UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK and Overseas Territories

UNESCO World Heritage Sites are designated for having cultural, historical, scientific, or other form of global significance. Sites are judged to contain cultural or natural (or mixed) heritage considered to be of Outstanding Universal Value.

This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (or World Heritage Convention), adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

The 35 Properties (sites) in the UK and Overseas Territories, including ancient landscapes and monuments, areas of global natural significance, and sites that shaped the industrial Revolution, join over 1,200 further properties in more than 165 countries to be inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites belong to everyone, and it is everyone’s duty to protect them for future generations.

Explore World Heritage Sites

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Frontiers of the Roman Empire: The Antonine Wall
2,000 years ago, the Antonine Wall was the most northerly frontier of the Roman Empire, running for 37 miles from modern Bo’ness on the Firth of Forth to Old Kilpatrick on the River Clyde.
Frontiers of the Roman Empire: Hadrian's Wall
Stretching 73 miles from coast to coast across northern England, Hadrian’s Wall was built to guard the wild north-west frontier of the Roman Empire.
Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast
The Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast is located along the exposed Atlantic coast of Northern Ireland.
The Great Spa Towns of Europe: Bath
The city of Bath is part of The Great Spa Towns of Europe, a serial transnational World Heritage Site, made up of 11 famous historic spa towns and cities in seven European countries.
Heart of Neolithic Orkney
Some 5,000 years ago, the prehistoric people of the Orkney Islands began building extraordinary monuments out of stone. Four of these monuments form the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.
Ironbridge Gorge
The cradle of the Industrial Revolution. Nowhere else has had more influence on our modern world.
Jodrell Bank Observatory
Jodrell Bank’s inspirational story includes revolutionary scientific discoveries, amazing feats of engineering, the dawn of the Space Age and the creation of the Grade I listed Lovell Telescope.
Maritime Greenwich
Situated within central Greenwich and Greenwich Park, and adjoining the river Thames in east London…
Moravian Church Settlements: Gracehill
The Moravian Church dates from 1457. In 1722 the renewed Church established a Settlement at Herrnhut, Germany from where they travelled around the world founding new Settlements…
New Lanark
New Lanark was a cotton mill founded 1785 by David Dale, a Glasgow banker and entrepreneur, and Richard Arkwright, the inventor and pioneer of industrial cotton spinning.
The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
Located in the heart of Scotland’s capital, the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site was designated in 1995. The site spans 4,500 buildings across the twisting…
Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret's Church
Ever since Edward the Confessor constructed his palace and church here in the 11th century AD, the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey have been one of the ultimate symbols of monarchy…
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