38 British sites compete for World Heritage status

Seven areas in northwest England are among nearly 40 places which will compete to become World Heritage sites.

The 38-strong list includes Blackpool, Chester Rows in Chester, Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, the Lake District, and Laxey Valley and Tynwald Hill on the Isle of Man.

It also includes the Greater Manchester area for the birth of the railway age.

The list also includes overseas territories and crown dependencies, with applications including the Caribbean Turks and Caicos islands and the island of St Helena in the Atlantic on which Napoleon was exiled after the Battle of Waterloo.

The government plans to submit a tentative list of sites to Unesco next year with a view to making nominations in 2012.

There are currently more than 800 Unesco World Heritage sites, including the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China and the Statue of Liberty.

Publishing the 38 applications on Wednesday, tourism and heritage minister John Penrose said: "The UK's heritage is world class and this list represents the unique variety and history present in all corners of this country and our overseas territories.

"We wanted a strong and varied list to eventually put to Unesco and I'm delighted that so many wonderful, diverse places have been put forward."

He went on: "Any list that includes Jodrell Bank, the Forth Bridge, Blackpool and the Turks and Caicos Islands certainly doesn't lack variety.

"But what all 38 sites have in common is a wow factor and a cultural resonance that makes them real contenders to sit alongside The Pyramids and Red Square in this most distinguished of gatherings."