city is that it would make sense to take the list of places which are currently cities (i think there's 70-80ish) and ask which 10 of these were inhabited first. But clearly my opinion is worthless as I don't even know what the words Great Britain mean!

[@maryannedouglas]

@@malcopops4 Neither Scotland nor Northern Ireland have ever not been part of the UK. The only country to leave the UK was Ireland in 1922. Regardless, Glasgow has always been on the island of Great Britain, and has (since Union) been part of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the UK. Point being; the OP was right to include Glasgow as the clip's title says UK, not england.

[@philiprobinson2011]

I know you are looking at the oldest recorded Cities, but I am surprised Colchester did not make the list. Of course technically Colchester only officially became a city in 2022, but if you go much further back in time there is a twist. Colchester was originally founded by the Romans as a Colonia in AD49 by the Emperor Claudius, and of course a Colonia was to the Romans what a City is to us today. So as Colchester became a city in AD49, that predates any other city in England, even though it has not held city status for all of the intervening period.

[@beccabbea2511]

I'm pleased you pointed that out as Colchester is the oldest recorded town/city in Britain.

[@SparkAttack86]

This is correct. By record, Colchester is written as a colonia and was also recorded as a city in Domesday in 1086. Colchester is the oldest city and first capital of Britain. Its recent city status was acknowledged as a reinstating its ancient lost city status

[@kubhlaikhan2015]

Also effectively Britain's capital city for a time too - the first base of Roman power in Britain. Which is why Boadicea burned it to the ground and why The Morte D'Arthur names it as the restored capital in the early dark ages. Camulo-dunum.

[@louisegladwin-troy1254]

Colchester is oldest town in UK 🇬🇧. Born and bred their!!!

[@kubhlaikhan2015]

@@louisegladwin-troy1254 Very possibly. I recently read that it was a Celtic capital even before the arrival of the Romans. Seriously under-researched and under-appreciated I think.

[@derekblythe6143]

When the domesday book was introduced in 1086 carlisle was part of scotland & not included in the norman survey,probably why we weren't mentioned.

[@adrianjones8060]

Carlisle was once known as Caerlur, or Lear’s Castle. It was once part of Strathclyde,the Welsh speaking kingdom of North Britain. That’s why most names in Cumbria are Welsh based….even the old way of counting sheep is Cymraeg in origin.

[@adrianjones8060]

All ancient names in Britain are Old Welsh/Brythonic Of course the Saxons changed them,but usually they adapted them with the original…Caer Lur = Leicester. Caer Baddon=Bath, Lundain= London.Evrog=York. The earliest one of course was Dover (or Dwfr in Welsh) that was not changed because it was already called that when the English arrived. Even Caer Edin and Glas Gae in Scotland ,down to Pen Saints in Cornwall are Cymraeg in their origin.

[@larryjones-emery807]

Thank you for the excellent data and Commentary!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Very kind, thanks!

[@Ygyhhhhhhhh]

Perhaps a useful addition might be Colchester which has now become a city. It certainly predates London and was formerly known as the oldest town in England.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Oh it's undoubtedly one of the oldest, if not THE oldest. The only reason I've not included it here is one of the conditions is having unbroken city status since 'time immemorial'.

[@mike-js2510]

Technically it is the oldest RECORDED town in England, due to a document located in the Vatican Library. Was also the capital of Roman England prior to it moving to, I think, Winchester.

[@catherinesmalley8587]

As you say it's only just been made a city, then it doesn't qualify as being one of the ten oldest cities. One of the ten newest cities yes but not one of the ten oldest...

[@flashtheoriginal]

Yes Camoludunum (spelling) the Roman capital of Britain. I like Colchester, loads of history excellently observed/preserved

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

​@@flashtheoriginal Colchester is an absolute dump. Caesaromagus, Chelmsford >>>>> Colchester Chelmsford is both an older City than Colchester and it has a very nice cathedral. It is both the administrative centre and route centre in Essex. In all city related respects, Chelmsford beats Colchester with ease!

[@gregorywhite9095]

A beautiful video...very well done!

[@kindnesscake2819]

Just found your channel, thank you... very enjoyable content 👍

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Ah, thanks very much!

[@tri5ia]

Great video. The Roman name for Canterbury, Durovernum Cantiacorum, is a Latinised version of the Brythonic Duroernum (a rough approx) meaning Fort of the Alders. Canterbury is home to the oldest church in England still in use as a church today, St Martin’s. It was built in 597 but bricks from Roman ruins were used in the construction. The Roman road of Watling Street runs through Canterbury. When the Saxons arrived they kept the Cantiacorum part of the name, anglicising it to Cantwarebyrig - Fortress of the Men of Kent.

[@susanlegeza7562]

I love all the history i am learning from your channel! Thank you!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@trevorveail]

It is odd that you missed Lincoln off of this list. It predates the Romans.

[@smokey2471]

…and was capital of the Roman province of Britain and has the greatest cathedral in the world, even without its spires…

[@AllanDunn-t2z]

And is well over 900 years old... Used to be named Lindum

[@smokey2471]

@@AllanDunn-t2z indeed, Lindum Colonia

[@sullacicero2610]

I worked for a landscaper called Lindum.

[@KevinTheCaravanner]

@AlexinGreatBritain you must have got up early in the morning to film so many sequences without people in the frame, especially York. I’m a bit of a history nut and I learned so much from this video. Thank you.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

That's very kind, thanks! Yeah some of the footage was shot quite early, but it was partially filmed during the pandemic period as well, at least in the case of York.

[@ShockedSquirrelhere]

Such beautiful places too ❤ I an so grateful for the preservation of such architecture.

[@limitless5000]

Such a relaxing and interesting way to spend 12 minutes. I’d love to hear some deeper dives. Thank you.

[@carmenfinn7521]

Don't get me wrong, London is very majestic but I do prefer the smaller places. They are all so beautiful! I really need to put Wells and Winchester on my bucket list!!!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

They're both great for day trips if you get the opportunity!

[@MartinMilnerUK]

You will find the centre of Wells absolutely stunning with the amazing cathedral (and especially the W. face), the Bishop's Palace and gardens and the adjacent almshouses complex. So, so amazing and if you're fit you can walk to nearby Glastonbury and Cheddar Gorge. A lovely part of the south-west.

[@Arlene-st5is]

thank you Alex, such a wealth of information!

[@morgankarlsson6505]

Interresting video. Romans both founded and conqured cities and when they left in the 400s, history becomes more tricky to keep track of. Great video.

[@doriskarloff964]

Very interesting - thanks for posting. The closed captions are a hoot.

[@ShakeelAhmed-pr7gn]

Beautiful cathedrals.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks Shakeel. Yeah, they're not too bad!

[@smokey2471]

Shakeel Ahmed, you should have a look at Lincoln cathedral

[@jacklovejoy5290]

You missed Noviomagus Reginorum, or Chichester. It was founded by the Romans not long after the invasion, before becoming the capital of the Kingdom of Sussex and became the seat of a cathedral in 1075 when the bishophric was moved from Selsey to Chichester by the Council of London

[@bobsyeruncle5557]

Great video, really interesting. You have remarkable patience with all these people who think their city should have been included

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

You noticed? Haha, thanks! I didn't think people would be this protective over some Roman ruins!

[@electraflame144]

Interesting thanks but very surprised not to see Edinburgh here. 🌟🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@pauls3204]

Or Dumbarton

[@goodbarbenie5477]

As History says it, the Romans didn't make it to Scotland.... They were too scared of the Scots.😰 As they deemed them to be unruly and barbaric. Which I think was a good thing, as the Scottish culture was then less watered down by these clowns...🥳😅😂🤣.

[@juni.Th17]

4:01 beautiful cathedral in Litchfield

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

It is indeed!

[@ourlassandme]

Interesting and informative, enjoyed that video and subscribed.

[@nwtn9878]

Did you forget about Chester?

[@p.millard557]

I was defintely expecting Chester to be included.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

It became a city in 1541 when the Diocese of Chester was formed.

[@samhwilson]

@@AlexinGreatBritain if you’re going off the presence of an Anglican cathedral then this is untrue. The first bishop to have his cathedra based in Chester was in 1075.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

@@samhwilson Right, but the see was transferred to Coventry later that century. So I made the discretionary decision not to include it in the top 10.

[@josephfredbill]

So you are making the decision on when the place became a city not on when the place was first settled (eg by the Romans) ? A dfferent categorisation could have been “the oldest settlements that are now cities” which would have pulled in Chester because of the roman settlement (indeed Lancaster as well and probably some others)

[@waynemillward2807]

Very informative and interesting facts thankyou 👍 😊.

[@alicejade3657]

Nice to see my hometown Winchester on here and not surprising as it's full of history, especially with the Westgate and Hospital of St Cross :)

[@alisonjudithbailey9125]

Worth watching again for the narrative and beautiful shots of well-preserved ancient buildings and stunning Cathedrals (I am not so much bothered about the actual chronology)

[@MsDaver1000]

I was rooting for St Albans. Great video.

[@AveCaesar2025]

Me too.

[@musicobsessive56]

And me. There has been a settlement there since the Iron Age but was only awarded City status in 1877.

[@jam-nc8ut]

I'm British, and although I've been to a couple of these cities, I'd love to travel to them all (and many others). I can't drive anymore, for health reasons, and it is incredibly frustrating that the cost of travel within the UK is such a barrier. For the price of a train ticket and a one night stay in a hotel in, for example, Wells, from my home in the north west of England, I could go to Ibiza for a week. It would also involve less travelling time. I can't afford to do either, as it happens, but I'm sure you take my point.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

The coach is a lot cheaper than the train, often less than a quarter of the price. Slower and not as comfy perhaps, but a workable option, especially if you go off-season.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

@@eoinj3929- Do you have to be Irish or a resident to qualify?

[@jam-nc8ut]

@@eoinj3929 Sounds great. We have free bus travel for over 65's, but I'm 2 decades away from that, still paying full adult fares for everything. Happy travels!

[@jam-nc8ut]

@@sirrathersplendid4825 It's something to look into. I only get 20 days a year off work, so time is at a premium (as well as money!).

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

@@eoinj3929 👍

[@nealeraleigh8239]

Very interesting and very well researched

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

That's kind of you to say, thanks!

[@lesleymcshanemitchell9651]

Thank you Really enjoyed this

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Much appreciated, thanks!

[@NSYresearch]

As a resident of Wells I love having the cathedral here.

[@MsCheesemonster13]

If I had to choose my favourite cathedral in the UK, it would be Wells. You are so lucky. 😊

[@robinhughes8822]

How come Milton Keynes wasn’t mention ,the way the vikings crafted cows from concrete will for ever baffle historians

[@kirstymackenzie2437]

😅😅😅😅

[@ORDEROFTHEKNIGHTSTEMPLAR13]

Should be thankful he left it out..

[@paulbuckle8459]

And let's not forget those same ancient roots influenced the American cities and suburbs so many years later 😊

[@rjglennon2219]

Dont forget the roman roundabout😂

[@adiuntesserande6893]

I've never heard of Lichfield before. It is *gorgeous!* I must find a way to go there sometime.

[@DarrylKirby]

Some really good places to visit too! Briatin is such an intersting place.

[@ronhall9039]

One small point - don't berate the Saxons too much as they really only were in the south of England. Northumbria, Mercia and Anglia were not Saxons but were Angles (as in Anglo-Saxon, Angleterre, Angelcynn). Modern history has tended to paint out the Angles, but they were definitely there, although their proximity to Scandinavia caused their ultimate downfall.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Oh I'm with you on that. It's just their record keeping prior to the 9th century wasn't the best, leaving us with little information to go on regarding entire kingdoms like Essex, and same for the Angles regarding Hwicce, Lindsey etc.

[@Stoggler]

Agree with you there. I dislike the casual use of Saxon as a catch-all term for pre-1066 England, especially when there was also a Duchy of Saxony on the continent from the 9th century onwards (and there was Saxon lands prior to that), so Saxon refers to that entity (although context should be taken into consideration). Also by the latter AS period, English (or englisc to use their spelling) was the term used the people of the period.

[@stop-the-greed]

​@@StogglerSaxons came from the duchy of Saxony

[@white-dragon4424]

They were so influential that the word "English" came from "Angle-ish".

[@nigelholroyd2942]

Excellent presentation, well done sir. much appreciated. 👍 ( I thought LINCOLN was olde & pre Roman too, but appreciate your analysis)

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks! Lincoln was extremely important to the Romans, but in terms of unbroken city status it just misses out.

[@dizzyduck44]

I think we need to be careful here. By the author’s own admission some cities passed into city status as there doesn’t appear to be records for them, so somewhere such as Chester which has been in its present site since 79AD may well have been considered a city, it’s just that somebody kept records for it and didn’t name it as such till 1541. Possible due to the fact we have a history of its Mystery Plays alongside it. The Roman’s certainly considered it of major importance and the Saxon’s built there as well.

[@EdwardThomas-mn5vd]

Yes, exactly. Chester should be on the list and that's final.!

[@darthwiizius]

Settlements endured and were reconstructed because they have an inherent advantage of location, so for example places with "ford" in the title were built around river crossings to control trade, act as a strategic military control etc. Just because we don't fully understand our ancestors doesn't mean we don't understand some of their motivations and logically assume some others.

[@Ionabrodie69]

@@EdwardThomas-mn5vdOh get over yourself..🙄🇬🇧

[@EdwardThomas-mn5vd]

@Ionabrodie69 thank you Iona brodie, Kisses. Xxxx

[@EdwardThomas-mn5vd]

You know I, m right.

[@johne1956]

I was born in Peterborough, which has a great cathedral, I went to school at the cathedral choir school there. I also lived for ten years in York which is a truly historic and spectacular city with possibly one the best cathedrals in the UK. I have lived in Winchester for the past 22 years. I have been blessed to call these places home.

[@bilbo8338]

Brilliant! I have a question for you - Which is a better city to settle down - York or Winchester?

[@johne1956]

@@bilbo8338 Hi, the simple answer is it depends. Both are great cities with history, surrounded by beautiful countryside. York is the bigger city so has more shops and restaurants. Winchester is in the South, nearer to London so it is more expensive to live there. Schools are good in both places. People are probably more friendly in the North ie. York. Either would be a great place to settle.

[@martinwarner1178]

Super video. Thank you. Peace be unto you.

[@free..to..air..]

A tourist could spend an entire holiday travelling from cathedral to cathedral in UK cities...such a rich variety of really beautiful buildings ..with some conducting tours for a small charge..like Durham... Personally..i was overawed by the architecture and majesty of Edinburgh and Liverpool's Anglican...tho the metroplitan cathedral there is also worth a visit

[@monicacall7532]

My dream is to return to England and visit these cities and their cathedrals. Thank you.

[@morriganwitch]

I live in Lincoln you can feel the age xxx

[@shoshanaudelson4481]

Fun run-through, disputes notwithstanding

[@diannewheatleygiliotti8513]

Outstanding. Thank you.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks Dianne!

[@johnholt890]

Great stuff I am fortunate to live 5 miles from Wells and am a bit of a cathedral nut. In England and Wales only Anglican ones I have not yet got to are Blackburn and Bradford - hope to get to those one day. Done at least half the French ones, and quite a few in Italy, Germany and Spain.

[@markgerrard383]

How can you include Hereford & Worcester without including the ancient Roman settlement of Glevum which predated both ? Omitting Gloucester is a serious error..

[@citythink]

Canadian born son of a son of Gloucester here and I had to question this as well.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Glevum was a colonia, yes. But Gloucester has only been a city since 1541 when the Diocese of Gloucester was formed.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

It only became a city during Henry VIII's reign. Of course it was a Roman colonia, but this list is looking at longest unbroken city status.

[@markgerrard383]

@@AlexinGreatBritain That's not true by your own criteria.. 1.The Cathedral was built in stages between 1089 to 1130 - so logically it became a cathedral city at the latest in 1130 2. If you go to Gloucester Cathedral you will see the mounted statues of the 12 apostles beheaded as they were in many cathedrals & abbeys across the country as an act defiance against Rome during the 1536 Dissolution of the Monasteries. . ERGO Notwithstanding 1 if Gloucester was otherwise elevated to city status at any time in history it's highly unlikely to have been in the post Reformation years of Henry VIIIs reign. For these reasons I beg to differ with your logic & accuracy

[@ekspatriat]

@@markgerrard383 Born and grew up in Gloucester till I was 34 (now 65). Old city or not it's a shit-hole. (Now)

[@Madonnalitta1]

I didn't know Bangor was ancient. Interesting video.

[@WILLIAM1690WALES]

I wondered why you did not include the city of Chester, but of course you are quite right, even though the Romans established it as one of their main bases in Britain. It didn’t actually have city status until 1541.

[@risvegliato]

Thanks for getting Bangor in the right place chronologically. Many people forget that it is the oldest cathedral after York.

[@simonpitt8145]

Canterbury I think is the oldest.

[@akelsall]

Interesting video. I live in Worcester and know some of its history so had a hunch it would be on the list.

[@christopherx7428]

Interesting with so many cities where the origins are so ancient that no one knows when they were founded. Btw: "Strand" is the word for beach also in modern Swedish!

[@jonathanscott7372]

and German too.

[@thierrypauwels]

And in Dutch.

[@coombscharlie]

I was expecting to see St Albans/Verulamium and Colchester/Camulodunum on the list. Was their city status broken when Rome withdrew?

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Well yeah, Sub-Roman Britain i.e. post 410 AD was basically a wasteland for the most part.

[@England.123.N.U.F.C.]

Enjoyed that mate, cheers..

[@tealeafuk]

Great video enjoyed it. Been to many of them but all look beautiful. However i think you missed one because I know for fact this city is older then York.

[@dhm7815]

Americans generally mispronounce Worcester as WUR-shess-ter rather than wooster. People from the original Worcester founded a city in Massachusetts named Worcester and had to continually correct their fellow Americans' mispronunciation. People from Worcester, Massachusetts moved to Ohio and founded a city and just gave up and named it Wooster.

[@margaretfitzgerald7187]

Thanks for the instruction. This American looks at the spelling of the name and tries to say what she sees, but then English spelling is a historical hodgepodge. Incidentally, I live near Wooster, OH and keep a bottle of Worcester Sauce in the fridge.

[@Ionabrodie69]

@@margaretfitzgerald7187Ooh triggered ..🙄🇬🇧

[@margaretfitzgerald7187]

@@Ionabrodie69 What do you mean?

[@simonpitt8145]

@@margaretfitzgerald7187 " Triggered ", in that context, is a fairly recent slang term made by British people to indicate that they believe someone has just been wound up and risen to the bait by overreacting to an earlier comment. For what it's worth, I don't think you were. I'd say that you gave a perfectly reasonable response, evidenced by the gentle and humorous Worcester Sauce comment. Sadly @lonabrodie thought otherwise.

[@margaretfitzgerald7187]

@@Ionabrodie69そうと思いませんよ。

[@traceystones5876]

Very interesting I going to have to listen again

[@GaryTaylor-gp2qc]

As an exonion i'm likely to be biased but exeter is a beautiful city , historic building , cathtedral and surround , parts of the norman castle remain as well as parts of the roman wall , lovely water side quay area and even the city centre has been voted in the top 10 in england , what's not to like

[@adolforodolfo6929]

I'm always pleased and grateful to learn something - and I just have. Thank you.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@SiL-uj2zl]

Surprised Norwich didn't make the list,especially as it has always been the de facto capital of East Anglia...

[@liza-fr6zt]

Absolutely.

[@cornovii3012]

Or Chester

[@alicejade3657]

Not Cambridge? East Anglia is such a beautiful part of England

[@SiL-uj2zl]

@@alicejade3657 Norwich has always been bigger and more populous than beautiful Cambridge

[@cueballzero]

Puts Gobleki Tepe into perspective, which was founded well before the ice sheets covering most of the UK and Europe had retreated.

[@robertfindley9000]

No mention of Edinburgh or Glasgow or Perth in Scotland

[@alfiecat9288]

Erm Lincoln or Lindum, definitely should be on this list. Is there a reason why, the excel being York, the other cities are in the West and south of the country.

[@EKsUrbanTracks]

This was fascinating.

[@SusanScott-n7m]

Expected to see Salisbury here

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Salisbury's an interesting one - it was built from scratch in the 13th century.

[@chrishambleton6475]

Where does Sheffield come in to this as I'm from Sheffield

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Sheffield was granted city status in 1893 - same year as Leeds. This also explains why pretty much all the industrial cities of the north and midlands have a 'town' hall.

[@RyderSontaig]

I love this sort of stuff. I've gotta get over there one day.

[@philipthomas2918]

Limited list which doesn't include many very early river crossing settlements that prospered and later became Roman settlements then cities? For example, Gloucester, Chester?

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

If we're talking about settlements, it'd go back to the Iron Age or maybe earlier. As far as cities go, Gloucester and Chester only received permanent city status after the Reformation.

[@jeniferallan6693]

I am very proud that I studied at King Alfred's College and graduated at Winchester Cathedral 😊

[@ZenoWright]

Durham is beautiful, I recomend

[@rafd3593]

I thought, perhaps, that Peterborough might qualify, as an Iron Age settlement is reproduced in Flag Fen within the city.

[@markirving249]

Excuse me but why is Carlisle not included as it has been a city since Roman times?

[@lizscott6911]

I enjoyed this video. I realised there was 4 I hafn't been to. So those adventures lay ahead.

[@yettimannettii2039]

Have you heard of HallEnd or Corbin Hall in Warwickshire? Tring to find out if these were or are homes or villages or communities?

[@andrewbush3744]

Lancaster is a place I have visited a few times amazing city

[@christate590]

Just wondering why there is film of Newcastle upon Tyne at the beginning of the footage but doesn't make the list?

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Ah well spotted! I ran a clip of Grey Street to coincide with where I mentioned that a lot of Victorian big towns were upgraded to cities, including Newcastle.

[@lesliehart]

I was expecting Lincoln and St Davids

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

The Diocese of Lincoln was formed in 1072, and St Davids lost its city status in the 19th century. It regained it in the 1990s, but with this list we're looking at the longest unbroken city status.

[@Simonsvids]

@@AlexinGreatBritain Your video, your rules, but you said at the start of your video that if it had an Anglican cathedral, it had city status by ancient right. Therefore, even though in 1888 due to local government reorganisation it lost its city status, it could not lose its city status due to ancient right, since it still had an Anglican cathedral! Cant change the goalposts mate once you have defined them! St Davids has been regarded as a continuous city since the 6th century, despite what here today gone tomorrow governments say.

[@croceyzx2433]

Could you do a version for Towns?

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Not a bad idea, although if I did it would likely be a list of all the towns that claim to be THE oldest, with varying degrees of validity!

[@Corstopitum]

Aren’t I lucky living 1hrs drive from both York and Durham living beneath the beautiful Cleveland hills and 10 minutes drive from the picturesque Victorian seaside town of Saltburn on sea and 20 mins from the historic port of Whitby 😍

[@avagrego3195]

thank you so very much, very interesting delightful

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

That's very kind, thanks!

[@stco2426]

Hi. Why isn't Carlisle in the list. Its priory became a cathedral in 1133?

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Which makes it old, just not old enough for the top 10.

[@JesterEric]

Carlisle is one of the few cities with unbroken Romano British occupation. It likely still had a working aqueduct feeding a fountain in the 7th century and a praepositus civitatis according to Bede

[@margaretyates4937]

I agree what about Chester. And where was Durham in the list

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Durham was literally the first city I featured as an honourable mention. Did you skip over that part? Chester became a city in 1541. Deva Victrix is irrelevant as the Romans abandoned it along with the whole island.

[@claymor8241]

@@AlexinGreatBritain. You barely mentioned it.

[@TheStobb50]

What about Edinburgh Sterling Glasgow know that place north of the border still part of the uk/United Kingdom of Great Britain. Actually, looking further into it, it’s not as straightforward as you might think Elgin has had a cathedral or bishopric from 10 Century roughly and Elgin is not a city, Scotland Has had bishops going back to 9th century Scotland had a very different way of designating cities status, is the oldest official city in Scotland is Dundee granted, by Queen Victoria. Until the industrial revolution scotland didn’t have a tradition of urban, living administrative centres. Only had a very small population as such what we would described as a city now didn’t really exist in Scotland.. i’ve got to add a very good video forgetting people, thinking and talking thank you

[@KaiColloquoun-gt7kw]

"Island England" geographical & historical facts don't apply. Glasgow was founded in the 5th or 6th century & St Ninian had established a Christian burial ground there even earlier, centuries before the Gregorian mission to the English (not the already Christian British.

[@PatBackPatBack-x4n]

Sheesh, people! You're so busy correcting this video that you didn't "listen" to what was actually said - which makes what you're saying incorrect.

[@peddersmeister]

I don't know how easy it is to change chapter names, but the city of Lichfield, where I grew up didn't actually have a T in its name, that honour is bestowed upon a village in Hampshire😊

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Oh wow, thanks for the heads up! I didn't even put chapters on this video - it was the bloody AI that did that, and it can't even spell Lichfield!

[@peddersmeister]

@@AlexinGreatBritain haha 🤣 no worries having never put a video on KZbin, when for an IT professional may sound odd! So I didn't know how chapters were added 😊 Lichfield has a royal mail sorting office which was a short walk from my childhood home, and somewhere I have a picture of a sign that they put up spelling it with a T, the next time I went round they'd corrected it!

[@alanhindmarch4483]

What about Ripon, Yorkshire. It is the Oldest City in England by Royal Charter and the fourth smallest.

[@PaulTheCyclist.]

I was waiting to see it on the list, at 1100+years old

[@jamesgriffiths5268]

Bangor is rightly included.However as a cathedral city,Bangor has the oldest cathedral in the British Isles founded in 525AD which therefore makes Bangor the oldest city in Britain.

[@MartinMilnerUK]

It is a city I have not been to but now I really want to, and to St. David's in S. Wales

[@georgewheeldon8529]

excellent vid i find it hard to believe oxford never made the list

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks! Yeah Oxford's ancient, but Christ Church Cathedral's 16th century.

[@sorscha1308]

I'm not going to argue that it's one of the oldest but i think Ripon NY would have a little argument with Wells over which is the smallest city. I've never been to Wells but it looks bigger than Ripon (which is basically a market square with a few side streets & a cathedral) to me.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Yeah, I'll have to do a video about the smallest cities at some point!

[@steveselby6201]

Ripon was granted its city charter in 886 . I am not sure when it was first settled but I would certainly make an argument for it being one of the oldest.

[@anthillmob7455]

​@@steveselby6201 according to Google, Ripon is the oldest city

[@IanLawrie-l9q]

Awesome 👍👏👌