38 British sites bid for World Heritage status
07 Jul 10
A list of almost 40 beauty or historical sites across the UK and its overseas territories has been published as they compete to become World Heritage sites.
The Government revealed a list of 38 sites that it plans to submit to Unesco next year, before it makes its final nominations in 2012.
Some of the sites on the list of potential World Heritage sites include the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire and the former RAF base at Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire.
Also on the list is the Forth Bridge in Scotland, and Offa's Dyke on the English/Welsh border.
Some of the sites on the list of overseas locations include applications from the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.
The island of St Helena in the Atlantic, where Napoleon was exiled to after the Battle of Waterloo is also on the list.
There are currently more than 800 Unesco World Heritage sites, including the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China and the Statue of Liberty.
Publishing the 38 applications, tourism and heritage minister John Penrose said: "The UK's heritage is world class and this list represents the unique variety and history present in all corners of this country and our overseas territories.
"We wanted a strong and varied list to eventually put to Unesco and I'm delighted that so many wonderful, diverse places have been put forward."
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