Stamford

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There were historic regional capitals, such as York.

There were towns whose prosperity was inherited from the past - based on the wool trade -, and for which the 18^th century was the last flourishing period, such as Stamford in the Eastern counties and Halifax in the Midlands. They have been largely preserved in their Georgian state because the next era - the railway age - bypassed them since they were not on main rail lines.

There were also new towns, built according to Enlightenment principles, such as Inveraray in Scotland.

See also the “Old trades and new trades” article