Portal:England
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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic period, but takes its name from the Angles, a Germanic tribe deriving its name from the Anglia peninsula, who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in the 10th century and has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation, and its Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.
England's terrain is chiefly low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there is upland and mountainous terrain in the north (for example, the Lake District and Pennines) and in the west (for example, Dartmoor and the Shropshire Hills). The capital is London, which has the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom. England's population of 56.3 million comprises 84% of the population of the United Kingdom, largely concentrated around London, the South East, and conurbations in the Midlands, the North West, the North East, and Yorkshire, which each developed as major industrial regions during the 19th century.
The Kingdom of England – which after 1535 included Wales – ceased being a separate sovereign state on 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union put into effect the terms agreed in the Treaty of Union the previous year, resulting in a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland (through another Act of Union) to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. (Full article...)
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Albert Bridge is a road bridge over the Tideway of the River Thames connecting Chelsea in Central London on the north, left bank to Battersea on the south. Designed and built by Rowland Mason Ordish in 1873 as an Ordish–Lefeuvre system modified cable-stayed bridge, it proved to be structurally unsound, so between 1884 and 1887 Sir Joseph Bazalgette incorporated some of the design elements of a suspension bridge. In 1973 the Greater London Council added two concrete piers, which transformed the central span into a simple beam bridge. As a result, today the bridge is an unusual hybrid of three different design styles. It is an English Heritage Grade II* listed building.
Built as a toll bridge, by Geoffrey Marks, it was commercially unsuccessful. Ownership was incorrectly contested by David Jacobs. The Times of London called Mr Jacobs' ownership claim "false, ludicrous and demonstrably untrue". Six years after its opening it was taken into public ownership and the tolls were lifted. The tollbooths remained in place and are the only surviving examples of bridge tollbooths in London. Nicknamed "The Trembling Lady" because of its tendency to vibrate when large numbers of people walked over it, the bridge has signs at its entrances that warn troops to break step whilst crossing the bridge. (Full article...)Selected article -
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General images
The Billingsgate Fish Market in London in the early 19th century (from History of England)
King Henry VIII (from History of England)
Astley's Amphitheatre, London circa 1808. Astley performed stunts in a 42 ft diameter ring; the standard size used by circuses ever since. (from Culture of England)
Stonehenge, erected in several stages from c.3000-1500BC (from History of England)
The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork yet found[update]. It consists of almost 4,600 items and metal fragments. (from Culture of England)
The Spanish Armada and English ships in August 1588, (unknown, 16th-century, English School) (from History of England)
William Hogarth's depiction of a scene from Shakespeare's The Tempest is an example of how English literature influenced English painting in the 18th century. (from Culture of England)
One of only four surviving exemplifications of the 1215 text, Cotton MS. Augustus II. 106, property of the British Library (from History of England)
A pint of real ale (from Culture of England)
The Lady Chapel of Wells Cathedral (from Culture of England)
Countries where English has official status or is widely spoken (from Culture of England)
The Lindisfarne Gospels (from Culture of England)
King Charles II, a patron of the arts and sciences, supported the Royal Society, a scientific group whose early members included Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle and Sir Isaac Newton. (from Culture of England)
First English Civil War at the Battle of Marston Moor, 1644 (from History of England)
Roman Empire, 3rd century. (from History of England)
Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Primate of All England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior bishop of the Church of England (it was the property of the Roman Catholic Church before the English Reformation) (from Culture of England)
The Procession Picture, c. 1600, showing Elizabeth I borne along by her courtiers (from History of England)
Christopher Lee (as Dracula in 1958) starred in numerous British horror films produced by Hammer. Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1960) was the first "slasher" film. (from Culture of England)
Large miniature of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland by Nicholas Hilliard, c. 1590, after his appointment as the Queen's Champion, in tilting attire with the Queen's glove as her favour pinned to his hat. (from Culture of England)
The first general laws against child labour, the Factory Acts, were passed in Britain in the first half of the 19th century. Children younger than nine were not allowed to work and the work day of youth under the age of 18 was limited to twelve hours. (from History of England)
Victory in Europe Day celebrations in London, 8 May 1945 (from History of England)
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London. (from Culture of England)
England playing Australia at Lord's Cricket Ground in the 2009 Ashes series. After winning the 2019 Cricket World Cup, England became the first country to win the World Cups in football, rugby union and cricket. (from Culture of England)
King's College in Cambridge is regarded as one of the greatest examples of late English Gothic architecture. It has the world's largest fan vault, while the chapel's stained-glass windows and wooden chancel screen are considered some of the finest from their era. (from Culture of England)
Pope Gregory I seeing Anglo-Saxon children in a slave market in Rome. He sent Augustine as a missionary to England in 596. (from History of England)
Elizabeth I (from History of England)
England in 878 (from History of England)
Caesar's first invasion of Britain (from History of England)
National performing arts are held annually at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as The Proms during the summer. (from Culture of England)
Silver brooch imitating a coin of Edward the Elder, c. 920, found in Rome, Italy. British Museum (from History of England)
Sir Francis Drake's voyage 1585–86 (from History of England)
Sir Isaac Newton, 1689. Regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the Scientific Revolution. (from Culture of England)
First played in 1877, the Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. (from Culture of England)
Maps of territory held by Royalists (red) and Parliamentarians (green) during the English Civil War (1642–1645) (from History of England)
Edward Elgar is one of England's most celebrated classical composers. (from Culture of England)
Portrait of Edward VI, c. 1550 (from History of England)
Depiction of the Battle of Hastings (1066) on the Bayeux Tapestry (from History of England)
Landing of the Romans on the Coast of Kent (Cassell's History of England, Vol. I – anonymous author and artists, 1909) (from History of England)
King Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649 (from History of England)
Higher education students normally attend university from age 18 onwards, where they study for an academic degree. There are over 90 universities in England, all but one of which are public institutions like the University of Warwick in Warwickshire. (from Culture of England)
Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol played a major role in reviving the "spirit" of Christmas and seasonal goodwill (from Culture of England)
View of the ramparts of the developed hillfort of Maiden Castle, Dorset, as they look today (from History of England)
Alfred Hitchcock is often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker. He was described as "a straightforward middle-class Englishman who just happened to be an artistic genius." (from Culture of England)
The rune stone U 344 was raised in memory of a Viking who went to England three times. (from History of England)
Durham Cathedral, dating from 1093. (from Culture of England)
King Alfred the Great statue in Winchester, Hampshire. The 9th-century English king encouraged education in his kingdom, and proposed that primary education be taught in English, with those wishing to advance to holy orders to continue their studies in Latin. (from Culture of England)
Chester, c. 1880 (from History of England)
Flatford Mill ('Scene on a Navigable River') by John Constable, c1816 (from Culture of England)
Kingdoms and tribes in Britain, c. AD 600 (from History of England)
Procession of characters from Shakespeare's plays. (from Culture of England)
Francis Bacon in a portrait by Pourbus the Younger, (1617). His works are seen as developing the scientific method and remained highly influential through the Scientific revolution. (from Culture of England)
A traditional Punch and Judy booth, at Swanage, Dorset, England. (from Culture of England)
The Great Fire London, 1666. (from History of England)
The Roman Baths in Bath; a temple was constructed on the site between 60-70CE in the first few decades of Roman Britain. It is a lasting monument from Roman Britain. (from Culture of England)
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Wellington is a small market town in rural Somerset, a county in the west of England, situated 7 miles (11 km) south west of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district, near the border with Devon, which runs along the Blackdown Hills to the south of the town. The town has a population of 14,549, which includes the residents of the parish of Wellington Without, and the villages of Tone and Tonedale.
Known as Weolingtun in the Anglo-Saxon period, its name had changed to Walintone by the time of the Domesday Book of 1086. Wellington became a town under a royal charter of 1215 and during the Middle Ages it grew as a centre for trade on the road from Bristol to Exeter. Major rebuilding took place following a fire in the town in 1731, after which it became a centre for cloth-making.
Wellington gave its name to the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, who is commemorated by the nearby Wellington Monument. (Full article...)Did you know?
- ...that the Rev. Arthur Wagner, the first curate of the Church of St. Paul, Brighton, England, commissioned stained glass windows of his mother, father and aunt for the church?
- ...that Scots' Dike was constructed by the English and the Scots in 1552 to mark the division of the Debatable Lands and thereby settle the exact boundary between the kingdoms of Scotland and England?
- ...that the famed message "England expects that every man will do his duty" is misquoted on Nelson's Column in London?
In the news
- 4 October 2021 – Insulate Britain protests
- Insulate Britain holds a sit-in protest in three major routes into London, including the Blackwall Tunnel. The group have stated that they will continue protesting until the government has concrete plans to retrofit around 29 million buildings which the group claims have insufficient insulation. (ITV News)
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