From battlefields, cathedrals and museums to castles and stately homes, from the Lancastrians and Yorkists to the Roundheads, Royalists and an abundance of kings called Edward (and Henry!), the history of our island nation unravels its rich tapestry beneath our very feet - if only you know where to look.

Take, for instance, the Tower of London, which housed a royal menagerie - featuring lions, an African elephant and even a polar bear - some three hundred years before it bore witness to Anne Boleyn's final jest with her executioner. Or the Liverpool Docks, which in the 19th century handled a whopping 9% of global trade. Or, indeed, the atomic weapons base at Orford Ness, which was used to secretly test nuclear weapons during the most heated periods of the Cold War. . . You do not have to travel far for English history to spring into rich and vivid life.

In their?Story of England, historian Dan Snow and the History Hit team take us on a journey through thousands of years of unceasing drama. It's a tale of invaders and immigrants and visitors and what they brought here. It's a tale of how our ancestors overcame, co-operated and shaped this country to their liking, affecting our landscape, our character, our language, industries, laws, religions and settlements with each passing century. And, ultimately, it's a tale of how England came to be how it is today.