Rochester, Kent

Rochester is the first city in British history to lose its city status by forgetting to fill in the form, and it has been campaigning to get it back ever since, like someone who let their passport lapse. The cathedral is still there, the castle is still there, and Dickens put the high street in so many novels that every coach party arrives knowing their way round. The Dutch sailed up the Medway and burned the English fleet, and the town got over that, which is more than can be said for the admin.