An introduction to England
Discover a land of sublime landscapes, palaces, castles, country homes, magnificent gardens and not forgetting cream teas...
What is the story..?
The Roman's occupied what we now call England for over 400 years, from AD43 to 410-50AD. Many of the main roads you will travel on have there origins in Roman times. The remnants of Roman walls, villa's, amphitheatres and Roman bath's can be seen across the country. From the late fifth century the Angle's and Saxon's arrived in Britain; the English! The name England derived from, 'The Land of the Angles' (i.e. the people from the continental homeland of Angel in Schleswig, Germany). Was this an Invasion? This very difficult to really know. Did ferocious battle's take place ? Without doubt. This island may have been defended by a great warrior King, of Romano British origins, the warrior King we now call King Arthur. This is a legend, but, like many legends, there is always an element of truth. Eventually the Angles and Saxons assimilated with local Britons. The sub kingdoms of Mercia, Northumberland, Kent and Wessex developed. Ultimatley, the Kings of Wessex became the Kings of a United Kingdom of England.
The 1066 invasion... The Norman's invaded in the year 1066 and conquered what we now call England and parts of Southern Wales. The Norman's dispossessed the English nobility and took complete control. An intimidating series of fortified towns and cities with huge castle's sprung up across England, many of which were built upon the English system of Burghs (forts). Churches were re-built with colossal dimensions in large numbers in a new continental style of architecture.
In the 16th century Queen Elizabeth I built on her fathers investment in the navy and England laid the foundations of a great Empire. By 1603 the kingdoms of England and Scotland were peacefully united, Wales was conquered in the 13th century and King Henry VIII declared himself King of Ireland in 1541. We now have what we call a UK, a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (England, Scotland, Ireland and the Principality of Wales)
Throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries British colonies were established all over the globe so that by the end of the 19th century, Queen Victoria ruled over "The greatest empire the world had ever seen". At the peak of the empire, one quarter of the world's land surface was ruled from the imperial capital of London and flew the union flag (union Jack for shipping). What used to be called the British Empire is today known as the Commonwealth, founded in 1931 and consists of 53 independent states with a combined population of 1.8 billion, which is 30% of the world's population. The leader of the commonwealth is Queen Elizabeth II.
England today...
England is renowned for tradition, country homes, gardens, royalty and castle's. The country is also modern, innovative and forward thinking. For example Tim Berners-Lee a graduate from historic Oxford university is the primary inventor of the World Wide Web (www). Berners-Lee wrote the original software in 1990 and made it available in 1991. Sir Clive Sinclair invented amongst other things the world's first pocket calculator in 1962 and the English aviation engineer and pilot Sir Frank Whittle was first to register his turbo jet engine in 1930. British companies today are at the forefront of pharmaceuticals, financial services, telecommunications, aerospace and information technology.
Facts about the weather...
It always rains in England? Rainfall in England varies widely. The Lake District is the wettest part, with average annual totals exceeding 2,000 mm. However, all of East Anglia, much of the Midlands, eastern and north-eastern England, and parts of the south-east receive less than 700 mm a year. July is normally the warmest month in England, and the highest temperatures of all have occurred in central districts furthest away from the cooling influence of the Atlantic. The highest temperature ever recorded in England is 38.5 °C at Brogdale, near Faversham in Kent on 10 August 2003, which is also the highest temperature ever recorded anywhere in the United Kingdom. The coldest months are January and February. The average tempture in summer is around 20-25 °C (70-75F)
Country homes and gardens... There are over 700 country homes, gardens, castles and historic sites (open to the public) located throughout England. Most visitors are normally confined to "day tours from London" which will give you a good overview; you can see sights such as Windsor, Stonehenge, Oxford, The Cotswolds and Bath, which are all within easy reach of the capital.
Tour further afield and visit lesser known towns, villages and historic sights. Extended touring will also give you a chance to experience England's diverse countryside, ranging from mountains, lakes, rugged hills, green valleys and wind swept beeches. During May/June you see the best colour of England's great gardens, although many are wonderful to visit at any time of the year. Why not avoid the crowds, travel in Spring or Autumn, the weather is usually fine for touring, not too hot or too cool with bright sunny days. Winter can be very cool, but perfect if you prefer to see the sights without any crowds at all - imagine afternoon tea around a blazing log fire at a beautiful stately home hotel.
The UK, important facts:
Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II (1952), Prime Minister: Gordon Brown (2007) Area: 94,525 sq mi (UK) Population (2005 est.): 60,441,457. Capital and largest city (2003 est.): London, 11,219,000 (metro. area), 7,417,700 (city proper) Monetary unit: Pound sterling (£) Languages: English, Welsh, Scots Gaelic. Ethnicity/race: English 81.5%; Scottish 9.6%; Irish 2.4%; Welsh 1.9%; Ulster 1.8%; West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%. Religions: Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 million, Muslim 1.5 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 500,000, Hindu 500,000, Jewish 350,000. Literacy rate: 99% (2000 est.) Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $1.782 trillion; per capita $29,600. Real growth rate: 3.2%. Inflation: 1.4%. Unemployment: 4.8%. Arable land: 23%. Labor force: 29.78 million; agriculture 1.5%, industry 19.1%, services 79.5% (2004). Major trading partners: U.S., Germany, France, Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain, Italy (2003).