Culture And Heritage

The region' boasts many royal connections. There's Windsor Castle in Berkshire; Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn; Leeds Castle, converted to a palace by Henry VIII; Bognor Regis, where Queen Victoria and George V were regular visitors; and Hampton Court Palace, home to Henry VIII. In Brighton, there's the Royal Pavilion, the seaside residence of George IV.

The South East has played an important part in shaping England's history in other respects too. Runnymede is where King John signed the Magna Carta, while at the town of Battle, William the Conqueror defeated the Saxon army in 1066.

There are strong literary connections in the region too. In Rochester there is a museum dedicated to Charles Dickens, while Ashdown Forest inspired AA Milne and Alice (in Wonderland) is remembered at Guildford Castle.

Economy

The area of Brighton and Hove is the biggest employment centre in East Sussex while Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire boasts the UK's highest concentration of hi-tech industries.

Financial and business services have a strong presence. There are also aerospace, aviation engineering and electronics companies in Berkshire, West Sussex, Kent and Hampshire; technology, research and development activity in Buckinghamshire, Oxford and Surrey; and the automotive industry has a presence in Oxford, the Isle of Wight and Buckinghamshire.

Transport

Residents can easily get to major airports such as Gatwick and Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and Southampton.

There is easy access to the M25, M4, M40, M20, M3 and M23 motorways. The region also has an extensive network of bus and coach routes, for example the 24 hour coach service from Oxford to London.

Rail travellers are well served too. There are regular trains from Oxford to London and Birmingham, trains to Gatwick and Heathrow airports from Surrey, fast services into London from Surrey and Hampshire, cross-channel rail links to Paris and Brussels from Kent and rail connections to Gatwick airport. You can also get the Channel Tunnel to the continent.

Don't forget you can also travel by sea to the continent from Dover, Folkestone, Ramsgate and Newhaven. Many people also commute from the Isle of Wight on the 24-hour jet ferry to Southampton and Portsmouth.