Ten things you didn't know about Avon...

Well, not as an official county anyway. The county of Avon ceased to exist in 1996 and the area was divided between Bath, north-east Somerset, Bristol, north Somerset and south Gloucestershire.

The spa city of Bath was first discovered by the Romans, who were so enamoured of its springs that they named it Aquae Solis—"Waters of the Sun". It is now a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The picturesque Avon village of Kilmersdon, in the Somer Valley, is the reputed home of the infamous hill from the nursery rhyme—actually, just a footpath. A plaque marks the spot over the medieval well shaft they were fetching water from.

Opened in 1961, The American Museum in Britain features American decorative arts collected by its two US founders. The museum, in Claverton near Bath, is open from March until October.

The first Concorde 002 prototype took flight in 1969 at Filton Aerodrome. It also landed there for the last time in 2003, where it is to be kept as the centrepiece for a planned air museum. Avon is still considered the hub of UK aerospace with BAE Systems, Airbus and Rolls Royce all based here.

John Wesley opened the New Room in Bristol in 1739.

The English version of hip hop, otherwise known as the "Bristol Sound", sprung out of Avon in the 1980s. Bands like Massive Attack and Portishead went on to achieve worldwide acclaim for their unique sound.

The Hollywood actor—real name Archibald Alexander Leach—was born in Bristol in 1904, only travelling to the US as a teenage stilt walker in a stage troupe.

The King confiscated Thornbury Castle after its owner, the Duke of Buckingham, was tried for treason in 1521. He only managed to visit it once though, with Anne Boleyn, for 10 days in 1535. The castle is now a luxury hotel.

The famous Claymation characters are the creations of Aardman Animations, who work from the Aztec West Business Park in Avon.