Best hidden gem attractions in England revealed – including brewery that lets you make the beer and a fighter jet museum

VISIT England has named the champion hidden gem attractions to sojourn successful the state from a little-known London brewery and a Sussex vineyard to an craft museum.

Yesterday (October 22), the tourism committee revealed the winners of its Visitor Attraction Accolades for 2023-2024.

Visit England awarded accolades to 72 attractions crossed 5 categories, with 7 being named arsenic apical hidden gems.

The awards were dished retired based connected scores obtained from Visit England's yearly Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme Assessment.

Sambrook's Heritage Centre successful Battersea has been named arsenic London's hidden gem attraction.

Located connected the oldest continuous brewing tract successful the UK, the London-based brewery has roots dating backmost to Henry VIII.

Visitors to Sambrook's Heritage Centre volition larn much astir brewing techniques - but that's not the champion bit.

Heritage brewer and historiographer John Hatch runs guided tours connected the weekend, explaining astir the history of the tract and sampling a enactment of accepted ales.

Tours tally astatine 1pm and 4pm each Saturday and outgo £25 per person.

In summation to the tours, visitors tin adjacent go a brewer for the day.

An Oxfordshire brewery was besides named successful Visit England's database of champion hidden gem attraction.

The Hook Norton Brewery successful Hook Norton is 1 of the fewer remaining Victorian operation breweries successful England.

Just similar Sambrook's Heritage Centre, guided tours of Hook Norton Brewery besides instrumentality place.

Other features of the family-run brewery see a visitant centre, a depository and a taproom wherever its award-winning ales tin beryllium sampled.

In summation to the 2 breweries, the Bolney Wine Estate successful Sussex was besides named 1 of the champion hidden gem attractions successful the country.

The vineyard, which has been moving since the 1970s, besides runs guided tours of its estate, explaining the wine-making process from vine to bottle.

The Sussex vineyard produces award-winning English wines and there's besides an on-site cafe.

Four museums were besides named among England's champion hidden gem attractions, including Sheringham Museum successful Sheringham, Norfolk.

The coastal museum explores Sheringham's maritime history, featuring lifeboats, sportfishing practice and section artefacts.

It's champion gully mightiness beryllium the views of the North Sea from its viewing tower.

The St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery successful Lymington explores the past and the civilization of the New Forest Coast, with exhibitions connected maritime history, section creation and photography.

Away from the coast, the Avro Heritage Museum was besides among the winners.

Located successful Stockport, the depository showcases iconic craft similar the Lancaster Bomber.

For £2 a pop, visitors tin instrumentality tours of cockpits too, including an Avro Vulcan XM602 Cockpit and an Avro Lancaster 'S Sugar' Replica Cockpit.

The combatant pitchy depository besides has a formation simulator and a virtual world bombing raid.

Other features see interactive displays arsenic good arsenic memorabilia from the aviation industry.

There's besides the Green Howards Museum successful Richmond.

Housed successful the historical Trinity Church, the depository tells the communicative of the Green Howards Regiment.

Its postulation of regimental artefacts and subject past spans implicit 300 years of British Military history.

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said:  "These accolades item the fantastic visitant experiences provided by English attractions, from the warmest of welcomes to astonishing food and drink, from large storytelling to outstanding lawsuit service.    

"Our tourism businesses are the bedrock of our industry and it is fantastic to item and observe the fantastic work and experiences they springiness visitors, time-after-time.

"From museums, gardens and quality reserves to farm attractions, estates and theme parks, these attractions spell retired of their mode to marque visits memorable."

Meanwhile, this is municipality successful the Lake District has been labelled a "party capital" because of its calendar of festivals.

And this little-known European municipality has its own pistachio festival every year.