The gem towns are 51 British towns chosen by the

Council for British Archaeology The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) is an educational charity established in 1944 in the UK. It works to involve people in archaeology and to promote the appreciation and care of the historic environment for the benefit of present and fut ...

in 1964 from a list 324 historic towns and cities that were thought to be "particularly splendid and precious". The compilation of the list was in response to the 1963 Colin Buchanan report, ''Traffic in Towns'' and the redevelopment of Worcester town centre which was seen as insensitive and causing the loss of many heritage assets. The inclusion of a town on the list is still cited in tourist publicity and local authority development plans.

Origins and criteria

The list was compiled in response to the 1963 Colin Buchanan report, ''

Traffic in Towns ''Traffic in Towns'' is an influential report and popular book on urban planning, urban and transport planning policy published 25 November 1963 for the United Kingdom, UK Department for Transport, Ministry of Transport by a team headed by the ...

''. It was also in the wake of the insensitive redevelopment of

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

town centre, with the loss of many heritage assets. Gem towns have been described as having predominantly tourism-based economies that contrast with towns also worthy of preservation but which do not qualify as "gems" because they have an industrial past, or present, and so are less picturesque.

Ongoing significance

The status as a gem town has been used to resist development which is seen as diminishing the historic and attractive features of a town, such as the proposal to open a large discount store in medieval

Cockermouth Cockermouth is a market town and civil parish in the Cumberland unitary authority area of Cumbria, England. The name refers to the town's position by the confluence of the River Cocker into the River Derwent. At the 2021 census, the built u ...

, Cumbria, in 2018 with those in favour citing the lower prices and greater choice that it would bring to residents who were forced to pay high prices locally or shop elsewhere, while those against argued that it would diminish the appeal of one of the last remaining intact gem towns. The status of a town as a "gem" also continues to be mentioned in local government tourist publicity and in development plans, for instance in the plan for

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and civil parish in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It is a port on the north-west coast, and lies outside the Lake District National parks of England and Wales, National Park. ...

in 2013, and

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

in 2015.

List of gem towns

The following towns and cities were identified as "gems". * Aberdeen * Abingdon * Barnard Castle * Bath * Beverley * Blandford * Bradford-on-Avon * Bridgnorth * Burford * Cambridge * Chipping Campden * Cockermouth * Colchester * Conway * Cromarty * Culross * Edinburgh and Leith * Haddington * Hadleigh * Hereford * Inveraray * Kelso * King's Lynn * Lavenham * Lewes * Lincoln * Ludlow * Marlborough * Monmouth * Newark-on-Trent * Newcastle upon Tyne * Norwich * Oxford * Pershore * Richmond * Rye * Salisbury * Sandwich * Scarborough * Stamford * Stirling * Tenby * Tewkesbury * Thaxted * Totnes * Warwick * Wells * Whitehaven * Wisbech"Welcomes Industry", ''The Times'', 5 November 1968, p. 14. * Wymondham * York

References

{{Reflist

External links

Gem towns on Google Maps
* https://www.bidwells.co.uk/news/living-in-a-conservation-area-ten-things-you-need-to-know/ Urban planning Conservation in the United Kingdom 1964 in the United Kingdom