Culture of England

{{main|Architecture of England}}

Many ancient standing stone monuments were erected during the prehistoric period; amongst the best known are Stonehenge, Avebury, Devil's Arrows, Rudston Monolith and Castlerigg. With the introduction of Ancient Roman architecture there was a development of basilicas, baths, amphitheaters, triumphal arches, villas, Roman temples, Roman roads, Roman forts, stockades and aqueducts.{{Cite web|title=stone-circles.org.uk – The Prehistoric Sites of Great Britain|url=http://www.stone-circles.org.uk/stone/index.htm|access-date=27 April 2021|website=www.stone-circles.org.uk}} It was the Romans who founded the first cities and towns such as London, Bath, York, Chester and St Albans. Perhaps the best-known example is Hadrian's Wall stretching right across northern England.{{cite web|title=Ancient Roman architecture in England and Wales|url=http://www.castles.me.uk/ancient-roman-architecture-england-wales.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212033420/http://www.castles.me.uk/ancient-roman-architecture-england-wales.htm|archive-date=12 December 2009|access-date=5 September 2009|publisher=Castles.me.uk}} Another well-preserved example is the Roman Baths at Bath, Somerset.

English architecture begins with the architecture of the Anglo-Saxons. At least fifty surviving English churches are of Anglo-Saxon origin, although in some cases the Anglo-Saxon part is small and much-altered. All except one timber church are built of stone or brick, and in some cases show evidence of reused Roman work. The architectural character of Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical buildings ranges from Coptic-influenced architecture in the early period, through Early Christian basilica influenced architecture, to (in the later Anglo-Saxon period) an architecture characterised by pilaster-strips, blank arcading, baluster shafts and triangular-headed openings.

File:Durham Cathedral.JPG, dating from 1093]]

Many cathedrals of England are ancient, dating from as far back as around 700. They are a major aspect of the country's artistic heritage. Medieval Christianity included the veneration of saints, with pilgrimages to places where particular saints' relics were interred. The possession of the relics of a popular saint was a source of funds for an individual church, as the faithful made donations and benefices in the hope that they might receive spiritual aid, a blessing or a healing from the presence of the physical remains of the holy person. Among those churches to benefit in particular were St Albans Abbey, which contained the relics of England's first Christian martyr; Ripon with the shrine of its founder St. Wilfrid; Durham, which was built to house the body of Saints Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and Aidan; Ely with the shrine of St. Ethelreda; Westminster Abbey with the magnificent shrine of its founder St. Edward the Confessor; at Chichester, the remains of St. Richard; and at Winchester, those of St. Swithun.

All these saints brought pilgrims to their churches, but among them the most renowned was Thomas Becket, the late Archbishop of Canterbury, assassinated by henchmen of King Henry II in 1170. As a place of pilgrimage Canterbury was, in the 13th century, second only to Santiago de Compostela. In the 1170s Gothic architecture was introduced at Canterbury and Westminster Abbey. Over the next 400 years it developed in England, sometimes in parallel with and influenced by Continental forms, but generally with great local diversity and originality.

Following the Norman Conquest Romanesque architecture (known here as Norman architecture) superseded Anglo-Saxon architecture; later there was a period of transition into English Gothic architecture (of which there are three periods, Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular). Norman architecture was built on a vast scale from the 11th century onwards in the form of castles and churches to help impose Norman authority upon their dominion.{{citation|title=British Architecture > page 1|url=http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=781533633|work=Encarta|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5kwQNgfPK?url=http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=781533633|publisher=MSN|access-date=18 June 2009|archive-date=31 October 2009|url-status=dead}} Many castles remain from the medieval period, such as Windsor Castle (longest-occupied castle in Europe),Great Castles of Britain & Ireland. p.43. New Holland Publishers, 2009 Bodiam Castle (a moated castle), Tower of London, and Warwick Castle. Expanding on the Norman base there was also castles, palaces, great houses, universities and parish churches.

English Gothic architecture flourished from the 12th to the early 16th century, and famous examples include Westminster Abbey, the traditional place of coronation for the British monarch, which also has a long tradition as a venue for royal weddings,[http://westminster-abbey.org.uk Westminster Abbey.org]. Retrieved 18 February 2011. Canterbury Cathedral, one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England; Salisbury Cathedral, which has the tallest church spire in the UK; and York Minster, which is the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe.Alec Clifton-Taylor, The Cathedrals of England (Thames & Hudson, 1969)

Secular medieval architecture throughout England has left a legacy of large stone castles. The invention of gunpowder and canons made castles redundant, and the English Renaissance which followed facilitiated the development of new artistic styles for domestic architecture, notably Tudor, Elizabethan, Jacobean, English Baroque, Queen Anne and Palladian.{{citation|title=British Architecture > page 2|url=http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=781533633&pn=2|work=Encarta|archive-url=https://archive.today/20091031182319/http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=781533633&pn=2|publisher=MSN|access-date=18 June 2009|archive-date=31 October 2009|url-status=dead}} Architecture during the Tudor dynasty flourished with magnificent royal palaces, such as Nonsuch Palace, Palace of Placentia, Hampton Court Palace, Hatfield House, Richmond Palace and Palace of Beaulieu.

One of the most acclaimed English architects was Sir Christopher Wren. He was employed by King Charles II to design and rebuild London and many of its ruined ancient churches following the Great Fire of London in 1666.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/gallery_st_pauls.shtml British History in depth: Christopher Wren and St Paul's Cathedral] BBC. Retrieved 18 February 2011.{{cite web|last=Craven|first=Jackie |title=Christopher Wren Is the Man Who Rebuilt London After the Fire|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/sir-christopher-wren-rebuilder-of-london-177429|access-date=29 April 2021|website=ThoughtCo}} Georgian and Neoclassical architecture advanced after the Age of Enlightenment, evoking achievements in elegant architecture and city planning; the Royal Crescent at Bath is one of the best examples of this. The Regency of George IV is noted for its elegance and achievements in architecture and urban planning.{{Cite web|title=Regency {{!}} British Architectural Dates and Styles {{!}} Property {{!}} UK {{!}} Mayfair Office|url=https://www.mayfairoffice.co.uk/members-home/British-Architectural-Styles/British-Architectural-Styles-Regency|access-date=27 April 2021|website=www.mayfairoffice.co.uk|archive-date=17 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417084322/https://www.mayfairoffice.co.uk/members-home/British-Architectural-Styles/British-Architectural-Styles-Regency|url-status=dead}} Regency style is also applied to interior design and decorative arts of the period, typified by elegant furniture and vertically striped wallpaper, and to styles of clothing; for men, as typified by the dandy Beau Brummell and for women the Empire silhouette. In early modern times there was an influence from Renaissance architecture until by the 18th century. Gothic forms of architecture had been abandoned and various classical styles were adopted. During the Victorian era, Gothic Revival architecture developed in England and was preferred for many types of buildings and city planning. Victorian architecture was widespread and pioneering engineering achievements (bridges, canals, railways, train stations, modern sewer systems) were constructed.{{Cite web|title=BBC – History – British History in depth: Victorian Technology|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/victorian_technology_01.shtml|access-date=28 April 2021|website=www.bbc.co.uk|language=en-GB}}

The Industrial Revolution paved the way for buildings such as The Crystal Palace. The introduction of the sheet glass method into England by Chance Brothers in 1832 made possible the production of large sheets of cheap but strong glass, and its use in the Crystal Palace created a structure with the greatest area of glass ever seen in a building. It astonished visitors with its clear walls and ceilings that did not require interior lights.{{Cite web|date=28 November 2019|title=Crystal Palace was "birth of modern architecture" says Norman Foster|url=https://www.dezeen.com/2019/11/28/norman-foster-crystal-palace-modern-architecture/|access-date=28 April 2021|website=Dezeen|language=en}} Edwardian architecture followed in the early 20th century. Other buildings such as cathedrals and parish churches are associated with a sense of traditional Englishness, as is often the palatial 'stately home'. Many people are interested in the English country house and the rural lifestyle, evidenced by the number of visitors to properties managed by English Heritage and the National Trust.

File:Stourhead Bridge3.jpg at Stourhead, described as a 'living work of art' when first opened in the 1750s]]

Landscape gardening as developed by Capability Brown set an international trend for the English garden. Gardening, and visiting gardens, are regarded as typically English pursuits. By the end of the 18th century the English garden was being imitated by the French landscape garden, and as far away as St. Petersburg, Russia, in Pavlovsk, the gardens of the future Emperor Paul. It also had a major influence on the form of the public parks and gardens which appeared around the world in the 19th century.Lucia Impelluso, Jardins, potagers et labyrinthes, Mondatori Electra, Milan

Inspired by the great landscape artists of the seventeenth century, the English garden presented an idealized view of nature. At large country houses, the English garden usually included lakes, sweeps of gently rolling lawns set against groves of trees, and recreations of classical temples, Gothic ruins, bridges, and other picturesque architecture, designed to recreate an idyllic pastoral landscape.{{Cite web|title=Gardens through time|url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/gardens-through-time/|access-date=27 April 2021|website=English Heritage}} The English garden was centred on the English country house, stately homes and parks. English Heritage and the National Trust preserve large gardens and landscape parks throughout the country. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is held every year by the Royal Horticultural Society and is said to be the largest gardening show in the world.{{Cite web|title=RHS Chelsea Flower Show|url=http://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show|access-date=27 April 2021|website=www.rhs.org.uk|language=en-gb}}

Following the building of the world's first seaside pier at Ryde, the pier became fashionable at seaside resorts in England during the Victorian era, peaking in the 1860s with 22 being built in that decade.{{cite book|last=Dobraszczyk|first=Paul|title=Iron, Ornament and Architecture in Victorian Britain: Myth and Modernity, Excess and Enchantment|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|year=2014|isbn=978-1-472-41898-2|page=143}} A symbol of the typical English seaside holiday, by 1914 more than 100 pleasure piers were located around the UK coast. Regarded as being among the finest Victorian architecture, there are still a significant number of seaside piers of architectural merit still standing, although some have been lost, including two at Brighton in East Sussex and one at New Brighton in the Wirral.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/2929565.stm "The circus comes to the Circus"]. BBC News. Retrieved 13 December 2014 Two piers, Brighton's now derelict West Pier and Clevedon Pier, were Grade 1 listed. The Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare is the only pier in the world linked to an island. The National Piers Society gives a figure of 55 surviving seaside piers in England.{{Cite web|title=National Piers Society – Celebrating Seaside Piers|url=https://piers.org.uk/|access-date=27 April 2021|language=en-GB}}

{{Main|English art}}

File:Staffordshire hoard annotated.jpg is the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork {{asof|2016|5|alt=yet found}}. It consists of almost 4,600 items and metal fragments.]]

England has Europe's earliest and northernmost ice-age cave art.{{cite news|title=Britain's first nude?|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/3326032/Britains-first-nude.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/3326032/Britains-first-nude.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=28 August 2017}}{{cbignore}} Early medieval Anglo-Saxon art saw the development of a distinctly English style,{{cite encyclopedia|title=Anglo-Saxon art|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Anglo-Saxon-art|access-date=28 August 2017}} and English art continued thereafter to have a distinct character. English art made after the formation in 1707 of the Kingdom of Great Britain may be regarded in most respects simultaneously as art of the United Kingdom. The two periods of outstanding achievement were the 7th and 8th centuries, with the metalwork and jewellery from Sutton Hoo and a series of magnificent illuminated manuscripts, and the final period after about 950, when there was a revival of English culture after the end of the Viking invasions.{{Cite web|title=Decoding Anglo-Saxon art – Smarthistory|url=https://smarthistory.org/decoding-anglo-saxon-art/|access-date=1 May 2021|website=smarthistory.org}}

As in most of Europe at the time, metalwork was the most highly regarded form of art by the Anglo-Saxons. Anglo-Saxon taste favoured brightness and colour. Opus Anglicanum ("English work") was recognised as the finest embroidery in Europe. Perhaps the best known piece of Anglo-Saxon art is the Bayeux Tapestry which was commissioned by a Norman patron from English artists working in the traditional Anglo-Saxon style. Anglo-Saxon artists also worked in fresco, stone, ivory and whalebone (notably the Franks Casket), metalwork (for example the Fuller brooch), glass and enamel. Medieval English painting, mainly religious, had a strong national tradition and was influential in Europe.{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Western-painting/Western-Dark-Ages-and-medieval-Christendom |title=Western Dark Ages And Medieval Christendom |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=28 August 2017 }}

File:William Holmes Sullivan - The Fairy Ring; the Enchanted Piper.jpg, c.1908]]There is in the art of the English Renaissance a strong interest in portraiture, and the portrait miniature was more popular in England than anywhere else.{{cite web|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bpor/hd_bpor.htm |title=Portrait Painting in England, 1600–1800 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |access-date=28 August 2017 }} English Renaissance sculpture was mainly architectural and for monumental tombs.{{cite web |url=https://shop.ashmolean.org/index.php/books/ashmolean-books/medieval-and-renaissance-sculpture-in-the-ashmolean-museum-jeremy-warren.html |title=Medieval And Renaissance Sculpture |publisher=Ashmolean Museum |access-date=28 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912060812/https://shop.ashmolean.org/index.php/books/ashmolean-books/medieval-and-renaissance-sculpture-in-the-ashmolean-museum-jeremy-warren.html |archive-date=12 September 2017 |url-status=dead }} English art was dominated by imported artists throughout much of the Renaissance, but in the 18th century a native tradition became much admired. It is considered to be typified by landscape painting, such as the work of J. M. W. Turner and John Constable. Portraitists like Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds were also significant.

In the 18th century, watercolour painting, mostly of landscapes, became an English specialty, with both a buoyant market for professional works, and a large number of amateur painters, many following the popular systems found in the books of Alexander Cozens and others. By the beginning of the 19th century the English artists with the highest modern reputations were mostly dedicated landscape painters, showing the wide range of Romantic interpretations of the English landscape.

Pictorial satirist William Hogarth pioneered Western sequential art, and political illustrations in this style are often referred to as "Hogarthian".According to Elizabeth Einberg, "by the time he died in October 1764 he had left so indelible a mark on the history of British painting that the term 'Hogarthian' remains instantly comprehensible even today as a valid description of a wry, satirical perception of the human condition." See the exhibition catalog, Hogarth the Painter, London: Tate Gallery, 1997, p. 17. Following Hogarth, political cartoons developed in England in the late 18th century under the direction of James Gillray. Regarded as one of the two most influential cartoonists (the other is Hogarth), Gillray has been referred to as the father of the political cartoon, with his satirical work calling the King (George III), prime ministers and generals to account.{{cite news|title=Satire, sewers and statesmen: why James Gillray was king of the cartoon|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/mar/21/satire-sewers-and-statesmen-james-gillray-king-of-cartoon|agency=The Guardian|date=16 June 2015}} The early 19th century saw the emergence of the Norwich school of painters, the first provincial art movement outside of London. Its prominent members were "founding father" John Crome (1768–1821), John Sell Cotman (1782–1842), James Stark (1794–1859), and Joseph Stannard (1797–1830).{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2008/04/09/mie_norfolk_feature.shtml |title=Made In England: Norfolk |work=BBC Online |access-date=29 August 2017 }}

File:John Constable - Flatford Mill.jpg by John Constable, c. 1816]]

During the Baroque and Rococo periods, the first major native portrait painters of the British school were English painters Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds, who also specialised in clothing their subjects in an eye-catching manner. Gainsborough's Blue Boy is one of the most famous and recognized portraits of all time, painted with very long brushes and thin oil colour to achieve the shimmering effect of the blue costume.Piper, p. 460 Gainsborough was also noted for his elaborate background settings for his subjects.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood achieved considerable influence after its foundation in 1848 with paintings that concentrated on religious, literary, and genre subjects executed in a colourful and minutely detailed style. Its artists included John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and subsequently Edward Burne-Jones. Also associated with it was the designer William Morris, whose efforts to make beautiful objects affordable for everyone led to his wallpaper and tile designs to some extent defining the Victorian aesthetic and instigating the Arts and Crafts movement. The Royal Society of Arts is an organisation committed to the arts and culture.{{Cite web|title=About the RSA – RSA|url=https://www.thersa.org/about|access-date=8 May 2021|website=www.thersa.org}}

The Royal Academy in London is a key organisation for the promotion of the visual arts in England. Major schools of art in England include: the six-school University of the Arts London, which includes the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and Chelsea College of Art and Design; Goldsmiths, University of London; the Slade School of Fine Art (part of University College London); the Royal College of Art; and The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art (part of the University of Oxford). The Courtauld Institute of Art is a leading centre for the teaching of the history of art. Important art galleries in the United Kingdom include the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern (the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year).

{{Main|English Heritage}}

File:Cambridge, King's College and the Backs - geograph.org.uk - 2540264.jpg 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.see e.g. the logo of the city council, {{cite web|title=Cambridge City Council|url=http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/|access-date=19 July 2012}}]]

A number of umbrella organisations are devoted to the preservation and public access of both natural and cultural heritage, including English Heritage and the National Trust. Membership with them, even on a temporary basis, gives priority free access to their properties.

English Heritage is a governmental body with a broad remit of managing the historic sites, artefacts and environments of England. It is currently sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. English Heritage manages more than 400 significant buildings and monuments in England. They also maintain a register of thousands of listed buildings,{{cite web|title=English Heritage|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.19322|access-date=18 July 2020|website=www.english-heritage.org.uk}} those which are considered of most importance to the historic and cultural heritage of the country.{{cite web |title=New Era for England's Heritage |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about-us/search-news/new-era-for-englands-heritage1 |access-date=6 April 2015 |website=English Heritage }}

Historic England is governmental body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with protecting the historic environment of England by preserving and listing historic buildings, scheduling ancient monuments, registering historic parks and gardens and by advising central and local government.{{cite web |title=New Era for England's Heritage |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about-us/search-news/new-era-for-englands-heritage1 |access-date=6 April 2015 |website=English Heritage }} The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is a charity which also maintains multiple sites. One of the largest landowners in the United Kingdom, the Trust owns almost 250,000 hectares of land and 780 miles of coast. Its properties include over 500 historic houses, castles, archaeological and industrial monuments, gardens, parks and nature reserves.

17 of the 25 United Kingdom UNESCO World Heritage Sites fall within England.http://www.ihbc.org.uk/news/docs/English%20World%20Heritage%20Sites%20to%20get%20strongest%20ever%20protections%20CLG%20press%20notice%2027%20May%202008.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402203252/http://www.ihbc.org.uk/news/docs/English |date=2 April 2017 }} {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}} Some of the best known of these include Hadrian's Wall, Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites, Tower of London, Jurassic Coast, Westminster, Roman Baths in Bath, Saltaire, Ironbridge Gorge, and Studley Royal Park. The northernmost point of the Roman Empire, Hadrian's Wall, is the largest Roman artefact anywhere: it runs a total of 73 miles in northern England."Hadrian's Wall: A horde of ancient treasures make for a compelling new Cumbrian exhibition". The Independent. 8 November 2016

File:Jack in the Green Festival 2011 - the Jack - geograph.org.uk - 2480882.jpg, a traditional English folk custom being celebrated in Hastings Old Town, known for its many pre-Victorian buildings.{{Cite web |title=History of Hastings Old Town |url=https://www.visit1066country.com/destinations/hastings/history |website=visit1066country.com}}]]

London's British Museum hosts a collection of more than seven million objects{{Cite web |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/museum_in_london.aspx |title=British Museum - Museum in London |access-date=19 February 2020 |archive-date=7 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111207231742/http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/museum_in_london.aspx |url-status=dead }} is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world, sourced from every continent, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present.{{Cite web|date=17 January 2009|title=250 Years of The British Museum – Photo Essays – TIME|url=http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1871956,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090117100413/http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1871956,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-01-17}} The library has two of the four remaining copies of the original Magna Carta (the other two copies are held in Lincoln Castle and Salisbury Cathedral) and has a room devoted solely to them. The British Library Sound Archive has over six million recordings, many from the BBC Sound Archive, including Winston Churchill's wartime speeches.

The British Library in London is the national library and is one of the world's largest research libraries, holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats; including around 25 million books.{{Cite web|title=British Library | library, United Kingdom|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/British-Library|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}} The most senior art gallery is the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, which houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900.{{Cite web|title=Artinfo.com|url=http://www.artinfo.com/galleryguide/22865/9383/the-national-gallery-london/about/|website=www.artinfo.com}} The Tate galleries house the national collections of British and international modern art; they also host the famously controversial Turner Prize.{{Cite web|title=The Turner Prize|url=https://www.tate.org.uk/art/turner-prize|website=Tate}} The Ashmolean Museum was founded in 1677 from the personal collection of Elias Ashmole, was set up in the University of Oxford to be open to the public and is considered by some to be the first modern public museum.Swann, Marjorie (2001), Curiosities and Texts: The Culture of Collecting in Early Modern England, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press In 2011 there were more than 1,600 museums in England.{{cite web|date=September 2011|title=A review of research and literature on museums and libraries|url=http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/pdf/a_review_of_research.pdf|access-date=24 February 2013|publisher=Arts Council|archive-date=4 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904133747/http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/pdf/a_review_of_research.pdf|url-status=dead}} Most museums and art galleries are free of charge.{{Cite web|title=Ten years of free museums|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ten-years-of-free-museums|access-date=27 April 2021|website=GOV.UK|language=en}}

File:Roman Baths in Bath Spa, England - July 2006.jpg in Bath; a temple was constructed on the site between 60–70CE in the first few decades of Roman Britain.]]

A blue plaque, the oldest historical marker scheme in the world, is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the UK to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event.{{cite web|title=Blue Plaques|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/blue-plaques/|access-date=16 June 2011|publisher=English Heritage}} The scheme was the brainchild of politician William Ewart in 1863 and was initiated in 1866. It was formally established by the Royal Society of Arts in 1867, and since 1986 has been run by English Heritage.

Tourism plays a significant part in the economic life of England. In 2018, the United Kingdom as a whole was the world's 10th most visited country for tourists,{{Cite book|url=https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284421152|title=International Tourism Highlights, 2019 Edition|year=2019|publisher=World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)|doi=10.18111/9789284421152|isbn=9789284421152|s2cid=240665765}} and 17 of the United Kingdom's 25 UNESCO World Heritage Sites fall within England.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tripsavvy.com/unesco-world-heritage-sites-in-the-united-kingdom-4150758|title=Every UNESCO World Heritage Site in the UK|website=TripSavvy}} VisitEngland is the official tourist board for England. VisitEngland's stated mission is to build England's tourism product, raise its profile worldwide, increase the volume and value of tourism exports and develop England and Britain's visitor economy.{{cite web|url=https://www.visitbritain.org/overview|title=Overview|date=10 April 2015|work=visitbritain.org}} In 2020, the Lonely Planet travel guide rated England as the second best country to visit that year, after Bhutan.{{Cite web|date=2019|title=Best in Travel 2020|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel/countries|access-date=24 April 2020|website=Lonely Planet}}

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts and Heritage is the minister with responsibility over tourism in England, including museums, art galleries, public libraries and the National Archives.{{Cite web|title=Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism) – GOV.UK|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/parliamentary-under-secretary-of-state--99|access-date=28 April 2021|website=www.gov.uk|language=en}}

{{Main|English literature}}

File:William Hogarth 017.jpg's depiction of a scene from Shakespeare's The Tempest is an example of how English literature influenced English painting in the 18th century.]]

Early authors such as Bede and Alcuin wrote in Latin.{{harvnb|Warner|1902|p=35}}. The period of Old English literature provided the epic poem Beowulf and the fragmentary The Battle of Maldon, the sombre and introspective The Seafarer, The Wanderer, the pious Dream of the Rood, The Order of the World, and the secular prose of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,{{harvnb|Rogers|2001|p=17}}. along with Christian writings such as Judith, Cædmon's Hymn and hagiographies (biographies of saints). Following the Norman conquest in 1066, Latin continued amongst the educated classes, and an Anglo-Norman literature developed.

Middle English literature emerged with Geoffrey Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales, along with Gower, the Pearl Poet and Langland. William of Ockham and Roger Bacon, who were Franciscans, were major philosophers of the Middle Ages. Julian of Norwich, who wrote Revelations of Divine Love, was a prominent Christian mystic.

With the English Renaissance, literature in the Early Modern English style appeared. William Shakespeare, whose works include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, remains one of the most championed authors in English literature.{{harvnb|Rogers|2001|p=135}}. He is widely regarded as the greatest dramatist of all time.{{cite web |title=William Shakespeare (English author) |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/537853/William-Shakespeare |access-date=26 February 2006 |publisher=Britannica Online encyclopedia}}{{cite encyclopedia |title=MSN Encarta Encyclopedia article on Shakespeare |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761562101/Shakespeare.html |access-date=26 February 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209154055/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761562101/Shakespeare.html |archive-date=9 February 2006}}

Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, Philip Sydney, Thomas Kyd, John Donne, and Ben Jonson are other established authors of the Elizabethan age.{{harvnb|Rowse|1971|p=48}}. Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes wrote on empiricism and materialism, including scientific method and social contract. Robert Filmer wrote on the Divine Right of Kings. Andrew Marvell was the best-known poet of the Commonwealth of England,{{harvnb|Norbrook|2000|p=6}}. while John Milton authored Paradise Lost during the Restoration.

Some of the most prominent philosophers of the Enlightenment were John Locke, Thomas Paine, Samuel Johnson and Jeremy Bentham. More radical elements were later countered by Edmund Burke, who is regarded as the founder of conservatism.{{harvnb|Heywood|2007|p=74}}. The poet Alexander Pope with his satirical verse became well regarded. The English played a significant role in Romanticism: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, John Keats, Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Jane Austen, William Blake and William Wordsworth were major figures.{{harvnb|Watson|1985|p=360}}.

In response to the Industrial Revolution, agrarian writers sought a way between liberty and tradition; William Cobbett, G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc were main exponents, while the founder of guild socialism, Arthur Penty, and cooperative movement advocate G. D. H. Cole are somewhat related.{{harvnb|Cole|1947|p=268}}. Empiricism continued through John Stuart Mill and Bertrand Russell, while Bernard Williams was involved in analytics. Authors from around the Victorian era include Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, George Eliot, Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy, H. G. Wells and Lewis Carroll.{{harvnb|Hawkins-Dady|1996|p=970}}. Since then England has continued to produce novelists such as George Orwell, D. H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, C. S. Lewis, Enid Blyton, Aldous Huxley, Agatha Christie, Terry Pratchett, J. R. R. Tolkien, and J. K. Rowling.{{harvnb|Eccleshare|2002|p=5}}.

Writers often associated with England, or who are seen to express Englishness, include Shakespeare (who produced two tetralogies of history plays about the English kings), Jane Austen, Arnold Bennett, and Rupert Brooke (whose poem "The Old Vicarage, Grantchester" is often considered quintessentially English). Other writers are associated with specific regions of England; these include Charles Dickens (London), Thomas Hardy (Wessex), A. E. Housman (Shropshire), and the Lake Poets (the Lake District).

The 20th-century crime writer Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time.{{cite news|date=19 December 2005|title=Mystery of Christie's success is solved|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1505799/Mystery-of-Christies-success-is-solved.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1505799/Mystery-of-Christies-success-is-solved.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=14 November 2010}}{{cbignore}} Her mystery novels are outsold only by Shakespeare and The Bible. Described as "perhaps the 20th century's best chronicler of English culture", the non-fiction works of George Orwell include The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working class life in the north of England.{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?source=hptextfeature&story_id=11826680 |title=Still the Moon Under Water |newspaper=The Economist |location =London |date=28 July 2009}} Orwell's eleven rules for making tea appear in his essay "A Nice Cup of Tea", which was published in the London Evening Standard on 12 January 1946.[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jun/25/science.highereducation "How to make a perfect cuppa: put milk in first"]. The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2014

In 2003 the BBC carried out a survey entitled The Big Read to find the "nation's best-loved novel" of all time, with works by J. R. R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, Philip Pullman, Douglas Adams and J. K. Rowling making up the top five.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml BBC – The Big Read – Top 100 Books]. Retrieved 2010-27-11. In 2005, some 206,000 books were published in the United Kingdom and in 2006 it was the largest publisher of books in the world.{{cite news|author=Goldfarb, Jeffrey|date=10 May 2006|title=Bookish Britain overtakes America as top publisher|work=RedOrbit|agency=Reuters|location=Texas|url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/499053/bookish_britain_overtakes_america_as_top_publisher/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106093222/http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/499053/bookish_britain_overtakes_america_as_top_publisher/|archive-date=6 January 2008}} The Royal Society of Literature was founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The society is a cultural tenant at London's Somerset House.{{Cite web |title=About us |url=https://rsliterature.org/about-us/ |access-date=7 May 2021 |website=Royal Society of Literature |language=en-GB}}

Due to the expansion of English into a world language during the British Empire, literature is now written in English across the world.

{{See also|Folk music of England|Music of the United Kingdom}}

File:Edward Elgar.jpg is one of England's most celebrated classical composers.]]

England has a long and rich musical history, and more English people attend live music performances than football matches.{{harvnb|Office for National Statistics|2000|p=252}} The traditional folk music of England is centuries old and has contributed to several genres prominently; mostly sea shanties, jigs, hornpipes and dance music. It has its own distinct variations and regional peculiarities. Ballads featuring Robin Hood, printed by Wynkyn de Worde in the 16th century, are an important artefact, as are John Playford's The Dancing Master and Robert Harley's Roxburghe Ballads collections.

Some of the best-known songs are Greensleeves, Pastime with Good Company, Maggie May and Spanish Ladies amongst others. Many nursery rhymes are of English origin such as Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, Roses Are Red, Jack and Jill, London Bridge Is Falling Down, The Grand Old Duke of York, Hey Diddle Diddle and Humpty Dumpty. Traditional English Christmas carols include We Wish You a Merry Christmas, The First Noel, I Saw Three Ships and God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen.

England, like most European countries, has undergone a roots revival in the last half of the 20th century. English music has been an instrumental and leading part of this phenomenon, which peaked at the end of the 1960s and into the 1970s. The English Musical Renaissance was a hypothetical development in the late 19th and early 20th century, when English composers, often those lecturing or trained at the Royal College of Music, were said to have freed themselves from foreign musical influences, to have begun writing in a distinctively national idiom.{{Cite journal|last=Onderdonk|first=Julian|date=1995|title=Review of The English Musical Renaissance, 1860–1940: Construction and Deconstruction|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/898796|journal=Notes|volume=52|issue=1|pages=63–66|doi=10.2307/898796|jstor=898796|issn=0027-4380}}

The achievements of the Anglican choral tradition following on from 16th-century composers such as Thomas Tallis, John Taverner and William Byrd have tended to overshadow instrumental composition. The semi-operatic innovations of Henry Purcell were significant. Classical music attracted much attention from 1784 with the formation of the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival, which was the longest running classical music festival of its kind until the final concerts in 1912. George Frideric Handel found important royal patrons and enthusiastic public support in England. He spent most of his composing life in London and became a national icon, creating some of the most well-known works of classical music, especially his English oratorios The Messiah, Solomon, Water Music, and Music for the Royal Fireworks. One of Handel's four Coronation Anthems, Zadok the Priest (1727), composed for the coronation of George II, has been performed at every subsequent British coronation, traditionally during the sovereign's anointing. The Royal Academy of Music is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV. Famous academy alumni include Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Sir Elton John and Annie Lennox.

File:Royal College of Music - April 2007.jpg is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, established by royal charter in 1882.{{Cite web|title=Home|url=https://www.rcm.ac.uk/index.aspx|access-date=27 April 2021|website=www.rcm.ac.uk|language=en}}]]

The emergence of figures such as Sir Edward Elgar and Sir Arthur Sullivan in the 19th century showed a new vitality in English music. Indeed, whilst President of The Birmingham & Midland Institute in 1888 Sullivan delivered an address at Birmingham Town Hall on the development of music in England.{{Cite web|title=Presidential Address delivered by Sir Arthur Sullivan at the Town Hall, Birmingham on 19 October 1888: About Music|url=https://www.bmi.org.uk/1888-presidential-address/|access-date=18 October 2022|website=www.bmi.org.uk|language=en}} In the 20th century, Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett emerged as internationally recognised opera composers, and Ralph Vaughan Williams and others collected English folk tunes and adapted them to the concert hall. Cecil Sharp was a leading figure in the English folk revival. The Proms, an annual summer season of daily classical music concerts, is a significant event in English musical life. The Last Night of the Proms features patriotic music.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2kSNxH9Cj9PT62ZzTnvWpYZ/the-bbc-proms-whats-it-all-about|title=BBC Radio 3 – BBC Proms – The BBC Proms, what's it all about?|website=BBC}}

A new trend emerged from Liverpool in 1962. The Beatles became the most popular musicians of their time, and in the composing duo of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, popularized the concept of the self-contained music act. Before the Beatles, very few popular singers composed the tunes they performed. The "Fab Four" opened the doors for other acts from England such as The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Cream, The Kinks, The Who, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Queen, Elton John, The Hollies, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Genesis, Dire Straits, Iron Maiden, The Police to the globe. Many musical genres have origins in (or strong associations with) England, such as British invasion, progressive rock, hard rock, Mod, glam rock, heavy metal, Britpop, indie rock, gothic rock, shoegazing, acid house, garage, trip hop, drum and bass and dubstep.{{Cite web|title=Genres by Country|url=https://everynoise.com/countries.html|access-date=26 April 2021|website=everynoise.com}} The Sex Pistols and The Clash were pioneers of punk rock. Some of England's leading contemporary artists include George Michael, Sting, Seal, Rod Stewart, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Coldplay, Def Leppard, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Adele and Ed Sheeran.

{{see also|Cinema of the United Kingdom}}

File:Hitchcock, Alfred 02.jpg is often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker,[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/3664474/The-top-21-British-directors-of-all-time.html "The top 21 British directors of all time"]. The Daily Telegraph and was described as "a straightforward middle-class Englishman who just happened to be an artistic genius."{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/hitchcock-he-always-did-give-us-knightmares |title=Hitchcock: he always did give us knightmares |publisher=Roger Ebert.com |date= 2 January 1980}}]]

England has had a considerable influence on the history of the cinema, producing some of the greatest actors, directors and motion pictures of all time, including Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, David Lean, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, John Gielgud, Peter Sellers, Julie Andrews, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet and Daniel Day-Lewis. Hitchcock and Lean are among the most critically acclaimed directors of all time.{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/directors-directors.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517155218/http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/directors-directors.html |archive-date=17 May 2012 |title=The Directors' Top Ten Directors |publisher=British Film Institute |url-status=dead }} Hitchcock's first thriller, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1926), helped shape the thriller genre in film, while his 1929 film, Blackmail, is often regarded as the first British sound feature film.{{cite book

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AvxgFdRJ66kC&q=blackmail+first+british+sound+film&pg=PA79|first=Paul Matthew|last=St. Pierre|title=Music Hall Mimesis in British Film, 1895–1960: On the Halls on the Screen|page=79|publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson University Press|location=New Jersey|date=1 April 2009|isbn=978-1611473995 }}

Major film studios in England include Pinewood, Elstree and Shepperton. Some of the most commercially successful films of all time have been produced in England, including two of the highest-grossing film franchises (Harry Potter and James Bond).{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/sep/11/jkjoannekathleenrowling |title=Harry Potter becomes highest-grossing film franchise |access-date=2 November 2010 |work=The Guardian |date=11 September 2007 |location=London}} Ealing Studios in London has a claim to being the oldest continuously working film studio in the world.{{cite web |url=http://www.ealingstudios.com/EalingStudios/history_home.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726040738/http://www.ealingstudios.com/EalingStudios/history_home.html |archive-date=26 July 2013 |title=History of Ealing Studios |publisher=Ealing Studios |access-date=9 March 2015}} Famous for recording many motion picture film scores, the London Symphony Orchestra first performed film music in 1935.[http://lso.co.uk/page/3151/LSO-and-Film-Music London Symphony Orchestra and Film Music] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930173905/http://lso.co.uk/page/3151/LSO-and-Film-Music |date=30 September 2011 }} LSO. Retrieved 30 June 2011

File:Dracula 1958 c.jpg (seen here as Dracula in 1958) starred in many of Hammer's British horror films.]]

The BFI Top 100 British films includes Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), a film regularly voted the funniest of all time by the UK public.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/948331.stm "Life of Brian tops comedy poll"]. BBC News (Total Film magazine poll: 29 September 2000) Retrieved 27 June 2015 English producers are also active in international co-productions and English actors, directors and crew feature regularly in Hollywood films. Ridley Scott was among a group of English filmmakers, including Tony Scott, Alan Parker, Hugh Hudson and Adrian Lyne, who emerged from making 1970s UK television commercials.{{cite news|title=Jets, jeans and Hovis|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/aug/24/1|newspaper=The Guardian|date=12 June 2015}} The UK film council ranked David Yates, Christopher Nolan, Mike Newell, Ridley Scott and Paul Greengrass the five most commercially successful English directors since 2001.[http://statisticalyearbook11.ry.com/?id=82856 Statistical Yearbook 2011: 7.3 UK directors] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615221043/http://statisticalyearbook11.ry.com/?id=82856 |date=15 June 2012 }}. UK Film Council. Other contemporary directors from England include Sam Mendes, Guy Ritchie and Steve McQueen. Current actors include Tom Hardy, Daniel Craig, Benedict Cumberbatch and Emma Watson. Acclaimed for his motion capture work, Andy Serkis opened The Imaginarium Studios in London in 2011.[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/11217293/Does-Andy-Serkiss-motion-capture-acting-deserve-an-Oscar.html "Does Andy Serkis's motion capture acting deserve an Oscar?"]. The Telegraph. Retrieves 11 January 2015 The visual effects company Framestore in London has produced some of the most critically acclaimed special effects in modern film.[https://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/film/tim-webber-the-man-who-put-sandra-bullock-in-space-8804917.html "Tim Webber: the man who put Sandra Bullock in space"]. London Evening Standard. Retrieved 17 January 2014 Many successful Hollywood films have been based on English people, stories or events. The 'English Cycle' of Disney animated films include Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood and Winnie the Pooh.[http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/article600292.ece/Barry-Ronges-Classic-DVD---Alice-in-Wonderland Barry Ronge's Classic DVD : Alice in Wonderland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009011612/http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/article600292.ece/Barry-Ronges-Classic-DVD---Alice-in-Wonderland |date=9 October 2012 }}, The Times, It was made under the personal supervision of Walt Disney, and he took special care when animating British fantasy. He called them his "English Cycle".

{{Main|Elizabethan theatre|Restoration comedy}}

The peak of English drama and theatre is said to be the age of Elizabeth I; a golden age in English history where the arts, drama and creative work flourished. Morality plays emerged as a distinct dramatic form around 1400 and flourished in the early Elizabethan era in England. Characters were often used to represent different ethical ideals. Everyman, for example, includes such figures as Good Deeds, Knowledge and Strength, and this characterisation reinforces the conflict between good and evil for the audience. The Castle of Perseverance (c. 1400–1425) depicts an archetypal figure's progress from birth through to death. Horestes (c. 1567), a late "hybrid morality" and one of the earliest examples of an English revenge play, brings together the classical story of Orestes with a Vice from the medieval allegorical tradition, alternating comic, slapstick scenes with serious, tragic ones. Also important in this period were the folk dramas of the Mummers Play, performed during the Christmas season. Court masques were particularly popular during the reign of Henry VIII. The first permanent English theatre, the Red Lion, opened in 1567.{{sfn|Bryson|2008|p=28}} The first successful theatres, such as The Theatre, opened in 1576. The establishment of large and profitable public theatres was an essential enabling factor in the success of English Renaissance drama.

Archaeological excavations on the foundations of the Rose and the Globe in the late 20th century showed that all the London theatres had individual differences, but their common function necessitated a similar general plan.{{sfn|Gurr|2009|pp=123–131, 142–146}} The public theatres were three stories high, and built around an open space at the centre. Usually polygonal in plan to give an overall rounded effect, although the Red Bull and the first Fortune were square. The three levels of inward-facing galleries overlooked the open centre, into which jutted the stage: essentially a platform surrounded on three sides by the audience. The rear side was restricted for the entrances and exits of the actors and seating for the musicians. The upper level behind the stage could be used as a balcony, as in Romeo and Juliet and Antony and Cleopatra, or as a position from which an actor could harangue a crowd, as in Julius Caesar.{{sfn|Ichikawa|2012|pp=1–12}}File:Procession_of_Characters_from_Shakespeare's_Plays_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

The growing population of England, the growing wealth of its people, and their fondness for spectacle produced a dramatic literature of remarkable variety, quality, and extent. Genres of the period included the history play, which depicted English or European history. Shakespeare's plays about the lives of kings, such as Richard III and Henry V, belong to this category, as do Christopher Marlowe's Edward II and George Peele's Famous Chronicle of King Edward the First. History plays dealt with more recent events, like A Larum for London which dramatizes the sack of Antwerp in 1576. Tragedy was a very popular genre. Marlowe's tragedies were exceptionally successful, such as Dr. Faustus and The Jew of Malta. The audiences particularly liked revenge dramas, such as Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy. The four tragedies considered to be Shakespeare's greatest (Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth) were composed during this period.

Comedies were common. A subgenre developed in this period was the city comedy, which deals satirically with life in London after the fashion of Roman New Comedy. Examples are Thomas Dekker's The Shoemaker's Holiday and Thomas Middleton's A Chaste Maid in Cheapside. Though marginalised, the older genres like pastoral (The Faithful Shepherdess, 1608), and even the morality play (Four Plays in One, ca. 1608–13) could exert influences. After about 1610, the new hybrid subgenre of the tragicomedy enjoyed an efflorescence, as did the masque throughout the reigns of the first two Stuart kings, James I and Charles I.

The re-opening of the theatres in 1660 after the Restoration of Charles II signalled a renaissance of English drama. With the restoration of the monarch in 1660 came the restoration of and the reopening of the theatre. English comedies written and performed in the Restoration period from 1660 to 1710 are collectively called Restoration comedy. Restoration comedy is notorious for its sexual explicitness, a quality encouraged by Charles II (1660–1685) personally and by the rakish aristocratic ethos of his Royal court. For the first time women were allowed to act, putting an end to the practice of the boy-player taking the parts of women. Socially diverse audiences included both aristocrats, their servants and hangers-on, and a substantial middle-class segment. Its dramatists stole freely from English Jacobean and Caroline plays, and even from Greek and Roman classical comedies, combining the various plotlines in adventurous ways.

Restoration audiences liked to see good triumph in their tragedies and rightful government restored. In comedy they liked to see the love-lives of the young and fashionable, with a central couple bringing their courtship to a successful conclusion (often overcoming the opposition of the elders to do so). Heroines had to be chaste, but were independent-minded and outspoken; now that they were played by women, there was more mileage for the playwright in disguising them in men's clothes or giving them narrow escape from rape. These playgoers were attracted to the comedies by up-to-the-minute topical writing, by crowded and bustling plots, by the introduction of the first professional actresses, and by the rise of the first celebrity actors. This period saw the first professional woman playwright, Aphra Behn. In the mid-1690s, a brief second Restoration comedy renaissance arose, aimed at a wider audience.

The unsentimental or "hard" comedies of John Dryden, William Wycherley, and George Etherege reflected the atmosphere at Court and celebrated with frankness an aristocratic macho lifestyle of unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. The Earl of Rochester, real-life Restoration rake, courtier and poet, is flatteringly portrayed in Etherege's The Man of Mode (1676) as a riotous, witty, intellectual, and sexually irresistible aristocrat, a template for posterity's idea of the glamorous Restoration rake (actually never a very common character in Restoration comedy). The single play that does most to support the charge of obscenity levelled then and now at Restoration comedy is probably Wycherley's masterpiece The Country Wife (1675), whose title contains a lewd pun and whose notorious "china scene" is a series of sustained double entendres.{{YouTube|ROI9FhR6URI|The "China scene" from Wycherley's play}}

During the second wave of Restoration comedy in the 1690s, the "softer" comedies of William Congreve and John Vanbrugh set out to appeal to more socially diverse audience with a strong middle-class element, as well as to female spectators. The comic focus shifts from young lovers outwitting the older generation to the vicissitudes of marital relations. In Congreve's Love for Love (1695) and The Way of the World (1700), the give-and-take set pieces of couples testing their attraction for one another have mutated into witty prenuptial debates on the eve of marriage, as in the latter's "Proviso" scene. Vanbrugh's The Provoked Wife (1697) has a light touch and more humanly recognisable characters, while The Relapse (1696) has been admired for its throwaway wit and the characterisation of Lord Foppington, an extravagant and affected burlesque fop with a dark side.The Provoked Wife is something of a Restoration problem play in its attention to the subordinate legal position of married women and the complexities of "divorce" and separation, issues that had been highlighted in the mid-1690s by some notorious cases before the House of Lords.

As a reaction to the decadence of Charles II era productions, sentimental comedy grew in popularity. This genre focused on encouraging virtuous behavior by showing middle class characters overcoming a series of moral trials. Playwrights like Colley Cibber and Richard Steele believed that humans were inherently good but capable of being led astray. Through plays such as The Conscious Lovers and Love's Last Shift they strove to appeal to an audience's noble sentiments so that viewers could be reformed.{{cite web|last1=Campbell|first1=William|title=Sentimental Comedy in England and on the Continent|url=http://www.bartleby.com/220/0402.html|access-date=28 February 2015|website=The Cambridge History of English and American Literature}}{{cite book|last1=Harman|first1=William|title=A Handbook to Literature|date=2011|publisher=Longman|isbn=978-0205024018|edition=12}} The Restoration spectacular hit the London public stage in the late 17th-century Restoration period, enthralling audiences with action, music, dance, moveable scenery, baroque illusionistic painting, gorgeous costumes, and special effects such as trapdoor tricks, "flying" actors, and fireworks.

Today there are a variety of theaters in London's West End. Andrew Lloyd Webber dominated the West End for many years; his musicals also conquered Broadway and were made into films. The prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company operates out of Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon and performs primarily, but not exclusively, his works. Important modern playwrights are Alan Ayckbourn, John Osborne, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard and Arnold Wesker.

File:Royal_Albert_Hall_Rear,_London,_England_-_Diliff.jpg, as well as The Proms during the summer.]]

Large outdoor music festivals in the summer and autumn are popular, such as Glastonbury (the largest greenfield festival in the world), V Festival, Reading and Leeds Festivals. England was at the forefront of the illegal, free rave movement from the late 1980s, which led to the pan-European culture of teknivals mirrored on the UK free festival movement and associated travelling lifestyle.Matthew Collin, John Godfrey (2010). "Altered State: The Story of Ecstasy Culture and Acid House" p.258. Retrieved 18 February 2012 The most prominent opera house in England is the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden.Foreman, Susan (2005). London: a musical gazetteer. Yale University Press The Proms, a season of orchestral classical music concerts held at the Royal Albert Hall, is a major cultural event held annually. The season is a significant event in English culture and in classical music. Czech conductor Jiří Bělohlávek described the Proms as "the world's largest and most democratic musical festival".{{Cite web |title=Saturday Night Loser's Club, Vol. LXXVIII: Last Night Edition |url=https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2007/11/3/406046/- |access-date=2023-07-17 |website=Daily Kos |language=en}}

The Royal Ballet is one of the world's foremost classical ballet companies, based at the Royal Opera House. The company employs approximately 100 dancers and has purpose-built facilities. Its reputation built on two prominent figures of 20th century dance, prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn and choreographer Frederick Ashton. Since the Royal Albert Hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres have appeared on its stage. It is the venue for The Proms concerts, which have been held there every summer since 1941. It is host to more than 390 shows in the main auditorium annually, including classical, rock and pop concerts, ballet, opera, film screenings with live orchestral accompaniment.{{Cite web|title=The Royal Ballet|url=https://www.roh.org.uk/about/the-royal-ballet|access-date=3 May 2021|website=www.roh.org.uk}} England is home to numerous major orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra.{{Cite web |title=- PPL |url=https://www.ppluk.com/london-symphony-orchestra-tops-ppl-chart-ranking-uk-classical-ensembles/ |access-date=1 May 2021 |website=www.ppluk.com}}

A staple of English easide culture, the quarrelsome couple Punch and Judy made their first recorded appearance in Covent Garden, London in 1662.{{cite news|date=11 June 2015|title=Punch and Judy around the world|work=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/7949781/Punch-and-Judy-around-the-world.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/7949781/Punch-and-Judy-around-the-world.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}} The various episodes of Punch and Judy are performed in the spirit of outrageous comedy—often provoking shocked laughter—and are dominated by the anarchic clowning of Mr. Punch.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-44142843|title=How proud is your area of being English?|date=3 June 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=4 June 2018|language=en-GB|postscript=none}}; {{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44306737|title=The English question: What is the nation's identity?|last=Easton|first=Mark|date=3 June 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=4 June 2018|language=en-GB}} Regarded as English cultural icons, they appeared at a significant period in English history, with Glyn Edwards stating: Pulcinella went down particularly well with Restoration English audiences, fun-starved after years of Puritanism. We soon changed Punch's name, transformed him from a marionette to a hand puppet, and he became, really, a spirit of Britain – a subversive maverick, a kind of puppet equivalent to our political cartoons.File:Swanage Punch & Judy.JPG, Dorset, England]]The circus is a tradition form of entertainment in England. Chipperfield's Circus dates back more than 300 years in Britain, making it one of the oldest family circus dynasties.[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/may/15/chipperfields-circus-family-dynasties Great dynasties of the world: The Chipperfields] The Guardian Retrieved 18 February 2011. Philip Astley is regarded as the father of the modern circus. Following his invention of the circus ring in 1768, Astley's Amphitheatre opened in London in 1773.Hamilton, John (2000) Entertainment: A Pictorial History of the Past One Thousand Years p.24. Retrieved 3 February 2011. As an equestrian master Astley had a skill for trick horse-riding, and when he added tumblers, tightrope-walkers, jugglers, performing dogs, and a clown to fill time between his own demonstrations – the modern circus was born.[http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=815 Explore PA history.com – Historical Markers]'Popular Entertainments through the Ages', Samuel McKechnie. London; Sampson Low, Marston & Co Ltd., 1931 The Hughes Royal Circus was popular in London in the 1780s. Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal, among the most popular circuses of Victorian England, showcased William Kite. Joseph Grimaldi, the most celebrated of clowns from England is considered the father of modern clowning.20 Years of Laughter p.14. Turner Publishing Company, 2006

Pantomime is a musical comedy stage production, designed for family entertainment. It is performed in theatres throughout England during the Christmas and New Year season. The art originated in the 18th century with John Weaver, a dance master and choreographer at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London.David Christopher (2002). "British Culture: An Introduction". p. 74. Routledge, Pantomime story lines and scripts are almost always based on traditional children's stories: some of the popular English stories featured include Jack and the Beanstalk, Peter Pan, Babes in the Wood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Dick Whittington and His Cat. In 19th century England it acquired its present form, which includes songs, slapstick comedy and dancing, employing gender-crossing actors, combining topical humour with a story loosely based on a well-known fairy tale. It is a participatory form of theatre, in which the audience sing along with parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers, such as "It's behind you".[https://www.economist.com/news/britain/21636788-understand-britishand-have-fungo-and-see-christmas-pantomime-its-behind-you "It's behind you: To understand the British—and have fun—go and see a Christmas pantomime"]. The Economist. Retrieved 2 January 2015

Music hall is a type of theatrical leisure popular from the early Victorian era to the mid 20th century. The precursor to variety shows of today, music hall involved a mixture of popular songs, comedy, speciality acts and variety entertainment. English performers who honed their skills at pantomime and music hall sketches include Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, George Formby, Gracie Fields, Dan Leno, Gertrude Lawrence and Harry Champion.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/enjoy_cumbria/famous_people/stan_laurel.shtml "Enjoy Cumbria – Stan Laurel"]. BBC. Retrieved 2 January 2015[https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/news/gracie-fields-blue-plaque/ "English Heritage – Gracie Fields"]. English Heritage. Retrieved 2 January 2015 English music hall comedian and theatre impresario Fred Karno developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue in the 1890s, and Chaplin and Laurel were among the music hall comedians who worked for him.McCabe, John. "Comedy World of Stan Laurel". p. 143. London: Robson Books, 2005, First edition 1975 A leading film producer stated; "Fred Karno is not only a genius, he is the man who originated slapstick comedy. We in Hollywood owe much to him."J. P. Gallagher (1971). "Fred Karno: master of mirth and tears". p. 165. Hale.

The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event that has taken place on the streets of Notting Hill, London since 1966.{{Cite web |title=Notting Hill Carnival |url=https://nhcarnival.org/ |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=Notting Hill Carnival |language=en-GB}} Led by the British African-Caribbean community, the carnival has attracted around one million people, making it Britain's biggest street festival and one of the largest in the world. Also of note is the extensive impact of Irish culture for St. Patrick's Day. The largest St Patrick's Day Parade takes place in Digbeth, Birmingham, where there is a strong Irish community.

{{Main|English cuisine}}{{multiple image

| direction = vertical

| align = right

| width =

| footer =

| image1 = An Elsecar Ploughman's Lunch.jpg

| caption1 = Ploughman's lunch with bread, cheese, salad, butter, a pork pie, and chutney

| image2 = PORK PIES.jpg

| caption2 = Pork pie

| image3 = Sunday roast - roast beef 1.jpg

| caption3 = Sunday roast with roast beef and yorkshire pudding

}}

Since the early modern period the food of England has historically been characterised by its simplicity of approach and a reliance on the high quality of natural produce.Food in England: A complete guide to the food that makes us who we are Dorothy Hartley (1954) During the Middle Ages and through the Renaissance period, English cuisine enjoyed an excellent reputation, though a decline began during the Industrial Revolution with the move away from the land and increasing urbanisation of the populace. This has resulted in a traditional cuisine which tended to avoid strong flavours, such as garlic, and also complex sauces which were commonly associated with Roman Catholic Continental affiliations.Richard L. Greaves Society and Religion in Elizabethan England, {{ISBN|978-0-8166-1030-3}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=ULHy6AZPd_wC&dq=puritanism+%26+Food&pg=PA474 p. 474: here]. The French term à l'anglaise means cooked simply and served with no sauce save perhaps butter, or dipped in flour and a mixture of egg, salt, pepper and oil, and then rolled in breadcrumbs.

The cuisine of England has, however, recently undergone a revival, which has been recognised by food critics with some good ratings in Restaurant's best restaurant in the world charts.{{Cite web|date=13 January 2010|title=The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants|url=http://www.theworlds50best.com/module/acms_winners?group_id=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113043907/http://www.theworlds50best.com/module/acms_winners?group_id=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 January 2010|access-date=27 April 2021}} An early book of English recipes is the Forme of Cury from the royal court of Richard II.{{Cite web|title=King Richard II's recipe book to go online|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3061656/King-Richard-IIs-recipe-book-to-go-online.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3061656/King-Richard-IIs-recipe-book-to-go-online.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=27 April 2021|website=www.telegraph.co.uk|date=22 September 2008 }}{{cbignore}} Traditional meals have ancient origins, such as bread, vegetables, cheese and onions,"Bread and cheese and onions were traditional for centuries, carried in bag or pocket to the fields" Food in England: A complete guide to the food that makes us who we are Dorothy Hartley (1954) popular today as the Ploughman's lunch (usually accompanied by butter, pickles, chutney, ham, fresh green salad, boiled eggs, and apples), pottage and frumenty; roasted and stewed meats; meat and game pies; and freshwater and saltwater fish.Usually served with pickleThe Authorised Version of the Bible (1611) refers to Esau selling his birthright to his twin brother Jacob in exchange for a meal of "bread and pottage of lentiles". A modern supermarket has promoted the same dish [https://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/p/pottage_of_red_lentils.html Pottage of lentils].

The last half century has seen significant changes in food manufacturing, retailing and consumption;By 2017 UK consumers ate almost four times more packaged than fresh food, often as convenience food. [https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/apr/07/uk-eats-almost-four-times-more-packaged-food-than-fresh Packaged food, The Guardian, 7 April 2017]. See [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/597666/FF75Timeline-09mar17.pdf 75 years of Family Food, Defra] an interest in different international cuisines; and the establishment of large restaurants, food outlets, coffee shops and supermarkets. However, distinctively English dishes,See [http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/index.htm The Foods of England Project] artisanal production, delicatessens, home cooking and traditional establishments such as pubs, cafes and tearooms remain widespread. The 1990s saw the rise of the gastropub, serving traditional English dishes, and farmers' markets, where English cheeses, breads, vegetables and other items are sold.{{Cite web|date=17 September 2020|title=A Brief History of Farmers' Markets|url=http://coventmarket.com/a-brief-history-of-farmers-markets/|access-date=27 April 2021|website=Covent Garden Market|language=en-US}} Food culture in England has been taken more seriously since the 1960s due to writers and broadcasters such as Derek Cooper, Matthew Fort, Jonathan Meades and Nigel Slater.See Slow Food England

Roast beef is a food traditionally associated with the English; the link was made famous by Henry Fielding's patriotic ballad "The Roast Beef of Old England", and William Hogarth's painting of the same name. Lamb is eaten especially at Easter.Spring-born English lamb fed on grass is actually at its best in the summer, from around mid-June to September). Over the last half century there has been a swing in preference amongst English consumers from mutton to lamb. An English commentator wrote: "We have, throughout our history as a nation, had a weakness for meat in pastry which, while it is not unique, is a sort of hallmark of our taste."'English cooking: A new approach' (1960) Rupert Croft-Cooke Pies appear in common English idioms such as "to eat humble pie", "as easy as pie", "a slice of the pie". Suet is an ingredient in many traditional English puddings, such as Norfolk Plough Pudding.[http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/norfolkploughpudding.htm Norfolk Plough Pudding] Dumplings made with flour, suet and seasonings[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/oct/26/consider-the-dumpling Consider the Dumpling] The Guardian (26 October 2010). and pearl barleyThe barleycorn was formerly an English unit of measurement. may be cooked with casseroles and stews. Potatoes are served roasted, boiled, baked, mashed, and as chips; popular varieties in England including King Edward, Jersey Royal, Charlotte potato,{{Cite web|url=https://www.lovepotatoes.co.uk/varieties/salad-potatoes/charlotte/|title=Charlotte|website=www.lovepotatoes.co.uk|date=6 September 2023 }} and Maris Piper.[https://www.lovepotatoes.co.uk/ More Than A Bit On The Side] AHDB Potatoes

Typical English main courses include lamb shank,"The lamb 'shank' is the lower part in the rear leg. The same joint in pork is the 'hock' and in beef, the 'leg'. The equivalent joint on the front legs are 'fore shank' for lamb, 'knuckle' for pork and 'shin' for beef....If these joints are so popular in lamb, why don't we see more of the same joints in pork and beef? The reason is simple – size; a lamb shank will sit happily on a large dollop of mash and makes a very satisfying meal for one, but a knuckle or hock will appear as a great mountain of meat – not well suited to fine dining rooms. A shin or leg of beef is even bigger." [https://www.whatdadcooked.com/article/shanks-hocks-knuckles-shins-legs/ Shanks, Hocks, Knuckles, Shins and Legs] pork and lamb chopsSee chophouse. Barnsley lamb chops are double sided, see [http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/barnsleychop.htm Barnsley Chop]. Lamb Cutlets Reform continue to be served at the Reform Club in London. chicken and chips, gammon, egg and chips, steak and kidney pie and other variants of steak pie, chicken and mushroom pie, bacon and egg pie,Sausage and egg pie made with sausage meat is a variant. shepherd's pie,Shepherd's pie generally contains lamb cottage pie,Cottage pie is similar to Shepherd's pie but is made from beef. fish pie, Lancashire hotpot, scouse,Particularly in Liverpool Beef Wellington, steak and kidney pudding, stuffed marrowMarrow stuffed with beef mince savoury bacon roll, boiled beef and carrots,Immortalized in song by Harry Champion rissoles, faggots, liver and bacon in onion gravy,See offal. Pudding Lane in the City of London gained its name from offal puddings. At a later date Mac Fisheries Ltd had its headquarters in Pudding Lane. Northumberland pan haggerty,[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/dec/07/winter-potato-recipes-pan-haggerty Spuds you'll like: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's winter potato recipes], Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, The Guardian, 7 December 2012 sausage and mash, and toad in the hole.[http://projectbritain.com/food/dishes.htm Main meal dishes in England, Mandy Barrow] Project Britain: Foods in Britain Butchers sell artisanal sausages, which are sometimes made from the meat of pedigree breeds such as Gloucester Old Spot pigs. English sausages generally contain about 70 per cent meat, bread rusk and seasonings.[https://www.lishmansbutchers.co.uk/what-makes-a-british-sausage-british/ What makes a British sausage British?]. The 1984 episode Party Games of the television comedy 'Yes, Minister' involved Jim Hacker resisting the abolition of the British sausage by the EEC. As a result of his heroic stand he became Prime Minister. Cumberland, Lincolnshire, Newmarket and Oxford sausages are regional varieties.[https://greatbritishmeat.com/recipes-and-tips/miscellany/butchers-sausage-history Butchers Guide to the British Banger] The Great British Meat Co. T. Wall & Sons Ltd, Bowyers, Palethorpes and Saxby Bros Ltd became large manufacturers of sausages and other meat products. The best-known types of English ham are from Wiltshire and York. Game dealers sell venison and wild game, such as pheasant, partridge and grouse.Rules restaurant in Covent Garden specialises in game. Jugged rabbit and hare are traditional dishes.

A Sunday roast[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/05/the-guardian-view-on-the-sunday-roast-a-tradition-worth-preserving 'The Sunday roast: a tradition worth preserving'] The Guardian (5 March 2016). comprises roast meat served with gravy, roast potatoesThe merits of different animal fats, such as lard and dripping, and vegetable oils, are much contested, particularly as regards cooking roast potatoes.[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/oct/20/the-golden-rules-for-a-perfect-roast-potato-recipe How to cook perfect roast potatoes] The Guardian, 20 October 2015] and vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, parsnips, swede, spring greens, spinach, runner beans, broad beans, leeksA number of settlements in England are named after this vegetable. The Agrarian History of England and Wales: Volume 2, 1042–1350, page 40, H. E. Hallam & J. Thirsk (eds.) and garden peas. Courgettes became widely available in the late 1960s and broccoli first appeared in supermarkets in the late 1970s, initially as a seasonal item. Meats served as part of a Sunday roast include beef, typically a fore rib of beef, with Yorkshire puddings and Horseradish sauce or English mustard;[https://www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk/recipes/roast-beef-and-yorkshire-pudding-with-horseradish-relish/ Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding with Horseradish Relish] AHDB Beef and Lamb division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. Tewkesbury mustard combines mustard and horseradish. lamb, typically a leg, shoulder or saddle of lamb, with mint sauce or redcurrant jelly; pork, typically leg, shoulder or loin of pork, with crackling and apple sauce; honey-glazed gammon with cloves and parsley sauce; and poultry, such as chicken, duck (e.g. Aylesbury duck)See also Duck as food and goose.Goose is traditionally eaten at Michaelmas [http://www.geese.cc/pages/about-michaelmas-goose.html Michaelmas Geese] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020144111/http://www.geese.cc/pages/about-michaelmas-goose.html |date=20 October 2018 }}. Nottingham Goose Fair derived its name from the thousands of geese that were driven from the Lincolnshire fens to be sold in Nottingham at the fair each year. Consumption of chicken increased from the 1950s when the introduction of poultry factories, pioneered in England by JB Eastwood Ltd. owned by John Bealby Eastwood,{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-sir-john-eastwood-1575903.html|title=OBITUARY: Sir John Eastwood|date=22 October 2011|website=The Independent}} significantly reduced the price.In the same period Bernard Matthews transformed the turkey meat business.

An English Christmas dinner traditionally consists of roast goose, duck, pheasant or (now most often) turkey, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, stuffing, gravy, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, chestnuts, brussels sprouts and other vegetables. It is sometimes accompanied by cooked gammon and usually followed by Christmas pudding, traditionally made on stir-up Sunday, with rum or brandy butter, mince pies filled with mincemeat and Christmas cake. Biscuits in the form of gingerbread men are associated with Christmas, as are oranges, which are traditionally placed in Christmas stockings.

{{multiple image

| direction = vertical

| align = right

| width =

| footer =

| image1 = Fish and chips blackpool.jpg

| caption1 = Fish and chips

| image2 = Cornish pasty.jpeg

| caption2 = Cornish pasty

| image3 = Apple pie.jpg

| caption3 = Apple pie originated in England and English apple pie recipes go back to the time of Chaucer.

}}

The most popular types of fish in England, mainly imported through seaside and coastal towns,See also Traditional Grimsby smoked fish are salmon, cod, haddock, tuna and prawns.See [http://www.seafish.org/ Seafish] Fish and chips, sometimes served with mushy peas, are sold by fish and chip shops.[http://www.neoda.org.uk/fishandchipday National Fish & Chip Day] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180607201208/http://www.neoda.org.uk/fishandchipday |date=7 June 2018 }} The National Edible Oil Distributors' Association. Brixham in Devon has the highest value catch in England;{{Cite web|url=https://tda.uk.net/case-studies/|title=Case Studies|website=TDA Group}} other domestic fisheries include Cornwall and Hastings. Dover sole is so named because it could historically be sourced from the fishing port of Dover. Potted shrimps, prawn cocktail, whitebait, scallops and slices of smoked salmon, such as London Cure,{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names/london-cure-smoked-salmon|title=London Cure Smoked Salmon|website=GOV.UK}} are starters served with a squeeze of lemon and brown bread. Oysters are cultivated along the east coast of England, for example at Whitstable. Crabs are particularly associated with the Norfolk town of Cromer. Samphire is collected in coastal areas and served with fish.{{Cite web|last=Chilliandmint|date=3 August 2013|title=Foraging for Samphire on the British Coast|url=https://chilliandmint.com/2013/08/03/foraging-for-samphire-on-the-british-coast/|access-date=27 April 2021|language=en}}

Light meals and snacks include green salads served with salad cream,See [https://www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/recipes/english-garden-salad/ English garden salad]. Watercress has seen a revival in recent years. cauliflower cheese, macaroni cheese, Welsh rarebit,Also served as a savoury at the end of a formal dinner. fishcakes, baked potatoes, cheese on toast, beans on toast, mushrooms on toast, spare ribs, Cornish pasties,Colloquially known as an oggy. Scotch eggs,Despite the name, Scotch eggs appear to have originated in England rather than Scotland. sausage rolls, pork pies,A raised pie (i.e. a free-standing pie that does not have the support of a pie tin) made with hot water crust pastry, particularly associated with the town of Melton Mowbray, and sometimes topped with red currants. gala pie and bacon sandwiches. The sandwich was named after the Earl of Sandwich{{cite web |url=http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodsandwiches.html |title=Sandwiches |work=The Food Timeline |first=Lynne |last=Olver |author-link=Lynne Olver}} and is very common as a lunchtime and picnic item with a wide range of fillings.[http://www.essentially-england.com/traditional-english-recipes-picnic-food.html Essential Sandwiches and Picnic Foods] England Traditional English Recipes Stotties, filled with ham and pease pudding, are eaten particularly in the north-east of England. Asparagus is served with butter alone or with other ingredients such as eggs and ham; the English asparagus season runs from late April to the end of June.

A poll in 2011 found that the most popular soups in England were tomato, leek and potato, chicken, carrot and coriander, mushroom, pea and hamThe meat is added to the soup prior to serving. See Ham hock (sometimes known as London Particular), and broccoli and stilton.{{Cite web|url=https://yougov.co.uk/news/2011/11/04/make-your-winter-warmer/|title=YouGov|website=yougov.co.uk}} Other traditional soupsKirwan in 1864 advised that "The great English soups are, real turtle, mock turtle, ox-tail, gravy, giblet, hare, green-pea soup, and pea soup. The great English broths are chicken broth, mutton broth, Scotch-barley broth, veal broth, and beef broth or tea, which is almost equivalent to the French grand bouillon." Host and Guest, A book about dinners, dinner-giving, wines and desserts, Andrew Valentine Kirwan, 1864 include vegetable, oxtail, cauliflower, artichoke, asparagus, spinach, parsnip, chestnut, watercress and chilled cucumber. BrothA common proverb is "too many cooks spoil the broth" consists of meat and vegetables cooked in stock, sometimes thickened with barley or other cereals."It could be said that broth occupies an intermediate position between stock and soup. A broth (e.g. chicken broth) can be eaten as is, whereas a stock (e.g. chicken stock) would normally be consumed only as an ingredient in something more complex. A soup, on the other hand, would usually be less simple, more finished, than a broth." Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press, 1999 Brown Windsor soup appeared in the 1953 Ealing film comedy The Captain's Paradise and, although opinion is divided as to whether and for how long it actually existed in real life,{{Cite web|url=https://www.lovefood.com/news/57860/the-curious-tale-of-brown-windsor-soup|title=The curious tale of Brown Windsor soup|website=lovefood.com}} recipes for it can now be found. Worcestershire sauce{{Cite web|url=https://www.leaandperrins.co.uk/our-sauce|title=Our Sauce – Lea & Perrins UK|website=www.leaandperrins.co.uk}} and brown sauce, along with ketchup, are distinctive English condiments.Baron Pouget's Oxford Sauce is a spicy table sauce created by Baron Robert Pouget in 2000 to celebrate the Millennium and can now be found in supermarkets. Bovril and Marmite are food pastes with a distinctive flavour.

English desserts include (bramley) apple pie, cherry pie, bread and butter pudding, bread pudding, fruit crumble, fruit cobbler, Eve's pudding, Dorset apple cake, baked apple, gooseberry fool, sticky toffee pudding, treacle tart, treacle sponge pudding (made with golden syrup),Chocolate sponge pudding is a variant. jam roly-poly, spotted dick, bakewell tart, trifle, rice pudding, eton mess, cheesecakeYorkshire Curd Tart is a baked cheesecake made with curd cheese, sugar, currants, allspice and sometimes rosewater. [https://britishfoodhistory.com/2014/02/09/yorkshire-curd-tart/ Yorkshire Curd Tart] See [http://longleyfarm.com/longley-farm-yorkshire-curd Longley Farm Yorkshire Curd] Sussex pond pudding, summer pudding, Cabinet pudding, English custard tart and, since the 1970s, lemon meringue pie and banoffee pie.[https://metro.co.uk/2015/10/15/22-classic-british-puddings-ranked-from-worst-to-best-5423574/ 'Classic British puddings ranked from worst to best'] Metro (15 October 2015) Hot puddings are often served with custard.Custard or crème anglaise is traditionally thickened with egg, but may also refer to 'instant' custard made with custard powder. Some puddings, such as jelly, blancmange and chocolate sponge with chocolate custard, are associated with school dinners. Fruit salad is a mixture of fresh fruit and canned fruits such as peaches and apricots served in syrup. Fruits grown in England include apples, pears, plums, cherries, damsons, blackberries, black currants, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries (often served with cream) and rhubarb.Rhubarb is strictly a vegetable but is used for culinary purposes like a fruit. Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb is produced in the Rhubarb Triangle in West Yorkshire. Ice creams are sometimes sold from ice cream vans which use distinctive chimes to attract customers[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2013/jul/12/ice-cream-van-chimes-british-summer 'Ice-cream van chimes: the sound of the British summer'] The Guardian (12 July 2013)

The Full English breakfast,{{cite news|title=How to make the perfect full English breakfast|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/11029015/How-to-make-the-perfect-full-English-breakfast.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/11029015/How-to-make-the-perfect-full-English-breakfast.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|date=30 June 2015}}{{cbignore}} The Telegraph. Anthony Trollope in The Warden describes "the well-furnished breakfast-parlour at Plumstead Episcopi… The tea consumed was the very best, the coffee the very blackest, the cream the very thickest; there was dry toast and buttered toast, muffins and crumpets; hot bread and cold bread, white bread and brown bread, home-made bread and bakers' bread, wheaten bread and oaten bread; and if there be other breads than these, they were there; there were eggs in napkins, and crispy bits of bacon under silver covers; and there were little fishes in a little box, and devilled kidneys frizzling on a hot-water dish; which, by the bye, were placed closely contiguous to the plate of the worthy archdeacon himself. Over and above this, on a snow-white napkin, spread upon the sideboard, was a huge ham and a huge sirloin; the latter having laden the dinner table on the previous evening. Such was the ordinary fare at Plumstead Episcopi." also referred to as 'bacon and eggs' or a 'fry up', typically comprises a choice from rashers of back bacon,Bacon may be either smoked or unsmoked. The latter is termed 'green', and is paler and milder than the smoked variety. fried or scrambled eggs, pork sausages, black pudding, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, fried bread, hash browns (which largely displaced bubble and squeak[https://britishfoodhistory.com/2011/10/03/65/ 'Bubble and Squeak'] British Food: A History in the 1970s), and sometimes white pudding;White pudding, although more common in Scotland and Ireland, is traditional in certain parts of England. usually served with toast and jam, marmalade or honey,Famous brands include Wilkin & Sons (Tiptree jams), Frank Cooper's (Oxford marmalade) and Rowse Honey and a cup of coffee or teaFor example, one retailer offered a breakfast in 2018 comprising "three rashers of British bacon, three British pork sausages, three hash browns, two half slices of fried bread, two fried eggs, two half tomatoes, two black puddings, baked beans and sliced mushrooms." [https://my.morrisons.com/blog/food/new-cafe-menu/ Big Daddy Breakfast]. The [https://www.englishbreakfastsociety.com/ English Breakfast Society] researches, records and publishes the history, heritage and traditions of the English breakfast. Alternative breakfast dishes include boiled eggsConsumer preference in England changed from white to brown eggs in the 1970s, but as of 2018 it is now again possible to buy white eggs from a supermarket. with toast soldiers, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, poached eggs on toast, and Craster kippers.[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/recipes/craster-inside-northumberlands-centuries-old-kipper-smokehouse/ 'Craster: inside Northumberland's centuries-old kipper smokehouse'] The Telegraph (16 January 2016) Porridge has long been eatenEvidenced by literary examples such as the fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Oliver Twist's request for gruel in the workhouse and Jane Eyre's burnt porridge at school. in England as a breakfast cereal. Fruit juice and yogurt are more recent additions.

Traditionally, High Tea would be had as a full evening meal, whereas Afternoon Tea was a lighter meal taken earlier in the afternoon only by the upper and middle classes of society, the idea being popularized by Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford in the 1840s. A cream tea includes a pot of tea and scones (or buns called splits) served with jam and clotted cream from Devon or Cornwall,{{Cite web|url=https://www.roddas.co.uk/cream-teas/|title=Cream Teas – Roddas Our Guide To The Perfect Cream Tea|website=Roddas}} sometimes accompanied by dainty finger sandwiches, with fillings such as cucumber and smoked salmon.[https://www.all-about-afternoon-tea.com/cucumber-tea-sandwiches.html Cucumber Tea Sandwiches] All About Afternoon Tea{{multiple image

| direction = vertical

| align = right

| width =

| footer =

| image1 = Easter hot cross buns, March 2010.jpg

| caption1 = Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday.

| image2 = Nice Cup of Tea.jpg

| caption2 = Tea

}}

English cakes include a variety of fruit cakes,Fruit cakes were historically known as plum cake. They may be matured for several weeks and 'fed' from time to time with alcohol such as sherry, Madeira or brandy. such as Genoa cake, and sponge cakes, such as Victoria sponge,Promoted after Alfred Bird's discovery of baking powder in 1843. Madeira cake, Battenberg cake, chocolate sponge, coffee cake, lemon drizzle cake, fairy cakes and Queen cakes. Wartime rationing popularised carrot cake.It also led to the creation of Woolton pie and possibly Homity pie. Simnel cake is a special fruit cake associated with Mothering Sunday and Easter.[https://www.all-about-afternoon-tea.com/simnel-cake-recipe.html Simnel Cake] All About Afternoon Tea The traditional wedding cake is made from a rich fruitcake. Parkin and toffee apples are eaten on Guy Fawkes Night. Particular types of gingerbread are associated with Grasmere, Market Drayton and Cornwall. Eccles cakes and Banbury cakes are small round cakes filled with currants. Other items served for afternoon tea[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/nov/14/crumpets-muffins-pikelets-farls 'Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's tea-time treats'] The Guardian (14 November 2009) include teacakes, crumpets and pikelets,[https://www.villagebakery.co.uk/blog/bakery-blog/pikelet-vs-crumpet-whats-the-difference/ Pikelets vs crumpets. What's the difference?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529054137/https://www.villagebakery.co.uk/blog/bakery-blog/pikelet-vs-crumpet-whats-the-difference/ |date=29 May 2018 }} Village Bakery. Scottish-style crumpets differ from English crumpets [http://www.timescolonist.com/life/ask-eric-how-to-make-scottish-style-crumpets-1.591587 How to make Scottish-style crumpets] English muffins,A form of rounded, yeast-leavened bread, also used as the base of eggs Benedict. See The Muffin Man. Cornish saffron cake and buns, tea loaf, malt loaf, seed cake, rock cakes, flapjacks, jam tarts, maids of honour tarts, doughnuts and lardy cakes."The British are so easy to please. It is the most extraordinary thing. They actually like their pleasures small. That is why, I suppose, so many of their treats — teacakes, scones, crumpets, rock cakes, rich tea biscuits, fruit shrewsburys — are so cautiously flavourful. They are the only people in the world who think of jam and currants as thrilling constituents of a pudding or cake." 'Notes From A Small Island' Bill Bryson (1995) Lemon curd or honey is another traditional English treat." Stands the Church clock at ten to three? And is there honey still for tea?", The Old Vicarage, Grantchester, Rupert Brooke Cheese scones are made using grated cheese with a strong flavour such as Cheddar or Red Leicester. They may be served at afternoon tea as an alternative to jam, cake, small pastries and fruit tarts.[http://blog.english-heritage.org.uk/cakes/ The Queen and her Cakes] English Heritage (5 August 2015) Teas are typically served in tearooms and hotels.

There are several types of fruited bun such as currant buns, Chelsea buns, Bath buns and hot cross buns (the latter marking Good Friday).[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/recipes/classic-british-cakes-and-bakes/ 'Classic British cake' is the theme of the GBBO final: which is your favourite?] The Telegraph (7 October 2015) English Pancakes are served on Shrove Tuesday.[https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Pancake-Day/ Pancake Day] Historic UK. See Olney Pancake Race

Types of English loaves,See in particular English Bread and Yeast Cookery, 1977, by Elizabeth David. Lammas was historically a festival to celebrate the annual wheat harvest. A loaf of bread in the shape of a wheatsheaf is often baked to celebrate Harvest Festival. generally leavened bread made using white and/or wholemeal bread flour milled from hard wheat, include farmhouse,"White loaf baked in a special tin and cut lengthwise along the top, often dusted with flour." Flour Advisory Bureau cottage,"White loaf made from two round pieces of dough. One (smaller than the other) is secured on top of the larger piece. Often dusted with flour before baking." Flour Advisory Bureau. A regional variant is the Birmingham Close Notched Cottage Loaf, which is distinguished from a standard cottage loaf by its many notches. bloomer"Thick, long, white loaf, lightly cut across the top so that the cuts open out or 'bloom' to give a crisp crust. Sometimes sprinkled with poppy seeds." Flour Advisory Bureau cob,"Round smooth crusted loaf often topped with cracked wheat." Flour Advisory Bureau Coburg,A type of cob loaf. "Round, crusty white loaf with a deeply cut cross on the top." Flour Advisory Bureau crusty,Also called a porcupine or hedgehog loaf. Another type of cob loaf with shallow cuts across the top of the loaf to create a chequerboard pattern. plait,"A special shape, usually plaited with three strands of white dough, sometimes enriched with eggs or milk. Flour Advisory Bureau" tin,"Loaf baked in a rectangular open tin." Flour Advisory Bureau and sandwich."Large flat-topped loaf baked in a lidded square tin." Flour Advisory Bureau Since the 1960s much commercially produced bread has used the Chorleywood bread process, but from the 1990s there has been growing interest in artisanal and home bakingA traditional loaf requires just flour, yeast, salt, water and a little oil or fat. Home baking has been encouraged by the introduction of bread machines. See [https://www.sustainweb.org/realbread/ourwork/ Real Bread Campaign] as well as sourdough bread.Sourdough is made by hand using a flour and water starter, containing naturally-occurring wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria, to sour or ferment the dough. See [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/12/rise-sourdough-bread-slow-fermented-health-benefits The rise and rise of sourdough bread] The Guardian 12 August 2014 Bread rolls are most commonly round in shape and may be crusty or soft.There are different regional names for bread rolls, see [http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180717-why-the-uk-has-so-many-words-for-bread Names for bread rolls].

{{See also|List of English cheeses}}Consumption of dairy products in England has varied over time. Historically farms turned surplus milk into cheese and households made simple cream cheese and cottage cheese.[http://www.campaignforrealfarming.org/2011/06/the-home-dairy/ The Home Dairy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111133802/http://www.campaignforrealfarming.org/2011/06/the-home-dairy/ |date=11 November 2018 }}. Cottage cheese can also be referred to as curds and whey, as in the nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet. The coming of the railways meant fresh milk could be transported quickly to the cities.In 1938 milk was considered to be "the most important product of British Agriculture … far more truly the cornerstone of our agriculture than wheat": Viscount Astor and B. S. Rowntree, British Agriculture, 1938, p. 251. The Provision of Free Milk Regulations, 1946, provided free milk in schools to all children under the age of 18. Until the 1990s milk was generally delivered to customers in reusable glass milk bottles to the door by a milkman driving an electric milk float, but by 2018 supermarket sales of different kinds of milk in plastic cartons and of cream accounted for over 95% of the market.However, this may change due to concern about plastic waste, see [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/339/339.pdf House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee Report Plastic bottles: Turning Back the Plastic Tide, 2017] Yellow sweetcream (rather than lactic)French and Italian butters are often made with cream containing bacterial culture, which gives them a riper flavour. butter is most common in England, in both salted and unsalted varieties.The leading brands of butter using British milk are Anchor and Countrylife. Most retailer own-label butter is also made with British milk and there is some artisanal English butter production. The fat content of English butter normally ranges from 80% to 83%, but can be as high as 86%. Commercial standardisation in the late 19th centurySee [https://www.thecourtyarddairy.co.uk/blog/history-british-cheese-part-2-pre-20th-century-cheese-making-practices/ A History of British Cheese] led to a fairly large number of regional cheeses, including:

File:A slice of Stinking Bishop cheese.jpg]]

• Cheddar cheeseNamed after the village of Cheddar, Somerset
• Cheshire cheese
• Stilton cheeseNamed after the village of Stilton in Cambridgeshire. However, Stilton cheese may not be produced there.
• Wensleydale cheese
• Lancashire cheese
• Double Gloucester cheeseSee cheese rolling
• Red Leicester cheese
• Shropshire Blue cheese
• Dorset Blue Vinney cheese
• Swaledale cheese
• Sage Derby cheese

English cheesemaking was restricted by wartime rationing and the number of dairy farms has diminished considerably since the abolition of the Milk Marketing Board in 1994,See [http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN02721/SN02721.pdf UK Dairy Industry Statistics] but many of the remaining producers sell added-value products such as artisanal cheese and farmhouse ice creamIce cream makers now also facilitate domestic production. and there are now over 750 different cheeses.See [https://www.cheese.com/by_country/?c=england Cheese] and [http://www.cheeseboard.co.uk/home British Cheese Board] Recent decades have seen English replicas of French cheeses, such as Brie,Examples include [https://www.cheese.com/somerset-brie/ Somerset Brie], [https://www.cheese.com/cornish-brie/ Cornish Brie]/St Endellion CamembertSuch as Tunworth soft cheese and chèvre.See [https://www.cheese.com/capricorn-somerset-goats-cheese/ Capricorn] A number of British cheeses were accepted as having EU protected geographical status. Homegrown artisanal cheeses are made by both long-established and new producers. These include hard cheeses such as Lincolnshire Poacher, and semi-soft or soft cheeses, such as Stinking Bishop, Cornish Yarg and Oxford Blue.

Tea and beer are typical and rather iconic drinks in England. Beer is used metaphorically to refer to pleasure, as in cakes and ale and beer and skittles. Most tea drunk in England is black tea.However, green tea and herbal tea have increased in popularity in recent years (see [https://ratetea.com/about.php RateTea]). The types of single origin tea most commonly sold are Assam and Darjeeling from India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Lapsang Souchong from China.Tea has recently been grown in England for the first time [https://tregothnan.co.uk/product-category/teas/ Tregothnan Estate, Cornwall] English breakfast tea is a strong blend that goes well with milk and sugar. Earl Grey tea is flavoured with bergamot. A cup of tea is often accompanied with a biscuit or piece of cake.

Whilst tea drinking and tearooms have diminished since the rise of instant coffee consumption in the 1970sCamp Coffee was sold in Britain from the 19th century. and global chains of coffee shops in the 1990s,The Telegraph (5 August 2015)'Is Britain falling out of love with tea?' At the time of Jonathan Routh's 'Good Cuppa Guide: Where to have tea in London' (1966) tea was the most popular beverage. there has been a rapid growth in the number of breweries since the early 1970s.[https://www.uhy-uk.com/news-events/news/number-of-breweries-in-the-uk-breaks-through-the-2000-barrier-for-the-first-time-since-the-1930s/ UHY Hacker Young Number of breweries]. See List of breweries in England. This was driven initially by a renewed interest in cask ale, stimulated by the Campaign for Real Ale and its Good Beer Guide, and more recently by the global influence of, particularly American, craft brewing.{{cite web|url=https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/07/beer-and-cider-boom-in-the-uk/|work=thedrinksbusiness.com|title= Beer and Cider Boom in the UK|first=Rupert|last=Millar|date=19 July 2018}} New breweries include the Meantime Brewery and the Camden Town Brewery. The divide between 'real ale' and 'craft beer' relates to ingredients, techniques and method of serving.

CAMRA's campaigning objectives remain focussed on real ale, cider and perry after a motion in April 2018 that it should "act as the voice and represent the interests of all pub goers and beer, cider and perry drinkers" failed to pass [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43841175 CAMRA motion].File:British dimpled glass pint jug with ale.jpg]]Traditional English beer,Until the 15th century, ale and mead were the main drinks, both made without hops. The introduction of hops, which are preservative, allowed weaker ales to be brewed and led to a decline in mead production. The constituent ingredients of beer – malted barley, yeast, hops and water – all influence its character. Beers vary considerably in colour, bitterness (from hops), alcoholic strength, age, and whether served from cask or bottle. Categories indicate the style of beers, but are not regulated, change over time, sometimes overlap (e.g. mild ale and light bitter, mild ale and weaker old ale, or dark mild ale and brown ale), and are dependent on the way in which brewers describe their beers. The terms pale ale and bitter are often used interchangeably. See [https://drinks.seriouseats.com/2014/03/beginners-guide-to-british-beer-styles-porter-stout-what-is-esb-mild-bitter-ipa-history-england.html A Beginner's Guide to British Beer Styles]. unlike lager, is made with warm/top-fermenting yeasts and encompasses bitter and pale ale, other (less hoppy) types of ale, porterFuller's London Porter and St. Peter's Brewery's Old Style Porter are brand examples and stout.Guinness ceased production in the UK in 2005. Young's Double Chocolate Stout and Siren Brewery's Broken Dream Breakfast Stout, which won CAMRA's Champion Beer of Britain 2018 [http://www.camra.org.uk/cbobawards Champion Beer of Britain 2018], are brand examples. Mackeson Stout is the classic example of milk stout. St. Peter's Brewery's Cream Stout is a modern example. Pale ale, when served draught, gained the name of bitter amongst drinkers in the first half of the 19th century because it was more hopped than other ales of the time such as mild, but is generally much less hopped than modern American pale ale.Bitters generally have only 25–35 IBUs (international bitterness units) whereas an American IPA might have anywhere from 40 to 100 IBUs. See [http://zythophile.co.uk/2007/08/23/inside-the-pale/ Inside the pale], Martyn Cornell, 23 August 2007, and [https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/Yonf8FcTkC/ Bitter], Craft Beer and Brewing. Fuller's Chiswick Bitter, London Pride and ESB, Timothy Taylor's Landlord, Green King's Abbot Ale, Morland's Old Speckled Hen, Brakspear's Bitter, Young's Bitter and Charles Wells's Bombardier are modern brand examples. India pale ale was exported to India but also consumed in England.IPA was pioneered by George Hodgson's Bow Brewery and popularized in the 1820s by Samuel Allsopp & Sons of Burton. "The difference between a pale ale and an India Pale Ale is hard to discern. Take Worthington's White Shield and Bass Red Triangle. Following the 1927 merger, both beers were the same brew; however, one was designated an IPA the other a pale ale. To complicate matters Bass also brewed Blue Triangle, which was the same as Red Triangle except the Blue wasn't bottle conditioned." Brewing in Burton-upon-Trent, Ian Webster, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2018. Greene King IPA, Worthington's White Shield and Fuller's Bengal Lancer are brand examples. Pale ale has long been sold in bottled form and Burton Pale Ale enjoyed particular popularity.Ind Coope and Allsopp Ltd's Double Diamond Burton Pale Ale, Bass Pale Ale with its distinctive red triangle logo and Worthington E are brand examples. Burton-upon-Trent had the benefit of hard water, rich in calcium sulphate, which enhanced the beer's hop bitterness and helped to achieve clarity. See Burton and its bitter beer, John Stevenson Bushnan, W. S. Orr & Company, 1853. Light ale is a low-alcohol bitter, often bottled.{{Cite web|url=https://www.beeradvocate.com/articles/9643/light-ale/|title=Light Ale|website=BeerAdvocate}} More recently the terms golden aleHop Back Brewery's Summer Lightning and Brakspear's Oxford Gold are brand examples. Golden ale was developed at the end of the 1980s to compete against lagers, which grew in popularity in England in the late 20th century. Samuel Allsopp & Sons had invested £80,000 in the 1890s in a new 60,000-barrel brewery designed to make lager, but the venture was not successful. and amber aleMarston's Pedigree and Sharp's Doom Bar are marketed as amber ales. have been used to differentiate between pale ales of different shades. Other types of ale include strong Burton Ale,Young's Winter Warmer, Marston's Owd Rodger, Greene King Strong Suffolk and Tower Brewery's Burton Strong Ale are brand examples. old ale,Generally strong and popular as a winter warmer. Theakston's Old Peculier and Loddon's Hocus Pocus are brand examples. barley wine,Barley wine has an unusually high, wine-like, alcohol content of up to 12%. mild ale,Mild ale is normally lightly hopped, low in alcoholic strength and ruby in colour, although can sometimes be strong or pale. Mild ale was sometimes described as X ale, in comparison to stronger XX to 6X beers (Simmonds of Reading's Archangel Stout was advertised as XXXXXXX). See [http://www.camra.org.uk/mild Mild]. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/11602616/Why-dont-men-drink-mild-ale-any-more.html Why don't men drink mild ale any more?] The Telegraph 15 May 2015. Banks's Mild, Greene King XX Mild and [https://brakspear.co.uk/our-beers/brakspear-mild/ Brakespear Mild] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124003703/https://brakspear.co.uk/our-beers/brakspear-mild/ |date=24 November 2018 }} are brand examples. Timothy Taylor's Ram Tam is an example of a stronger dark mild ale advertised as a Winter Warmer. and brown ale.For example Newcastle Brown Ale, Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin (described by the brewery as a 'ruby beer' and by some as a strong bitter), Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale and Mann's Brown Ale. Bitter became the predominant English beer style in the 1950s, largely supplanting mild ale and Burton ale,"After WWII, Bitter really took off as pub-goers began to reject Mild Ale, the previously dominant draft beer style.... Bitter is not a strictly governed style and beers bearing that appellation might be golden to red, drily bitter or honey-sweet, rich in hop perfume or rather austere. Depending on strength, they might be called Ordinary, Best. or Extra Special Bitter. It is easier, perhaps, to say what Bitter is not. Once the classy alternative to Mild, then the conservative alternative to trendy lager, it is now the preferred choice of the anti-hipster—not Double IPA, and definitely not fruit-infused barrel-aged Saison." 'Ordinary, Best and Extra Special: How English Bitter Inspired a Revolution in Brewing', Jessica Boak and Ray Bailey, Beeradvocate, October 2015 [https://www.beeradvocate.com/articles/11712/ordinary-best-and-extra-special-how-english-bitter-inspired-a-revolution-in-brewing/ Bitter]. and has accordingly been described as "the national drink of England".Bitter in The Oxford Companion to Beer, ed. Garrett Oliver Research in 2014 found that although "beer fans divide equally between ale and lager drinkers … classic bitter is still the favourite for ale drinkers".[https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2014/09/16/bitter-still-best-beer-ale-fans YouGov]. Cobra Beer is an Indian-style lager that was created in 1989 to be drunk with food, which is now brewed in Burton upon Trent and sold in almost all Indian restaurants. Cider and perry is produced in the West Country.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sweca.org.uk/|title=SWECA – South West of England Cidermakers' Association|website=www.sweca.org.uk}} Scrumpy refers to rough dry farmhouse cider. Shandy is beer mixed with a non-alcoholic drink, such as lemonade.It was formerly common for different types of beer to be mixed as a cocktail, for example Black and Tan (stout and pale ale), Cooper (stout and porter), light and bitter (draught bitter and bottled light ale), Boilermaker (bottled brown and draught mild ale), mother-in-law (old and bitter), and mild and bitter (abbreviated to AB). Ginger beer is a usually sold as a non-alcoholic, carbonated drink flavoured with ginger, but is sometimes brewed (fermented).Originally ginger beer was brewed by leaving water, sugar, ginger and ginger beer plant to ferment for several days

Magna Carta stated there should be a single measure for ale.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pubs-minister-joins-beer-day-britain-celebrations-for-magna-carta-anniversary|title=Pubs minister joins Beer Day Britain celebrations for Magna Carta Anniversary|website=GOV.UK}} In pubs beer and cider are served draught by the pint or half-pint, either in a straight glass or a dimpled glass tankard (known as a jug),{{Cite web|url=https://www.businesscompanion.info/en/quick-guides/weights-and-measures/the-sale-of-alcohol-in-licensed-premises#Beerlagercider|title=The sale of alcohol in licensed premises | Business Companion|website=www.businesscompanion.info}} and may be drunk with snack food (e.g. crisps, dry roasted or salted peanuts, and pork scratchings) or a mealPerhaps advertised alliteratively as a 'pie and a pint'. However, the number of pubs fell by around a third between the early 1970s and 2017CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2017 and since 2014 more beer has been sold in bottles by supermarkets and off licences (off-trade) than in pubs (on-trade).{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43492043|title=Pubs in danger: Six charts on how the British drink|work=BBC News|date=27 March 2018}} Marston's Brewery and Greene King are the two largest brewers of premium cask and bottled beers, having grown by acquisition. Shepherd Neame Brewery is the largest family-owned brewery.

Gin has been popular in England since the late 17th century and is mixed with tonic water, ice and a slice of lemon.{{Cite web|url=https://drinkstack.com/gin/gin-history/|title=The Story of Gin – History, Production and The Modern Drink|date=5 October 2020|website=DrinkStack}} Pimm's No. 1 Cup, a gin-based drink containing a mixture of herbs and liquors, is used to make punch for summer social events.{{Cite web|url=https://www.anyoneforpimms.com/|title=PIMM'S | Home|website=www.anyoneforpimms.com|access-date=28 May 2018|archive-date=9 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809151310/https://www.anyoneforpimms.com/|url-status=dead}} The rise of micro-distilleries in England at the start of the 21st century led to an upsurge in interest in both gin and vodka. The south of England has seen the reintroduction of vineyards making English wine.[http://www.englishwineproducers.co.uk/ Promoting the Fine Wines of England] Wines of Great Britain Limited (Wine GB), the official body for the UK Wine Industry Lemon barley water, invented by Matthias Archibald Robinson in 1823,Patent granted to Matthias Archibald Robinson, of Red Lion-street, St George the Martyr, London, Grocer, for certain improvements in the mode of preparing the vegetable matter commonly called pearl barley, and grits or groats made from the corn of barley and oats, by which material, when so prepared, a superior mucilaginous beverage may be produced in a few minutes. Dated 20 August 1823. The Repertory of Patent Inventions: And Other Discoveries and Improvements in Arts, Manufactures, and Agriculture. T. and G. Underwood, 1825. is made by pouring pearl barley water over the rind and/or pulp of a lemon and adding sugar to taste. The Wimbledon tennis championships are associated with this drink.

{{Main|English folklore}}English folklore developed over many centuries. Some of the characters and stories are present all over England, but most belong to specific regions. Common folkloric beings include pixies, giants, elves, trolls, goblins and dwarves. While many legends and folk-customs are thought to be ancient, for instance the tales featuring Offa of Angel and Wayland the Smith,{{harvnb|Keary|1882|p=50}}. others date from after the Norman conquest of England: Robin Hood and his Merry Men of Sherwood and their battles with the Sheriff of Nottingham are perhaps the best known.{{harvnb|Pollard|2004|p=272}}.

During the High Middle Ages tales originated from Brythonic traditions, notably the Arthurian legend.{{Citation|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/anglo_saxons/arthur_03.shtml |title=King Arthur, 'Once and Future King' |first=Michael|last=Wood|publisher=bbc.co.uk |work=BBC|access-date=16 September 2009}}Higham, NJ (2002). King Arthur: myth-making and history. Routledge, 2002 Deriving from Welsh sources; King Arthur, Excalibur and Merlin, while the Jersey poet Wace introduced the Knights of the Round Table. These stories are most centrally brought together within Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae. Another early figure from British tradition, King Cole, may have been based on a real figure from Sub-Roman Britain. Many of the tales and pseudo-histories make up part of the wider Matter of Britain, a collection of shared British folklore.

File:Arthur-Pyle The Enchanter Merlin.JPG features as a character in many works of fiction, including the BBC series Merlin.]]

English fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears is one of the most popular fairy tales in the English language.Elms, Alan C. (1977). "The Three Bears: Four Interpretations". p. 257 Some folk figures are based on semi-historical or historical people whose stories have been passed down the centuries; Lady Godiva for instance was said to have ridden naked on horseback through Coventry, Hereward the Wake was a heroic English figure resisting the Norman invasion, Herne the Hunter is an equestrian ghost associated with Windsor Forest and Great Park (whose tale bears the common European folkloric motif of the Wild Hunt) and Mother Shipton is the archetypal witch.{{harvnb|Briggs|2004|p=26}}. The chivalrous bandit, such as Dick Turpin, is a recurring character. There are various still surviving national and regional folk activities, such as Morris dancing, Maypole dancing, Rapper sword in the North East, Long Sword dance in Yorkshire, Mummers Plays, bottle-kicking in Leicestershire, and cheese-rolling at Cooper's Hill.{{harvnb|Withington|2008|p=224}}. There is no official national costume, but a few costumes are well established, such as the Pearly Kings and Queens associated with cockneys, the Royal Guard, the Morris costume and Beefeaters.{{cite web|url=http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/costume.html|publisher=Woodlands-Junior.kent.sch.uk|title=What is England's national costume?|access-date=24 June 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505015321/http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/CUSTOMS/questions/costume.html|archive-date=5 May 2009}} The utopian vision of a traditional England is sometimes referred to as Merry England.

Published in 1724, A General History of the Pyrates by Captain Charles Johnson provided the standard account of the lives of many pirates in the Golden Age of Piracy.[https://books.google.com/books?id=5ou7Bm11IgEC&dq=Charles+Johnson+%281724%29%2C+A+General+History+of+the+Robberies+and+Murders+of+the+Most+Notorious+Pyrates&pg=PR7 A general history of the robberies & murders of the most notorious pirates. Charles Johnson]. Introduction and commentary to A General History of the Pyrates by David Cordingly. p. viii. Conway Maritime Press (2002). Many famous English pirates from the Golden Age hailed from the West Country in the south west coast of England—the stereotypical West Country "pirate accent" was popularised by West Country native Robert Newton's portrayal of Long John Silver in film.Angus Konstam (2008) [https://books.google.com/books?id=USiyy1ZA-BsC&dq=WEST+COUNTRY+PIRATE+ACCENT&pg=PA313 Piracy: The Complete History]{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} p.313. Osprey Publishing, Retrieved 11 October 2011Dan Parry (2006). "Blackbeard: The Real Pirate of the Caribbean". p. 174. National Maritime Museum The concept of "walking the plank" was popularised by J. M. Barrie's novel, Peter Pan, where Captain Hook's pirates helped define the archetype.{{cite web|last=Bonanos |first=Christopher |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2167567/?GT1=10135 |title=Did pirates really say "arrrr"? |work=Slate.com |date=5 June 2007 |access-date=18 December 2008}} Davy Jones' Locker where sailors or ship's remains are consigned to the bottom of the sea is first recorded by Daniel Defoe in 1726.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OWsBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA89|page=89|title=The four years voyages of capt. George Roberts. Written by himself|last=Defoe|first=Daniel|year=1726}} Johnson's 1724 book gave a mythical status to famous English pirates such as Blackbeard and Calico Jack. Jack is known for his Jolly Roger flag design, a skull with crossed swords.Botting, p. 48, Konstam, The History of Pirates, p. 98

The Gremlin is part of Royal Air force folklore dating from the 1920s, with gremlin being RAF slang for a mischievous creature that sabotages aircraft, meddling in the plane's equipment.Graeme Donald [https://books.google.com/books?id=QlmwkeBINiYC&dq=RAF+pilots+blamed+gremlins&pg=PA147 Sticklers, Sideburns & Bikinis: The Military Origins of Everyday Words and Phrases] p.147. Osprey Publishing, 2008 Legendary figures from 19th century London whose tales have been romanticised include Sweeney Todd, the murderous barber of Fleet Street, and serial killer Jack the Ripper. On 5 November, people in England make bonfires, set off fireworks and eat toffee apples in commemoration of the foiling of Guy Fawkes' Gunpowder Plot, which became an annual event after Observance of 5th November Act 1605 was passed.{{Citation|url=http://www.gunpowderplot.parliament.uk/adults_plot_ac.htm |title=Aftermath: Commemoration |date=2005–2006 |publisher=gunpowderplot.parliament.uk |access-date=21 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408180723/http://www.gunpowderplot.parliament.uk/adults_plot_ac.htm |archive-date=8 April 2009 }} Guy Fawkes mask is an emblem for anti-establishment protest groups.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15359735 "V for Vendetta masks: Who's behind them?"]. BBC News. Retrieved 1 April 2013

Witchcraft has featured in England for millennia. The use of a crystal ball to foretell the future is attributed to the druids. In medieval folklore King Arthur's magician, the wizard Merlin, carried around a crystal ball for the same purpose. John Dee, consultant to Elizabeth I, frequently used a crystal ball to communicate with the angels.{{cite news|date=18 November 2016|title=Scholars seek to rescue image of John Dee, last royal wizard|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/sep/20/scholars-rescue-image-john-dee}} Probably the most famous depiction of witchcraft in literature is in Shakespeare's 1606 play Macbeth, featuring the three witches and their cauldron. The ghost of Anne Boleyn is a frequently reported ghost sighting in the UK. Differing accounts include seeing her ghost ride up to Blickling Hall in a coach drawn by a headless horseman, with her own head on her lap.[http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2014-05-20/spook-spotters-turn-out-to-see-anne-boleyns-ghost/ "Spook spotters turn out to see Anne Boleyn's ghost"]. ITV. Retrieved 28 February 2018

{{See also|Old English|English language in England}}

File:Anglospeak (subnational version).svg

The English language originated in England and is the native language of the English people. It is a member of the West Germanic language family. The modern English language evolved from Middle English (the form of language in use by the English people from the 12th to the 15th century); Middle English was influenced lexically by Norman-French, Old French and Latin. In the Middle English period Latin was the language of administration and the nobility spoke Norman French. Middle English was itself derived from the Old English of the Anglo-Saxon period; in the Northern and Eastern parts of England the language of Danish settlers had influenced the language, a fact still evident in Northern English dialects.

There were once many different dialects of modern English in England, which were recorded in projects such as the English Dialect Dictionary (late 19th century) and the Survey of English Dialects (mid 20th century), but many of these have passed out of common usage as Standard English has become more widespread through education, the media and socio-economic pressures.Wolfgang Vierick (1964), Der English Dialect Survey und der Linguistic Survey of Scotland – Arbeitsmethoden und bisherige Ergebnisse, Zeitschrift für Mundartforschung 31, 333–335 in {{cite book |last=Shorrocks |first=Graham |year=1999 |title=A Grammar of the Dialect of the Bolton Area, Part 1 |location=Frankfurt am Main |publisher=Peter Lang |isbn=3-631-33066-9 |page=58}} Received Pronunciation is considered the most prestigious accent in England. Despite the country's relatively small size, there are many distinct regional accents, and individuals with particularly strong accents may not be easily understood everywhere in the country.{{Cite web|title=British Accents and Dialects|url=https://www.bl.uk/british-accents-and-dialects|access-date=29 April 2021|website=The British Library|archive-date=25 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425071947/https://www.bl.uk/british-accents-and-dialects|url-status=dead}}

Cornish, a Celtic language, is one of three existing Brythonic languages; its usage has been revived in Cornwall. Historically, another Brythonic Celtic language, Cumbric, was spoken in Cumbria in North West England. Early Modern English began in the late 15th century with the introduction of the printing press to London and the Great Vowel Shift. Through the worldwide influence of the British Empire, English spread around the world from the 17th to mid-20th centuries. Through newspapers, books, the telegraph, the telephone, phonograph records, radio, satellite television, broadcasters (such as the BBC) and the Internet, as well as the emergence of the United States as a global superpower, Modern English has become the international language of business, science, communication, sports, aviation, and diplomacy.

In schools, language teaching is compulsory from the age of seven. French, German, and Spanish are commonly taught in all schools. Arabic, Bengali, Mandarin, Greek, Gujarati, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Punjabi, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, and Urdu are also taught.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-languages-progammes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-languages-progammes-of-study|title=National curriculum in England: languages programmes of study|website=GOV.UK}}

{{See also|English name}}

{{Main|English law}}

English law is the legal system of England and Wales.[http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/freedomofinformation/technical/TechnicalManual/Ch49-60/Chapter52/part1/part_1.htm Jurisdiction Of Courts In England And Wales And Their Recognition Of Foreign Insolvency Proceedings] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609053731/http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/freedomofinformation/technical/TechnicalManual/Ch49-60/Chapter52/part1/part_1.htm |date=9 June 2008 }} Due to the British Empire, it has been exported across the world: it is the basis of common law jurisprudence.[http://dictionary.law.com/definition2.asp?selected=248] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928054144/http://dictionary.law.com/definition2.asp?selected=248|date=28 September 2008}} The 18th century English jurist, judge and politician Sir William Blackstone is best known for his seminal work, Commentaries on the Laws of England, containing his formulation: "It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer", a principle that government and the courts must err on the side of innocence, which has remained constant.{{cite web|title=Sir William Blackstone|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/68589/supplemental-information|website=Britannica|access-date=29 April 2015}} Sir William Garrow ushered in the adversarial court system in common law. He coined the phrase "presumed innocent until proven guilty", insisting that defendants' accusers and their evidence be thoroughly tested in court.{{cite book|last=Moore|first=Christopher|title=The Law Society of Upper Canada and Ontario's lawyers, 1797–1997|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=1997|isbn=0-8020-4127-2}}

Major constitutional documents include: Magna Carta (foundation of the "great writ" Habeas corpus—safeguarding individual freedom against arbitrary state action), the Bill of Rights 1689 (one provision granting freedom of speech in Parliament), Petition of Right, Habeas Corpus Act 1679 and Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949. The jurist Albert Venn Dicey wrote that the British Habeas Corpus Acts "declare no principle and define no rights, but they are for practical purposes worth a hundred constitutional articles guaranteeing individual liberty".Anthony Wright (1994). "Citizens and subjects: an essay on British politics". Routledge, 1994 A strong advocate of the "unwritten constitution", Dicey stated English rights were embedded in English common law, and "the institutions and manners of the nation".A V Dicey (1897). "Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution".

{{main|Religion in England}}

File:Canterbury Cathedral font, Kent, UK - Diliff.jpg 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.)]]

File:Wells Cathedral Lady Chapel, Somerset, UK - Diliff.jpg]]

Christianity became the dominant religion in England in the 7th century. Polytheistic Indo-European religions, often referred to as paganism, were practised before Christianity took hold. The most notable of these religions were Celtic polytheism, Roman polytheism and Anglo-Saxon paganism, which was the religion of the early English people, or Anglo-Saxons, and which was in many ways very similar to the closely related Norse paganism practised by the Scandinavian peoples and that would later be introduced to England by the Danes.

Christianity was first established in Britain by the Roman Empire. According to legend, Christianity was introduced to Britain by Joseph of Arimathea, who came to Glastonbury. There is also a tradition ascribing this accomplishment to Lucius of Britain. Archaeological evidence for Christian communities begins to appear in the 3rd and 4th centuries. The Romano-British population after the withdrawal of the Roman legions remained mostly Christian. The Anglo-Saxon invaders and settlers who replaced them, founding the English nation, represented a stark return to pre-Christian religion for Britain. From the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons beginning in the 4th century until the arrival of the Augustinian Mission in 597 AD, England was entirely pagan, and the pre-Christian Germanic religion was practised openly in pockets throughout the country for many decades after this.

File:LindisfarneFol27rIncipitMatt.jpg]]

Christianity was reintroduced into England by missionaries from Scotland and from Continental Europe: the era of Augustine of Canterbury, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Celtic Christian missionaries in the north (notably Aidan of Lindisfarne and Cuthbert who came from Scotland) began in 597 AD. Early English Christian documents from this time include the 7th-century illuminated Lindisfarne Gospels and the historical accounts written by Bede. The Durham Gospels is a Gospel book produced at Lindisfarne.

In 1536, the Church of England split from Rome over the issue of the divorce (technically, the marriage annulment) of King Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon. The split led to the emergence of a separate ecclesiastical authority. Later the influence of the Reformation resulted in the Church of England adopting its distinctive reformed Catholic position known as Anglicanism which maintains episcopacy while adopting a Lutheran theology. For more detail of this period see the following article: Timeline of the English Reformation.

Today, the Church of England is the established church in England. It regards itself as in continuity with the pre-Reformation state Catholic church (something the Roman Catholic Church does not accept) and has been a distinct Anglican church since the settlement under Elizabeth I of England (with some disruption during the 17th-century Commonwealth of England period). The British Monarch is formally Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Its spiritual leader is the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is regarded by convention as the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. In practice the Church of England is governed by the General Synod of the Church of England, under the authority of Parliament. The Church of England's mission to spread the Gospel has seen the establishment of many churches in the Anglican Communion throughout the world particularly in the Commonwealth of Nations.

A strong tradition of Methodism developed from the 18th century onward. The Methodist revival was started in England by a group of men including John Wesley and his younger brother Charles Wesley as a movement within the Church of England; it developed as a separate denomination after John Wesley's death. Other non-conformist Protestant traditions were also established in England. Saint George is recognised as the patron saint of England. Before Edward III, Edmund the Martyr was recognised as England's patron saint, and the flag of England consists of the Saint George's Cross. However, Saint Alban is venerated by some as England's first Christian martyr.

Change ringing is the traditional method of bell ringing in English churches, co-ordinated by the Central Council of Church Bell RingersSee [https://cccbr.org.uk/ Central Council of Church Bell Ringers website] and promoted by societies such as the Ancient Society of College Youths and the Society of Royal Cumberland Youths. Change ringing is central to The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers, voted the best crime novel of the 1930s by the British Crime Writers' Association.{{Cite web |url=http://www.twbooks.co.uk/crimescene/awards/rustywinner.html |title=The Rusty Dagger Awards 1996 – The Best British Crime Novel of the 1930s |access-date=2 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005200233/http://www.twbooks.co.uk/crimescene/awards/rustywinner.html |archive-date=5 October 2006 |url-status=dead }}

File:Charles Dickens-A Christmas Carol-Cloth-First Edition 1843.jpg' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol played a major role in reviving the "spirit" of Christmas and seasonal goodwill.]]

In 17th-century England, the Puritans condemned the celebration of Christmas.Durston, Chris, [http://www.historytoday.com/dt_main_allatonce.asp?gid=12890&aid=&tgid=&amid=12890&g12890=x&g9130=x&g30026=x&g20991=x&g21010=x&g19965=x&g19963=x "Lords of Misrule: The Puritan War on Christmas 1642–60"], History Today, December 1985, 35 (12) pp. 7 – 14. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070310013925/http://www.historytoday.com/dt_main_allatonce.asp?gid=12890&aid=&tgid=&amid=12890&g12890=x&g9130=x&g30026=x&g20991=x&g21010=x&g19965=x&g19963=x Archived] at the Internet Archive In contrast, the Anglican Church "pressed for a more elaborate observance of feasts, penitential seasons, and saints' days. The calendar reform became a major point of tension between the Anglicans and Puritans."{{cite book|last=Old|first=Hughes Oliphant|title=Worship: Reformed According to Scripture|year=2002|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press|isbn=9780664225797|page=29}} The Catholic Church also responded, promoting the festival in a more religiously oriented form. King Charles I of England directed his noblemen and gentry to return to their landed estates in midwinter to keep up their old-style Christmas generosity. Following the Parliamentarian victory over Charles I during the English Civil War, Puritan rulers banned Christmas in 1647.{{cite journal |title=From Sukkot to Saturnalia: The Attack on Christmas in Sixteenth-Century Chronological Scholarship |author=Carl Philipp Emanuel Nothaft |journal=Journal of the History of Ideas |volume=72 |issue=4 |date=October 2011 |pages=504–505 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |jstor=41337151 |quote=However, when Thomas Mocket, rector of Gilston in Hertfordshire, decried such vices in a pamphlet to justify the parliamentary 'ban' of Christmas, effective since June 1647... }}

Protests followed as pro-Christmas rioting broke out in several cities and for weeks Canterbury was controlled by the rioters, who decorated doorways with holly and shouted royalist slogans. The book, The Vindication of Christmas (London, 1652), argued against the Puritans, and makes note of Old English Christmas traditions, dinner, roast apples on the fire, card playing, dances with "plow-boys" and "maidservants", old Father Christmas and carol singing.{{cite book|last1=Sandys|first1=William|title=Christmastide: its history, festivities and carols|date=1852|publisher=John Russell Smith|location=London|pages=119–120}} The Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 ended the ban. Following the Restoration, Poor Robin's Almanack contained the lines: "Now thanks to God for Charles return, / Whose absence made old Christmas mourn. / For then we scarcely did it know, / Whether it Christmas were or no."{{cite book|last=Miall|first=Anthony & Peter|title=The Victorian Christmas Book|year=1978|publisher=Dent|isbn=0-460-12039-5|page=7}}

In the early 19th century, writers imagined Tudor Christmas as a time of heartfelt celebration. In 1843, Charles Dickens wrote the novel A Christmas Carol that helped revive the "spirit" of Christmas and seasonal merriment.Les Standiford. The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits, Crown, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-307-40578-4}} Dickens sought to construct Christmas as a family-centred festival of generosity, in contrast to the community-based and church-centred observations, the observance of which had dwindled during the late 18th century and early 19th century.Ronald Hutton Stations of the Sun: The Ritual Year in England. 1996. Oxford: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-285448-8}}. Dickens influenced many aspects of Christmas that are celebrated today in Western culture, such as family gatherings, seasonal food and drink, dancing, games, and a festive generosity of spirit.Richard Michael Kelly (ed.) (2003), A Christmas Carol. pp.9,12 Broadview Literary Texts, New York: Broadview Press {{ISBN|1-55111-476-3}} A prominent phrase from the tale, "Merry Christmas", was popularized following the appearance of the story.Robertson Cochrane. Wordplay: origins, meanings, and usage of the English language. p.126. University of Toronto Press, 1996 {{ISBN|0-8020-7752-8}} The term Scrooge became a synonym for miser, with "Bah! Humbug!" dismissive of the festive spirit.Joe L. Wheeler. Christmas in my heart, Volume 10. p.97. Review and Herald Pub Assoc, 2001. {{ISBN|0-8280-1622-4}}

The revival of the Christmas Carol began with William Sandys's Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (1833), with the first appearance in print of "The First Noel", "I Saw Three Ships", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen". In 1843 the first commercial Christmas card was produced by Henry Cole leading to the exchange of festive greeting cards among the public.{{cite web |last = Earnshaw |first = Iris |title = The History of Christmas Cards |publisher = Inverloch Historical Society Inc. |date = November 2003 |url = http://home.vicnet.net.au/~invhs/2004.htm |access-date = 25 July 2008}}

{{see also|List of English inventions and discoveries|Industrial Revolution|Royal Society}}File:GodfreyKneller-IsaacNewton-1689.jpg is regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the Scientific Revolution.{{Citation|last=Smith|first=George|title=Isaac Newton|date=2008|url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2008/entries/newton/|encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy|editor-last=Zalta|editor-first=Edward N.|edition=Fall 2008|publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University|access-date=29 April 2021}}]]

The English have played a significant role in the development of science and engineering. Prominent English figures from the field of science and mathematics include Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, Charles Darwin, Robert Hooke, James Prescott Joule, John Dalton, Lord Rayleigh, J. J. Thomson, James Chadwick, Charles Babbage, George Boole, Alan Turing, Tim Berners-Lee, Paul Dirac, Stephen Hawking, Peter Higgs, Roger Penrose, John Horton Conway, Thomas Bayes, Arthur Cayley, G. H. Hardy, Oliver Heaviside, Andrew Wiles, Edward Jenner, Francis Crick, Joseph Lister, Joseph Priestley, Thomas Young, Christopher Wren and Richard Dawkins. Some experts claim that the earliest concept of a metric system was invented by John Wilkins, the first secretary of the Royal Society, in 1668.{{cite news|date=13 July 2007|title=Metric system was British|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6890000/newsid_6898200/6898274.stm?bw=nb&mp=wm&news=1&ms3=10|access-date=5 September 2009}}

England has been a leading centre of the Scientific Revolution since the 17th century.J. Gascoin, "A reappraisal of the role of the universities in the Scientific Revolution", in David C. Lindberg and Robert S. Westman, eds, Reappraisals of the Scientific Revolution (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990), {{ISBN|0-521-34804-8}}, p. 248. As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, England was home to many significant inventors during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Famous English engineers include Isambard Kingdom Brunel, best known for the creation of the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships, and numerous important bridges, hence revolutionising public transport and modern-day engineering.{{cite journal|last1=Spratt|first1=H. P.|year=1958|title=Isambard Kingdom Brunel|journal=Nature|volume=181|issue=4626|pages=1754–1755|bibcode=1958Natur.181.1754S|doi=10.1038/1811754a0|doi-access=free|s2cid=4255226}} Thomas Newcomen's steam engine helped spawn the Industrial Revolution.{{harvnb|Oakes|2002|p=214}} It is home to the Royal Institution, the Royal Society, the Greenwich Observatory and its associated meridian.

The Father of Railways, George Stephenson, built the first public inter-city railway line in the world, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which opened in 1830. With his role in the marketing and manufacturing of the steam engine, and invention of modern coinage, Matthew Boulton (business partner of James Watt) is regarded as one of the most influential entrepreneurs in history.Ronald Shillingford (2010). "The History of the World's Greatest- Entrepreneurs: Biographies of Success". p. 64–69 The physician Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccine is said to have "saved more lives ... than were lost in all the wars of mankind since the beginning of recorded history."{{harvnb|Saunders|1982|p=13}}{{harvnb|White|1885|p=335}}{{harvnb|Levine|1960|p=183}}

File:Portrait of H.M. King Charles II of England (2).png, 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.{{Cite web|title=Information on Royal Charters {{!}} Royal Society|url=https://royalsociety.org/about-us/governance/charters/|access-date=9 April 2021|website=royalsociety.org|language=en-gb}}]]

Inventions and discoveries of the English include: the jet engine, the first industrial spinning machine, the first computer and the first modern computer, the World Wide Web along with HTML, the first successful human blood transfusion, the motorised vacuum cleaner,{{cite web|last=Wohleber|first=Curt|date=Spring 2006|title=The Vacuum Cleaner|url=http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2006/4/2006_4_4.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313170420/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2006/4/2006_4_4.shtml|archive-date=13 March 2010|access-date=8 December 2010|website=Invention & Technology Magazine|publisher=American Heritage Publishing}} the lawn mower, the seat belt, the hovercraft, the electric motor, steam engines, and theories such as the Darwinian theory of evolution and atomic theory. Newton developed the ideas of universal gravitation, Newtonian mechanics, and calculus, and Robert Hooke his eponymously named law of elasticity. Other inventions include the iron plate railway, the thermosiphon, tarmac, the rubber band, the mousetrap, "cat's eye", road marker, joint development of the light bulb, steam locomotives, the modern seed drill and many modern techniques and technologies used in precision engineering.{{cite web|title=English Inventors and Inventions|url=http://www.english-crafts.co.uk/history/inventors.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415212829/http://www.english-crafts.co.uk/history/inventors.htm|archive-date=15 April 2010|access-date=5 September 2009|publisher=English-Crafts.co.uk}}

The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge,{{cite web|title=The formal title as adopted in the royal charter|url=https://royalsociety.org/~/media/Royal_Society_Content/about-us/history/2012-Supplemental-Charter.pdf|website=royalsociety.org}} is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. Founded on 28 November 1660, it was granted a royal charter by King Charles II as "The Royal Society". It is the oldest national scientific institution in the world.{{cite encyclopedia|title=Royal Society|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Royal-Society|access-date=24 February 2018|last=Hunter|first=Michael}} The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, recognising excellence in science, supporting outstanding science, providing scientific advice for policy, fostering international and global co-operation, education and public engagement.{{Cite web|title=Welcome to the Royal Society {{!}} Royal Society|url=https://royalsociety.org/|access-date=9 April 2021|website=royalsociety.org|language=en-gb}}

The Royal Institution of Great Britain was founded in 1799 by leading English scientists, including Henry Cavendish and its first president, George Finch. Its foundational principles were diffusing the knowledge of, and facilitating the general introduction of useful mechanical inventions and improvements, as well as enhancing the application of science to the common purposes of life (including through teaching, courses of philosophical lectures, and experiments).{{cite web |title=Guides to the Royal Institution of Great Britain: 1 HISTORY |url=http://www.rigb.org/docs/brief_history_of_ri_1.pdf |access-date=15 February 2014 |archive-date=10 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410070006/http://rigb.org/docs/brief_history_of_ri_1.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{clear}}

The Industrial Revolution began in England due to the social, economic and political changes implemented in the previous centuries. Whereas absolute monarchy stayed the normal form of power execution through most parts of Europe, institutions ensured property rights and political safety to English people after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Aided by these legal and cultural foundations, an entrepreneurial spirit and consumer revolution drove industrialisation in Britain.Kiely, Ray (November 2011). "Industrialization and Development: A Comparative Analysis". UGL Press Limited: 25–26. Under the newly formed Kingdom of Great Britain, output from the Royal Society and other English initiatives combined with the Scottish Enlightenment created excessive innovations in science and engineering.{{cite web|author=Hudson, Pat|title=The Workshop of the World|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/workshop_of_the_world_01.shtml|access-date=10 December 2010|publisher=BBC}} Domestically it drove the Industrial Revolution, resulting in industrialised agriculture, manufacture, engineering and mining, as well as new and pioneering road, rail and water networks to facilitate their expansion and development. The opening of Northwest England's Bridgewater Canal in 1761 ushered in the canal age in Britain.{{Harvnb|Office for National Statistics|2000|p=5}}{{harvnb|McNeil|Nevell|2000|p=4}}. In 1825 the world's first permanent steam locomotive-hauled passenger railway – the Stockton and Darlington Railway – opened to the public.

Geographical and natural resource advantages of Great Britain also contributed, with the country's extensive coastlines and many navigable rivers in an age when water was the easiest means of transportation along with its had high quality coal. According to British historian Jeremy Black, "an unprecedented explosion of new ideas, and new technological inventions, transformed our use of energy, creating an increasingly industrial and urbanised country. Roads, railways and canals were built. Great cities appeared. Scores of factories and mills sprang up. Our landscape would never be the same again. It was a revolution that transformed not only the country, but the world itself."

File:Josiah Wedgwood.jpg was a leading entrepreneur in the Industrial Revolution.]]

The 18th century entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood is credited with the industrialisation of the manufacture of pottery. Meeting the demands of the consumer revolution and growth in wealth of the middle classes in Britain, Wedgwood created goods such as tableware, which was starting to become a common feature on dining tables.{{cite news|title=Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pz9d6|publisher=BBC|date=11 January 2017}} Credited as the inventor of modern marketing, Wedgwood pioneered direct mail, money back guarantees, travelling salesmen, carrying pattern boxes for display, self-service, free delivery, buy one get one free, and illustrated catalogues.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/opinion/10flanders.html?_r=2|title=They Broke It|newspaper= New York Times|date= 9 January 2009}} Described as "natural capitalists" by the BBC, dynasties of Quakers were successful in business and contributed the Industrial Revolution. This included ironmaking by Abraham Darby I and his family; banking, including Lloyds Banking Group (founded by Sampson Lloyd),{{cite book |last=Burns Windsor |first=D |year=1980 |title=The Quaker Enterprise: Friends in Business |publisher=Frederick Muller Ltd |location=London |isbn=0-584-10257-7}} Barclays PLC, Backhouse's Bank and Gurney's Bank; life assurance (Friends Provident); pharmaceuticals (Allen & Hanburys); the big three British chocolate companies, Cadbury, Fry's and Rowntree); biscuit manufacturing (Huntley & Palmers); match manufacture (Bryant and May) and shoe manufacturing (Clarks). With his role in the marketing and manufacturing of James Watt's steam engine, and invention of modern coinage, Matthew Boulton is regarded as one of the most influential entrepreneurs in history.Ronald Shillingford (2010). "The History of the World's Greatest- Entrepreneurs: Biographies of Success". p.64-69

Other important English engineers and inventors in the Industrial Revolution include: George Stephenson, Richard Arkwright, Henry Maudslay and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. England has the oldest railway networks in the world; the Stockton and Darlington Railway, opened in 1825, was the first public railway to use steam locomotives.{{cite book|last=Kirby|first=Maurice W.|title=The Origins of Railway Enterprise: The Stockton and Darlington Railway 1821–1863 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xVY1VL-rA1gC |date=4 July 2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-89280-3}} Opened in 1863, London Underground is the world's first underground railway.{{cite news |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20641351 |title= Oyster card celebrates 150th Tube anniversary |work=BBC News |date=10 December 2012 |access-date=5 April 2016}} Known as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson's rail gauge of {{convert|4|ft|8+1/2|in|mm}} is the standard gauge for most of the world's railways. Henry Maudsley's most influential invention was the screw-cutting lathe, a machine which created uniformity in screws and allowed for the application of interchangeable parts (a prerequisite for mass production): it was a revolutionary development necessary for the Industrial Revolution.{{cite news|title=Henry Maudsley Facts|url=http://biography.yourdictionary.com/henry-maudslay|publisher=Yourdictionary.com.|date=22 May 2016}}Quentin R. Skrabec, Jr. (2005). "The Metallurgic Age: The Victorian Flowering of Invention and Industrial Science". p. 169. McFarland Brunel created the Great Western Railway, as well as famous steamships including the SS Great Britain, the first propeller-driven ocean-going iron ship, and SS Great Eastern which laid the first lasting transatlantic telegraph cable.Wilson, Arthur (1994). The Living Rock: The Story of Metals Since Earliest Times and Their Impact on Civilization. p. 203. Woodhead Publishing.

{{Main|List of British philosophers}}

England has been the cradle of many very important philosophers who have contributed to the development of philosophical currents such as liberalism, utilitarianism, free thinking, enlightened thinking, empiricism, political philosophy and analytical philosophy. The ideas of these thinkers have influenced transcendental historical events such as the Age of Enlightenment, the 1776 Declaration of Independence of the United States, the French Revolution, and the 1948 United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

File:William Larkin Francis Bacon.jpg led the advancement of both natural philosophy and the scientific method and his works remained deeply influential in the Scientific Revolution.{{Citation |last=Klein |first=Jürgen |title=Francis Bacon |date=2012 |url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2016/entries/francis-bacon/ |encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy |editor-last=Zalta |editor-first=Edward N. |access-date=17 January 2020 |edition=Winter 2016 |publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University}}]]

• Thomas More (1478–1535) addressed the social problems of humanity in his summit work, Utopia (1516). The rest of his works have as a common thread the exaltation of idealism and the condemnation of tyranny.
• Francis Bacon (1561–1626) developed philosophical and scientific empiricism, which made him one of the pioneers of modern scientific thinking in developing the experimental scientific method. His most prominent philosophical works are The Advancement of Knowledge (1605), Novum Organum or Indications related to the Interpretation of Nature (1620).
• Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) was a very influential figure in the development of Western political philosophy through his work Leviathan (1651), a treatise on the nature of human beings and how societies are organized.
• John Locke (1632–1704) is considered the father of enlightened thought, one of the most influential thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment, and one of the founders of social contract theory, epistemology and political philosophy.
• Thomas Paine (1737–1809) had great influence through his writings on social democracy, claiming land ownership, freethinking, religion and slavery, in the American revolutionaries who led the independence of that country.
• Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) developed the utilitarian doctrine, embodied in his main work: Introduction to the principles of morality and legislation (1789). In addition, it left strengthened and appropriate the concept of Deontology widely used in laws and codes of professional work that looks to the future.
• John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) was a representative of the classical and theoretical economic school of utilitarianism. In his work on freedom, he exposes his fundamental ideas about the limits of freedom of the individual and society.
• Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) was a philosopher, mathematician, logician and writer, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, and known for his influence on analytical philosophy in the early twentieth century.

{{Main|Sport in England}}England has a strong sporting heritage and many sports were codified by the English, and then spread worldwide, including badminton, cricket, croquet, football, field hockey, lawn tennis, rugby league, rugby union, table tennis, darts, bowls, squash, snooker, billiards, and thoroughbred horse racing. It has helped the development of golf, sailing and Formula One. In the late 18th century, the English game of rounders was transported to the American Colonies, where it evolved into baseball. Association football, cricket, rugby union and rugby league are considered to be the national sports of England.

The England national football team, whose home venue is Wembley Stadium, played Scotland in the first ever international football match in 1872.{{Cite web |title=BBC - A Sporting Nation - The first international football match |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0012/index.shtml |access-date=2023-07-17 |website=www.bbc.co.uk}} Referred to as the "home of football" by FIFA, England hosted the 1966 FIFA World Cup, and won the tournament by defeating West Germany 4–2 in the final, with Geoff Hurst scoring a hat-trick. With a British television audience peak of 32.30 million viewers, the final is the most watched television event ever in the UK.{{Cite news |date=2012-01-22 |title=Tracking 30 years of TV's most watched programmes |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-16671101 |access-date=2023-07-17}}

The rules of football were first drafted in 1863 by Ebenezer Cobb Morley, and England has the oldest football clubs in the world.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3694775.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604183514/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3694775.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 June 2011|title=The father of football deserves much more|last=Rudd|first=Alyson|work=Times Online | location=London | date=7 April 2008 | access-date=15 January 2015}} At club level, England is recognised by FIFA as the birthplace of club football, due to Sheffield F.C. founded in 1857 being the world's oldest club.{{cite news |author=Paul Mitchell |title=The first international football match |publisher=BBC |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0012/index.shtml |access-date=15 January 2015}} The Football Association is the oldest governing body in the sport. The FA Cup and The Football League were the first cup and league competitions respectively. In the modern day, the Premier League is the world's most-watched football league, most lucrative, and amongst the elite.{{Cite news |last=Ebner |first=Sarah |date=2023-07-17 |title=History and time are key to power of football, says Premier League chief |newspaper=The Times |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/history-and-time-are-key-to-power-of-football-says-premier-league-chief-3d3zf5kb35m |access-date=2023-07-17 |issn=0140-0460}} Its biggest clubs include Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. In 2016, Leicester City, who were 5,000–1 outsiders at the start of the season, became champions. By some measures it was the greatest sporting upset ever: multiple bookmakers had never paid out at such long odds for any sport.{{cite news|title=Sport's greatest-ever upset|url=http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/article/165/10266888/leicesters-premier-league-triumph-considered-the-greatest-ever-sporting-upset|access-date=3 May 2016|work=Sporting Life|date=2 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503123546/http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/article/165/10266888/leicesters-premier-league-triumph-considered-the-greatest-ever-sporting-upset|archive-date=3 May 2016}}

File:Flintoff_bowling_Siddle,_2009_Ashes_2.jpg 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.{{cite news|title=England 1st country to win Cricket World Cup, Football World Cup and Rugby World Cup|work=India Today|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket-world-cup-2019/story/england-1st-country-to-win-cricket-world-cup-football-world-cup-and-rugby-world-cup-1569076-2019-07-15|access-date=15 July 2019}}]]

Cricket is generally thought to have been developed in the early medieval period among the farming and metalworking communities of the Weald.{{harvnb|Underdown|2000|p=6}}. The England cricket team is a composite England and Wales team. One of the game's top rivalries is The Ashes series between England and Australia, contested since 1882. The climax of the 2005 Ashes was viewed by 7.4 million as it was available on terrestrial television.{{cite book|author=Cricinfo staff|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/engvaus2009/content/current/story/422272.html|title=Ashes climax watched by a fraction of 2005 audience|date=26 August 2009|publisher=Cricinfo|access-date=9 September 2009}} England has hosted five Cricket World Cups (1975, 1979, 1983, 1999 and 2019), winning the 2019 edition in a final regarded as one of the greatest one day internationals ever played.{{Cite web|date=14 July 2019|title=2019 Cricket World Cup final: England beat Black Caps in greatest ODI in history|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12249489|access-date=14 July 2019|work=New Zealand Herald}}

England hosted the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009, winning this format in 2010 beating rivals Australia in the final. In the domestic competition, the County Championship, Yorkshire are by far the most successful club having won the competition 32 times outright and sharing it on 1 other occasion.{{cite book|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/yorkshire/content/current/story/261973.html|title=A brief history of Yorkshire|date=9 October 2006|publisher=Cricinfo|access-date=9 September 2009}} Lord's Cricket Ground situated in London is sometimes referred to as the "Mecca of Cricket".{{cite news|last=Fay|first=Stephen|date=21 June 1998|title=Cricket: Flaw Lord's out of order|work=The Independent|location=London|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket-flaw-lords-out-of-order-1166513.html|access-date=9 September 2009}}

Rugby union originated in Rugby School, Warwickshire in the early 19th century.{{cite web|title=Origins of Rugby – Codification "The innovation of running with the ball was introduced some time between 1820 and 1830."|url=http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/originsofrugby.htm#2|access-date=15 August 2011|publisher=Rugbyfootballhistory.com}} The England rugby union team won the 2003 Rugby World Cup, with Jonny Wilkinson scoring the winning drop goal in the last minute of extra time against Australia. England was one of the host nations of the competition in the 1991 Rugby World Cup and also hosted the 2015 Rugby World Cup.{{cite news|date=28 July 2009|title=England will host 2015 Rugby World Cup|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/8170488.stm|access-date=5 September 2009}} The top level of club participation is the English Premiership. Leicester Tigers, London Wasps, Bath Rugby and Northampton Saints have had success in the Europe-wide Heineken Cup.

Rugby league was born in Huddersfield in 1895. Since 2008, the England national rugby league team has been a full test nation in lieu of the Great Britain national rugby league team, which won three World Cups. Club sides play in Super League, the present-day embodiment of the Rugby Football League Championship. Rugby League is most popular among towns in the northern English counties of Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cumbria.[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyleague/10397530/Rugby-League-World-Cup-2013-will-provide-the-sport-with-a-true-test-of-its-popularity.html "Rugby League World Cup 2013 will provide the sport with a true test of its popularity"]. The Telegraph. Retrieved 23 September 2015 The vast majority of English clubs in Super League are based in the north of England. Some of the most successful clubs include Wigan Warriors, Hull F.C., St. Helens, Leeds Rhinos and Huddersfield Giants; the former three have all won the World Club Challenge previously.

William Penny Brookes was prominent in organising the format for the modern Olympic Games. In 1994, then President of the IOC, Juan Antonio Samaranch, laid a wreath on Brooke's grave, and said, "I came to pay homage and tribute to Dr Brookes, who really was the founder of the modern Olympic Games".{{cite news|date=22 September 2017|title=Father of the modern Olympics|agency=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/content/articles/2006/01/31/william_penny_brookes_feature.shtml}} London was the first major city to host the Summer Olympic Games three times, in 1908, 1948, and 2012. England competes in the Commonwealth Games, held every four years. Birmingham hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the seventh time a UK country has hosted the event.

Sport England is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in England. England, and other countries of the United Kingdom, compete as a separate nations in some international sporting events. The England cricket team actually represents England and Wales.{{cite news|title=England Cricket Team Profile|url=http://www.travour.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2007-west-indies/cricket-world-cup-teams/england-cricket-team-profile.html|url-status=dead|access-date=13 September 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209192457/http://www.travour.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2007-west-indies/cricket-world-cup-teams/england-cricket-team-profile.html|archive-date=9 December 2006}} However, in the Olympic Games, England competes as part of the Great Britain team. English supporters are now more likely to carry the Cross of Saint George flag than the British Union Flag.{{cite news|date=17 September 2005|title=The Saturday Soap Box: We have to make Jerusalem England's national anthem|work=Daily Mirror|url=http://www.billybragg.co.uk/words/words1.php?word_id=34|access-date=1 November 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061011022931/http://www.billybragg.co.uk/words/words1.php?word_id=34 |archive-date=11 October 2006}}

File:Saville vs Broady – Wimbledon Boys Singles Final 2011.jpg Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world.]]

Tennis was created in Birmingham in the late 19th century, and the Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and widely considered the most prestigious.{{cite news|last=Clarey|first=Christopher|date=5 July 2008|title=Traditional Final: It's Nadal and Federer|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/05/sports/tennis/05wimbledon.html|access-date=5 September 2009}} Major Walter Clopton Wingfield is credited as being a pioneer of the game.[http://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/walter-wingfield Major Walter Clopton Wingfield] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906053003/http://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/walter-wingfield |date=6 September 2011 }} International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved 28 September 2011 The world's oldest tennis tournament, the Wimbledon Championships, first occurred in 1877, and today the event takes place over two weeks in late June and early July.[http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/tennis/06/14/tennis.wimbledon.125th.anniversary.museum/index.html 125 years of Wimbledon: From birth of lawn tennis to modern marvels] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218114004/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/tennis/06/14/tennis.wimbledon.125th.anniversary.museum/index.html |date=18 February 2020 }} CNN. Retrieved 28 September 2011 Created in the Tudor period in the court of Henry VIII, the English dessert strawberries and cream is synonymous with the English summer, and is famously consumed at Wimbledon.{{cite news|title=Wimbledon's strawberries and cream has Tudor roots|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/surrey/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8756000/8756132.stm|agency=BBC|date=9 June 2015}}

The first known modern rowing races began from competition among the professional watermen in England on the River Thames in London. Prizes for wager races were often offered by the London Guilds and Livery Companies or wealthy owners of riverside houses.{{cite book |author=Burnell, Richard |title=The Brilliants: A History of the Leander Club |author2=Page, Geoffrey |publisher=Leander Club |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-9500061-1-6}} The oldest surviving such race, Doggett's Coat and Badge was first contested in 1715 and is still held annually from London Bridge to Chelsea.{{cite web |title=Doggett's Coat & Badge Race |url=http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/doggett.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928180204/http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/doggett.htm |archive-date=2006-09-28 |access-date=2006-12-23 |work=Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section |df=mdy-all}} During the 19th century these races were to become numerous and popular, attracting large crowds. Prize matches amongst professionals similarly became popular on other rivers throughout Great Britain in the 19th century, notably on the Tyne. Since 1829 an annual rowing race between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, rowed between men's and women's open-weight eights on the River Thames, has taken place. It is also known as the University Boat Race and the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.

Golf has been prominent in England; due in part to its cultural and geographical ties to Scotland, the home of Golf.{{cite web|title=Scotland is the home of golf|url=http://www.pgatour.com/2008/tourlife/travel/04/08/trans_atlantic/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828200541/http://www.pgatour.com/2008/tourlife/travel/04/08/trans_atlantic/index.html|archive-date=28 August 2008|access-date=4 December 2008|publisher=PGA Tour official website|quote=Scotland is the home of golf ...}} There are both professional tours for men and women, in two main tours: the PGA Tour and the European Tour. England has produced grand slam winners: Cyril Walker, Tony Jacklin, Nick Faldo, and Justin Rose in the men's and Laura Davies, Alison Nicholas, and Karen Stupples in the women's. The world's oldest golf tournament, and golf's first major is The Open Championship, played both in England and Scotland. The biennial golf competition, the Ryder Cup, is named after English businessman Samuel Ryder who sponsored the event and donated the trophy.Fry, Peter (July 2000). Samuel Ryder: The Man Behind the Ryder Cup. Wright Press. Nick Faldo is the most successful Ryder Cup player ever, having won the most points (25) of any player on either the European or US teams.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/19634921 "Sir Nick Faldo drives on in business world"]. BBC. Retrieved 29 December 2013

In boxing, under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, England has produced many world champions across the weight divisions internationally recognised by the governing bodies. World champions include Bob Fitzsimmons, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Randolph Turpin, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Frank Bruno, Lennox Lewis, Ricky Hatton, Naseem Hamed, Amir Khan, Carl Froch, and David Haye.{{cite web|title=Top 20 British Boxers|website=Bleacher Report|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/661141-the-top-20-british-boxers-of-all-time|access-date=12 April 2011}} In women's boxing, Nicola Adams became the world's first woman to win an Olympic boxing gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Originating in 17th and 18th-century England, the thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. The National Hunt horse race the Grand National, is held annually at Aintree Racecourse in early April. It is the most watched horse race in the UK, attracting casual observers, and three-time winner Red Rum is the most successful racehorse in the event's history.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/3495663.stm Red Rum: Aintree favourite] BBC. Retrieved 11 October 2011 Red Rum is also the best-known racehorse in the country.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6541281.stm "Red Rum is UK's best-known horse"]. BBC. Retrieved 18 March 2016

The 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone was the first race in the newly created Formula One World Championship.{{cite news|title=The History of British Motorsport and Motor Racing at Silverstone|work=Silverstone|publisher=Silverstone.co.uk|url=http://www.silverstone.co.uk/about/history/|access-date=31 October 2009}} Since then, England has produced some of the greatest drivers in the sport, including; John Surtees, Stirling Moss, Graham Hill (only driver to have won the Triple Crown), Nigel Mansell (only man to hold F1 and IndyCar titles at the same time), Damon Hill, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.{{cite news|title=F1 Champions: Dan Wheldon killed in Las Vegas|work=ESPN|url=http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/motorsport/page/3421.html|access-date=15 December 2011}} It has manufactured some of the most technically advanced racing cars, and many of today's racing companies choose England as their base of operations for its engineering knowledge and organisation. McLaren Automotive, Williams F1, Team Lotus, Honda, Brawn GP, Benetton, Renault, and Red Bull Racing are all, or have been, located in the south of England. England also has a rich heritage in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, the premier championship of motorcycle road racing, and produced several World Champions across all the various class of motorcycle: Mike Hailwood, John Surtees, Phil Read, Geoff Duke, and Barry Sheene.

Darts is a widely popular sport in England; a professional competitive sport, darts is a traditional pub game. The sport is governed by the World Darts Federation, one of its member organisations is the British Darts Organisation (BDO), which annually stages the BDO World Darts Championship, the other being the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), which runs its own world championship at Alexandra Palace in London. Phil Taylor is widely regarded as the best darts player of all time, having won 187 professional tournaments, and a record 16 World Championships.{{cite news|author=BBC|date=6 January 2003|title=Part relishes Taylor triumph|publisher=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/2631249.stm|access-date=18 January 2010}}{{cite news|title=Phil Taylor player profile|work=Dartsdatabase|url=http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/PlayerDetails.aspx?playerKey=1|access-date=23 July 2010}} Trina Gulliver is the ten-time Women's World Professional Darts Champion of the British Darts Organisation. Another popular sport commonly associated with pub games is Snooker, and England has produced several world champions, including Steve Davis and Ronnie O'Sullivan.

The English are keen sailors and enjoy competitive sailing; founding and winning some of the world's most famous and respected international competitive tournaments across the various race formats, including the match race, a regatta, and the America's Cup. England has produced some of the world's greatest sailors, including Francis Chichester, Herbert Hasler, John Ridgway, Robin Knox-Johnston, Ellen MacArthur, Mike Golding, Paul Goodison, and the most successful Olympic sailor ever Ben Ainslie.

{{Main|History of education in England}}

England has a long history of promoting education.{{Cite web|title=University {{!}} Historic England|url=http://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/womens-history/visible-in-stone/university/|access-date=27 April 2021|website=historicengland.org.uk|language=en}} During the Middle Ages, schools were established to teach Latin grammar to the sons of the aristocracy destined for priesthood or monastic work with the ministry of government or the law. Two universities were established in affiliation with the church: the University of Oxford, followed by the University of Cambridge, to assist in the further training of the Catholic Christian clergy. There is evidence of teaching at Oxford as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world, the world's second-oldest university in continuous operation and one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.{{cite book|author=Sager, Peter|title=Oxford and Cambridge: An Uncommon History|year=2005|page=36}}{{Cite web|date=3 November 2020|title=The top 50 universities by reputation|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/top-50-universities-reputation|website=Times Higher Education (THE)}} Founded in 1209{{Cite web|date=28 January 2013|title=Early records|url=https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-university/history/early-records|access-date=5 December 2019|website=University of Cambridge|language=en}} and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, the University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's fourth-oldest surviving university, as well as one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.{{cite book|last=Sager|first=Peter|title=Oxford and Cambridge: An Uncommon History|date=2005}}{{Cite web|date=3 November 2020|title=The top 50 universities by reputation|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/top-50-universities-reputation|access-date=15 February 2021|website=Student}} Apprenticeship was the main way for youths to enter practical occupations.{{Cite web|title=The History Press {{!}} Teenagers in Tudor times|url=https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/teenagers-in-tudor-times/|access-date=27 April 2021|website=www.thehistorypress.co.uk|language=en}}File:Statue_d'Alfred_le_Grand_à_Winchester.jpg statue in Winchester, Hampshire. The 9th-century English king encouraged education in his kingdom.{{Cite web|title=King Alfred the Great: Contributions to Education & Literary|url=https://schoolworkhelper.net/king-alfred-the-great-contributions-to-education-literary/|access-date=27 April 2021|website=SchoolWorkHelper|language=en-US}}]]Private schools have a long history in England; some were set up before the tenth century. The oldest is King's School, Canterbury, which was founded in 597. A group of these schools, much later, invoked the name "public school" to indicate that they were open to the public regardless of religious beliefs. In Tudor times, Edward VI reorganised grammar schools and instituted new ones so that there was a national system of "free grammar schools." In theory these were open to all, offering free tuition to those who could not afford to pay fees. In 1562 the Statute of Artificers and Apprentices was passed to regulate and protect the apprenticeship system, forbidding anyone from practising a trade or craft without first serving a 7-year period as an apprentice to a master. Guilds controlled many trades and used apprenticeships to control entry.{{Cite journal|last=Woodward|first=Donald|date=1980|title=The Background to the Statute of Artificers: The Genesis of Labour Policy, 1558–63|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2595542|journal=The Economic History Review|volume=33|issue=1|pages=32–44|doi=10.2307/2595542|jstor=2595542|issn=0013-0117}}

Most schools came under state control in the Victorian era. Initially, schools were categorised as infant schools, primary schools and secondary schools (split into more academic grammar schools and more vocational Secondary modern schools). England has many independent (fee-paying) schools, some founded hundreds of years ago; independent secondary schools are known as public schools. Eton College, Harrow School, Shrewsbury School and Rugby School are four of the best-known. The nature and peculiarities of these public schools have frequently featured in English literature.

State schools are government-funded schools which provide education free of charge to pupils. There are a number of categories of English state-funded schools including academy schools, grammar schools, community schools, faith schools, foundation schools, free schools, studio schools, university technical colleges, and a number of state boarding schools and city technology colleges. About one third of English state-funded schools are faith schools;[https://www.educationcompany.co.uk/knowledge-bank/uk-education-data/governance-affiliations/] Governance & Affiliations – The Education Company i.e. affiliated with religious groups, most often from the Church of England (approximately 2/3 of faith schools), or the Roman Catholic Church (around 3/10).[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15985615 BBC News 3 Dec 2011] Catholic faith schools in academy switch A number of state-funded secondary schools are specialist schools, receiving extra funding to develop one or more subjects which the school specialises.

Most primary and secondary schools have compulsory school uniforms. Allowances are almost invariably made to accommodate religious dress, including the Islamic hijab and Sikh bangle (kara). For each of the statutory curriculum subjects, the Secretary of State for Education is required to set out a Programme of Study which outlines the content and matters which must be taught in subjects at the relevant Key Stages.{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/32/part/6|last=National Archives|title=Education Act 2002 Part 6|publisher=H M Government|date=1 April 2018|access-date=14 October 2020}} The most recently published National Curriculum was introduced into schools in September 2014.

Grammar schools can be run by the local authority, a foundation body or an academy trust. They select their pupils based on academic ability.{{cite web|title=Types of school|url=https://www.gov.uk/types-of-school|access-date=12 September 2021|website=GOV.UK|language=en}} 30x30px Text was copied from this source, which is available under an [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Open Government Licence v3.0]. Crown copyright. The original purpose of medieval grammar schools was the teaching of Latin. Over time the curriculum was broadened, first to include Ancient Greek, and later English and other European languages, natural sciences, mathematics, history, geography, and other subjects. In areas children can enter a prestigious grammar school; there are also a number of isolated fully selective grammar schools and a few dozen partially selective schools.{{cite web|author=Clyde Chitty|date=16 November 2002|title=The Right to a Comprehensive Education - Second Caroline Benn Memorial Lecture|url=http://www.socialisteducation.org.uk/CB2.htm|access-date=22 January 2009|archive-date=6 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606144606/http://www.socialisteducation.org.uk/CB2.htm|url-status=dead}} The oldest state school in England is Beverley Grammar School, which was founded in 700 AD.{{Cite web|date=6 July 2012|title=History|url=http://www.beverleygrammar.co.uk/history-notable-alumni/history/|access-date=26 September 2021|website=Beverley Grammar School|language=en-GB}}

England's universities include some of the highest-ranked universities in the world; University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University College London and King's College London are all ranked in the global top 30 in the 2018 QS World University Rankings.{{cite web |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2018 |title=QS World University Rankings 2018 | Top Universities |access-date=11 June 2017 |publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited|date=February 2017 }} The London School of Economics has been described as the world's leading social science institution for both teaching and research.{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/sunday_times_university_guide/article2496158.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202225123/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/sunday_times_university_guide/article2496158.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 December 2008 |title=The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2007 – Profile for London School of Economics |work=The Times |location=London |access-date=6 June 2008 |date=23 September 2007 |first=Ben |last=Hoyle}} The London Business School is considered one of the world's leading business schools and in 2010 its MBA programme was ranked best in the world by the Financial Times.{{cite web |url=http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings |title=FT Global MBA Rankings |website=Financial Times |access-date=25 January 2010 |archive-date=4 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504135153/http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings |url-status=dead }} Academic degrees in England are usually split into classes: first class (1st), upper second class (2:1), lower second class (2:2), third (3rd), and unclassified.{{Cite web|date=5 March 2016|title=The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies" (PDF). November 2014. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.|url=http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/qualifications-frameworks.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305083730/http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/qualifications-frameworks.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-05|url-status=live|access-date=26 September 2021}}

The Secretary of State for Education is responsible to Parliament for education.{{Cite web|title=Secretary of State for Education – GOV.UK|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/secretary-of-state-for-education#:~:text=Current%20role%20holder-,The%20Rt%20Hon%20Gavin%20Williamson%20CBE%20MP,2017%20to%201%20May%202019.|access-date=27 April 2021|website=www.gov.uk|language=en}} Standards in state schools are monitored and inspected by the Office for Standards in Education, and in private schools by the Independent Schools Inspectorate.{{Cite web|title=Ofsted|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted|access-date=27 April 2021|website=GOV.UK|language=en}} In 2011, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) rated 13–14-year-old pupils in England 10th in the world for maths and 9th for science.{{Cite news|date=9 December 2008|title=England's pupils in global top 10|language=en-GB|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7773081.stm|access-date=27 April 2021}} The Programme for International Student Assessment coordinated by the OECD currently ranks the overall knowledge and skills of British 15-year-olds as 13th in the world in literacy, mathematics, and science with the average British student scoring 503.7, above the OECD average.{{Cite news|date=3 December 2019|title=Pisa tests: UK rises in international school rankings|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/education-50563833|access-date=27 April 2021}}

{{Main|Media in the United Kingdom}}

England has a rich television and broadcasting heritage. Although cinema, theatre, dance and live music are popular, the favourite pastime is watching television.{{harvnb|Gallagher|2006|p=36}}. The television channels include BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 as well as other television channels specialising in entertainment, drama, culture, arts, science, travel, nature, and sports.{{Cite web|title=The most popular TV channels in the UK {{!}} Media {{!}} YouGov Ratings|url=https://yougov.co.uk/ratings/media/popularity/tv-channels/all|access-date=27 April 2021|website=yougov.co.uk|language=en-gb}} Television networks include UKTV channels such as U&Yesterday, U&Eden and U&Dave owned by BBC Studios.{{Cite web|title=Our Channels {{!}} About UKTV {{!}} UKTV Corporate Site|url=https://corporate.uktv.co.uk/about-uktv/article/our-channels/|access-date=27 April 2021|website=corporate.uktv.co.uk|language=en}} The broadcaster Sky has several flagship channels, including Sky Arts, Sky Atlantic, Sky Cinema, and Sky Nature.{{Cite web|title=Sky TV Channels 2021 {{!}} Sky Entertainment Channel List – Cable.co.uk|url=https://www.cable.co.uk/tv/providers/sky-tv/channels/|access-date=28 April 2021|website=Cable|language=en}}

The BBC is a publicly funded broadcaster that has been in service since 1922, paid by taxation. Its mission is to inform, educate, and entertain.{{Cite web|title=Mission, values and public purposes|url=https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/governance/mission|access-date=28 April 2021|website=www.bbc.com|language=en}} Channel 4 is similarly chartered to the BBC, with a remit to provide public service broadcasting and schools programs, however it runs commercial advertisements to provide a revenue stream. It produces a number of digital channels, branded as Channel 4, as well as More4 and Film4.{{Cite web|title=What is Channel 4? {{!}} Channel 4|url=https://www.channel4.com/corporate/about-4/who-we-are/what-is-channel-4|access-date=28 April 2021|website=www.channel4.com}} The Royal Television Society is an educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world.{{Cite web|title=Royal Television Society|url=https://rts.org.uk/|access-date=4 May 2021|website=Royal Television Society|language=en}}

Radio is dominated by the BBC, which operates radio stations both at home and abroad. The BBC World Service radio network is broadcast in 33 languages globally. Other radio broadcasters are Heart Radio, Classic FM, and Smooth Radio. The most popular radio station by number of listeners is BBC Radio 2, closely followed by BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 1. BBC News, BBC Parliament, ITV News, Channel 4 News, and Sky News are the country's most dominant news broadcasters. Radio, television, and broadcasting are regulated.{{Cite web|date=15 April 2021|title=Home|url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/home|website=Ofcom}} Newspapers produced in England include Financial Times, The Guardian and The Times.{{Cite web|date=10 October 2008|title=ABCs: National daily newspaper circulation September 2008|url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/table/2008/oct/10/abcs-pressandpublishing|access-date=26 April 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}} The Economist is also a widely read magazine covering current affairs, international business, politics, science and technology.

A large range of magazines are sold in England covering most interests and potential topics. English magazines and journals that have achieved worldwide circulation include Nature, New Scientist, The Spectator, Prospect, Apollo, NME, and the Radio Times. The National Trust and English Heritage have their own monthly membership magazines devoted to photography, heritage, nature, wildlife, and arts. Other popular magazines include BBC Gardeners' World, BBC History Magazine, BBC Science Focus, BBC Sky at Night, BBC Music, BBC Good Food, Country Life, The World of Interiors, and Classic & Sports Car.

{{main|National symbols of England}}

{{multiple image

| total_width = 320

| direction = horizontal

| align = right

| image1 = Tudor Rose.svg

| image2 = Royal Arms of England.svg

| caption1 = Tudor rose

| caption2 = Royal Arms of England

}}The English use as their national flag the red cross of St George. St George's Day is marked as the day of the patron saint, and is also celebrated as the day of the birth and death of William Shakespeare.

In 1198, King Richard the Lionheart introduced the coat of arms of England, depicting three lions.Woodcock, T. & Robinson, J.M. (1988). The Oxford Guide to Heraldry The three lions form the basis of several emblems of English national sports teams, such as the England national football team,{{cite news |url = https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/jul/18/theknowledge.sport|work=The Guardian|title=Why do England have three lions on their shirts? |date=18 July 2002 |access-date=29 April 2016 |first=Sean |last=Ingle}} and the English national cricket team (though in blue rather than gold).

The English oak and the Tudor rose are also English symbols; a modernised version of the rose is used by the England national rugby union team.

The Barbary lion is a national animal of England. In the Middle Ages, the lions kept in the menagerie at the Tower of London were Barbary lions.{{Cite book|last=Garai|first=Jana|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofsymbols0000gara|title=The Book of Symbols|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=1973|isbn=0-671-21773-9|location=New York|url-access=registration}} English medieval warrior rulers with a reputation for bravery attracted the nickname "the Lion": the most famous example is Richard I of England, known as Richard the Lionheart. Lions are frequently depicted in English heraldry, either as a device on shields themselves, or as supporters. They also appear in sculpture, and sites of national importance. The lion is used as a symbol of English sporting teams, such as the England national cricket team.

The oak is the national tree of England,{{cite web|title=What images are associated with England?|url=http://projectbritain.com/symbols.html|access-date=22 September 2010|website=projectbritain.com}} representing strength and endurance. The Royal Oak and Oak Apple Day commemorate the escape of King Charles II from the grasps of the Parliamentarians (Roundheads) after the Battle of Worcester in 1651 (the last battle of the English Civil War); he hid in an oak tree to avoid detection before making it safely into exile. The Major Oak is an 800–1000 year old oak in Sherwood Forest, fabled as the principal hideout of Robin Hood.{{cite news|title=UK: Up a tree with the king to be|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/southernengland/721833/UK-Up-a-tree-with-the-king-to-be.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424054935/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/southernengland/721833/UK-Up-a-tree-with-the-king-to-be.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 April 2009|access-date=2 September 2016}}

The rose is England's national flower. Usually red, it is used, for instance, in the emblems of the English Golf Union and England national rugby union team. The Tudor rose, which takes its name from the Tudor dynasty, was adopted as a national emblem of England around the time of the Wars of the Roses as a symbol of peace.{{cite web|date=13 January 2003|title=National flowers|url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page828|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20080909053639/http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page828|archive-date=9 September 2008|access-date=8 August 2009|publisher=Number10.gov.uk}} It is a syncretic symbol in that it merged the white rose of the Yorkists and the red rose of the Lancastrians – cadet branches of the Plantagenets – who went to war over control of the royal house. It is also known as the Rose of England.{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Jed|date=3 June 2005|title=England's Rose – The Official History|url=http://www.rugbynetwork.net/main/s245/st74325.htm|access-date=8 August 2009|work=Museum of Rugby, Twickenham|publisher=RugbyNetwork.net}}

England has no official anthem; however, the United Kingdom's "God Save the King" is commonly used. Other songs are sometimes used, including "Land of Hope and Glory" (used as England's anthem in the Commonwealth Games), "Jerusalem" (sung at international cricket matches), "Rule Britannia", and "I Vow to Thee, My Country". Certain groups are advocating the adoption of an official English anthem following similar adoptions in Scotland and Wales.{{Cite web |url=http://www.englandanthem.com/ |title=Anthem for England |access-date=26 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513123603/http://www.englandanthem.com/ |archive-date=13 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}

{{Portal|England|Society}}

• List of museums in England
• Anglicisation
• Anglophile
• English understatement
• Goth subculture

{{reflist}}

{{refbegin|2}}

• {{cite book |last=Briggs |first=Katharine |title=A Dictionary of British Folk-tales in the English Language |author-link=Katharine Mary Briggs |year=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-203-39737-4 }}
• {{cite book

|title = Shakespeare: The World as a Stage

|url = https://archive.org/details/shakespeareworld00bill

|url-access = registration

|last = Bryson

|first = Bill

|author-link = Bill Bryson

|year = 2008

|publisher = HarperPerennial

|isbn = 978-0007197903

}}

• {{Cite book |last=Cole |first=George |title=The Life of William Cobbett |publisher=Home & Van Thal |date=1947 |isbn=978-0-8492-2139-2 |author-link=G. D. H. Cole}}
• {{Cite book |last=Eccleshare |first=Julia |title=Beatrix Potter to Harry Potter |publisher=National Portrait Gallery |date=2002 |isbn=978-1-85514-342-5}}
• {{Cite book |last=Gallagher |first=Michael |title=The United Kingdom Today |publisher=Franklin Watts |date=2006 |isbn=978-0-7496-6488-6 |location=London}}
• {{cite book

|title = The Shakespearean Stage 1574–1642

|last = Gurr

|first = Andrew

|author-link = Andrew Gurr

|publisher = Cambridge University Press

|location = Cambridge

|year = 2009

|edition = 4th

|isbn = 9780511819520

|doi = 10.1017/CBO9780511819520

|via = Cambridge Core

}}

• {{Cite book |last=Hawkins-Dady |first=Mark |title=Reader's guide to literature in English |publisher=Taylor & Francis |date=1996 |isbn=978-1-884964-20-6}}
• {{Cite book |last=Heywood |first=Andrew |title=Political Ideologies: An Introduction |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-230-52179-7}}
• {{cite book

|title = The Shakespearean Stage Space

|last = Ichikawa

|first = Mariko

|publisher = Cambridge University Press

|location = Cambridge

|year = 2012

|isbn = 9781139097192

|doi = 10.1017/CBO9781139097192

|via = Cambridge Core

}}

• {{cite book |last=Keary |first=Charles Francis |title=Outlines of primitive belief among the Indo-European races |url=https://archive.org/details/outlinesprimiti02keargoog |year=1882 |publisher=C Scribner's Sons |isbn=978-0-7905-4982-8 }}
• {{Cite book |last=Levine |first=Israel E. |url=https://archive.org/details/conquerorofsmall00levi |title=Conqueror of smallpox: Dr. Edward Jenner |publisher=Messner |date=1960 |isbn=978-0-671-63888-7 |url-access=registration}}
• {{Cite book |last1=McNeil |first1=Robina |title=A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Greater Manchester |last2=Nevell |first2=Michael |publisher=Association for Industrial Archaeology |date=2000 |isbn=978-0-9528930-3-5}}
• {{Cite book |last=Norbrook |first=David |title=Writing the English Republic: Poetry, Rhetoric and Politics, 1627–1660 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2000 |isbn=978-0-521-78569-3}}
• {{Cite book |last=Oakes |first=Elizabeth H. |url=https://archive.org/details/tozofstsscientis0000oake |title=A to Z of STS scientists |publisher=Facts on File Inc |date=2002 |isbn=978-0-8160-4606-5 |url-access=registration}}
• {{Cite book |last=Office for National Statistics |title=Britain 2001: The Official Handbook of the United Kingdom |publisher=Stationery Office Books |date=2000 |isbn=978-0-11-621278-8 |location=London |author-link=Office for National Statistics}}
• {{cite book |last=Pollard |first=A.J. |title=Imagining Robin Hood |year=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-22308-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/imaginingrobinho00poll }}
• {{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=Pat |title=The Oxford illustrated history of English literature |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2001 |isbn=978-0-19-285437-7}}
• {{Cite book |last=Rowse |first=A. L. |url=https://archive.org/details/elizabethanrenai00rows |title=Elizabethan Renaissance |publisher=Scribner |date=1971 |isbn=978-0-684-12682-1 |author-link=A. L. Rowse}}
• {{Cite book |last=Saunders |first=Paul |url=https://archive.org/details/edwardjennerchel0000saun |title=Edward Jenner, the Cheltenham years, 1795–1823 |publisher=University Press of New England |date=1982 |isbn=978-0-87451-215-1}}
• {{Cite book |last=Underdown |first=David |title=Start of Play: Cricket and Culture in Eighteenth-Century England |publisher=Allen Lane |date=2000 |isbn=978-0-7139-9330-1 |author-link=David Underdown}}
• {{Cite book |last=Warner |first=Charles |title=Library of the world's best literature, ancient and modern |publisher=International society |date=1902 |isbn=978-1-60520-202-0 |author-link=Charles Dudley Warner}}
• {{Cite book |last=Watson |first=John |url=https://archive.org/details/englishpoetryofr0000wats |title=English poetry of the Romantic period, 1789–1830 |publisher=Longman |date=1985 |isbn=978-0-582-49259-2 |url-access=registration}}
• {{Cite book |last=White |first=W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8BC0AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA335 |title=The Story of a Great Delusion in a Series of Matter-of-fact Chapters |publisher=E.W. Allen |date=1885 |access-date=2021-09-02}}
• {{cite book |last=Withington |first=Robert |title=English Pageantry; An Historical Outline |year=2008 |publisher=Read Books |isbn=978-1-4086-8062-9 }}

{{refend}}

• Briggs, Asa (1994). A Social History of England: from the ice age to the channel tunnel; new ed. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. {{ISBN|029783262X}} (1st ed. 1983).
• {{cite book

|title = Elizabethan Popular Theatre: Plays in Performance

|last = Hattaway

|first = Michael

|publisher = Routledge

|location = London

|year = 2008

|isbn = 9780415489010

}}

• {{cite book

|title = Acting Companies and their Plays in Shakespeare's London

|last = Keenan

|first = Siobhan

|publisher = Bloomsbury Publishing

|location = London

|year = 2014

|isbn = 9781408146637

|doi = 10.5040/9781472575692

}}

• {{cite book

|title = Costumes and Scripts in the Elizabethan Theatres

|last = MacIntyre

|first = Jean

|publisher = University of Alberta Press

|location = Edmonton

|year = 1992

|isbn = 978-0-88864-226-4

}}

• {{cite book

|title = The Elizabethan Player: Contemporary Stage Representation

|last = Mann

|first = David Albert

|series = Routledge Library Editions

|publisher = Routledge

|year = 1991

|isbn = 9781138235656

}}

• Redlich, Monica (1957) Everyday England. London: Gerald Duckworth.

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170728035436/http://www.icons.org.uk/ Cultural icons of England]
• [https://archive.today/20130201123633/http://www.royalsocietyofstgeorge.com/bibliography.htm Select bibliography of books about Englishness]

{{England topics}}

{{Culture of Europe}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}