Do you live near one? Interactive map reveals the locations of England’s 400,000 heritage sites – and scientists say living nearby ‘makes you happier’

With the mundanity of modern life, it can be easy for Brits to forget that we live in a country full of ancient monuments and rich history.

England alone has around 400,000 listed buildings, monuments, protected parks and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

And they’re not just fun to look at, as new research from Historic England shows that daily encounters with these places increase wellbeing and ‘life satisfaction’.

Now an incredible interactive map from the organization shows where the nearest ones to you are in the country.

It includes the world-famous Stonehenge, the Roman defensive fortress of Hadrian’s Wall and the Jurassic Coast, known for its rich reserves of geological history and dinosaur remains.

The interactive map of historic England highlights the numerous listed buildings in England with small blue pins.

There are so many that if you go to the shops, chances are you’ll come across one along the way.

All three categories were all included: Grade I (buildings of the highest significance), Grade II* (particularly important buildings of more than special interest) and Grade II (buildings of special interest).

There are hundreds of thousands of listed buildings in England, but some of the most famous Grade I examples are Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Palace and Tower Bridge.

Meanwhile, those in the Grade II* category include Battersea Power Station, the Coliseum Theater and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, while Grade II includes treasures such as Abbey Road Studios and BT Tower.

All of these buildings are considered nationally important and therefore enjoy additional legal protection, although not all of them are preserved because they house museums and people.

Most listed building owners are likely to live in a listed building as these make up 92 per cent of all listed buildings, says Historic England.

Meanwhile, scheduled monuments – nationally significant archaeological sites or historic buildings – are shaded red on the map.

Examples include Stonehenge in Wiltshire, Cranmore Castle in Devon and even Surbiton railway station, known for its striking modernist facade.

The map also shows that listed parks and gardens, such as Richmond Park in London and Philips Park in Manchester, are shaded green.

In the same way that historic buildings are categorised, England’s parks and gardens are classified as I, II and II.

Finally, World Heritage Sites – a special global designation given by the UN to places that are of ‘outstanding value to humanity’ – are shaded yellow.

There are 33 World Heritage Sites in Britain and the British Overseas Territories, including Stonehenge, the Tower of London, the Lake District, Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire and the entire city of Bath.

The map does not include heritage sites of Wales and Scotland as these are overseen by two different organisations: Cadw and Historic Environment Scotland respectively.

Similar to the positive impact of green spaces on wellbeing, the presence of nearby historic places improves quality of life, according to new research from Historic England.

Using a mechanism designed by the Treasury, the study in England assigned a monetary value to this heritage benefit, a so-called ‘welfare value’, of £29 billion per year.

“For the first time we have robust economic evidence that heritage makes an important contribution to people’s quality of life,” said Lord Neil Mendoza, chairman of Historic England.

‘We all appreciate the role that green spaces play in ensuring well-being.

‘This new ground-breaking research shows us that everyday local heritage plays a similar and valuable role in towns and cities across England.’

The interactive map and the new study are available to view on the Historic England website.