For England’s episode of the famous things across the globe series, we have asked our fellow travel blogger Amy of “Temple Seeker” What is England famous for? This is her excellent answer!
I’ve lived in the UK all of my life and used it as a base to travel from. In fact, I’ve been lucky enough to live in the best cities in England, including Liverpool, Manchester, London, and York.
If you are traveling in England, please check out my recommended England itinerary. I’m here today to introduce you to the things England is most famous for, from Stonehenge to Fish and Chips!
Page Contents
Things England is famous for
Pubs
The word pub comes from the name public house. There are about 60,000 pubs in the UK (53,000 in England and Wales, 1,600 in Northern Ireland, and 5,200 in Scotland). Pubs play an important part in British life. People eat, drink, talk, meet their friends and chill there.
Pubs often have two bars, one is normally quieter than the other, and many also have a garden where the public can sit in the summer. Children may also go to pub gardens with their parents. Groups of friends will usually buy ’rounds’ of drinks, where the person whose turn it is will purchase drinks for all the group members.
It is difficult to get served sometimes when pubs are busy because people do not queue, but the bar staff will usually serve those who have been waiting for the most extended amount of time first.
If you spill a stranger’s drink accidentally, it is good manners to offer to buy another drink. Many pubs belong to a brewery (a company that makes beer) but sell many different kinds of beer, some on tap (from a large container under the bar) and some in glass bottles.
The most popular kind of British beer is bitter, which is served at room temperature. British beer is also brewed from malt and hops.
Fish and Chips
What is England famous for food? If there is an iconic dish that England is known for, it is fish and chips. This easy but lovely finger-licking meal is both humble and can be relished with your hands wrapped up in a newspaper from a local chippy or even in a smart restaurant.
Either way, there is no denying that Brits love this dish, with around 400 million portions being sold yearly just from fish and chip shops alone.
The tradition of eating fish coated with flour and then fried in oil can be traced back to the early 1800s, and it’s thought that Jewish immigrants bought it to Britain from Portugal and Spain, where fish was cooked in this way.
Then came the chips, and the earliest trace of chips sold in the UK was in Oldham in 1860. A decade later, the Belgian immigrants also earned a living by serving fried potatoes. There are records of an immigrant called Edward De Gernier, who sold this tasty snack to the shoppers and workers at the city’s Greenmarket.
But the critical question of when this heavenly combination of potato and fish was combined remains a mystery. What we know is that both Lancashire and London claim to be the origin where the meal was invented, and true to the south and north rivalry, this debate still continues.
I have fond memories of enjoying fish and chips on the Blackpool pier with my grandparents as a child!
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is possibly the most famous historic destination in England. For so many centuries, historians and archaeologists have quizzed over the mysteries of Stonehenge, the primitive marker that took Neolithic builders around 1,500 years to erect.
Situated in southern England, it comprises about 100 massive upright stones placed in a circular layout.
While many modern scholars now agree that Stonehenge was a burial ground originally, they have yet to determine what other purposes it served and how a society without modern technology produced the mighty monument.
Its construction is all the more mysterious because, while the sandstone slabs of its outer ring come from local quarries, scientists have traced the bluestones which make up its inner ring all the way down to the Preseli Hills in Wales, around 200 miles from where Stonehenge sits on Salisbury Plain. Today, about 1 million people visit Stonehenge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986, every single year.
Music
England is more well-known for pop music than it is for classical composers or jazz musicians. Names like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, George Michael, Pink Floyd, and The Spice Girls are famous worldwide, but little do people know of the other musicians that aren’t in the pop world.
The origins of music in Britain come from the songs sung and dance music played by ordinary people. Passed from each village and handed down in the unwritten form from the generations.
Over the last thirty years, British pop music has led the world in its quality and range, starting several new trends. Britain was the leading provider in the development of rock and roll and has had some of the most famous bands, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and many others.
Britain was right at the forefront of punk music in the 1970s with some bands such as The Clash and Sex Pistols and the rebirth of heavy metal with bands such as Iron Maiden and Motorhead. Music is one of the most famous things in England and the UK.
Cream Tea
A cream tea is a form of a light meal during an afternoon tea, consisting of tea taken with a combination of scones, jam, and clotted cream. Traditionally a specialty of Cornwall and Devon, cream teas are offered for sale in tea rooms in those two counties and in a few other parts of England. There are regional variations as to how cream tea should be eaten.
- The Devonian method is to split the scone in two, cover each half with clotted cream, then add strawberry jam on top. The Devon method is commonly used in neighboring counties and other Commonwealth countries.
- In the Cornish method, the scone is split in two, then spread with strawberry jam and topped with a spoonful of clotted cream.
Viking Age
Another thing England is famous for is the continuous Viking attacks for centuries, particularly between 800 and 1050 AD. This period, known as the Viking Age, was marked by the looting and conquest of large portions of England by the Scandinavians.
From 865, these norseman tried to colonize England instead of just raiding it, and large armies arrived, conquered land, and constructed settlements. This period of England has been highlighted and romanticized in many films and TV series in recent decades, making it one of the most famous and popular in English History.
For those who would like to explore this relevant part of English history, the Viking era is clearly portrayed in the Jorvik Viking Centre in York. Although it is an attraction for everyone, it is particularly popular for those visiting York with kids.
Sports
Sports play a large part in life in Britain and are a very popular leisure activity. Many of the world’s famous sports began in Britain, including cricket, tennis, football, golf, and rugby.
Football is definitely the most popular sport in England and has been enjoyed for hundreds of years. In the English Football League, there are a total of 92 professional clubs. These are semi-professional, so most players also have other full-time jobs.
Hundreds of thousands of people play football in parks and playgrounds for fun. The highlight of the English football year is the FA Cup Final each May. The Premier League is the world’s most prosperous and most well-known league in the World.
Rugby is another popular sport that originated from Rugby school in Warwickshire. It is quite similar to football but played with an oval ball. Players can also carry the ball and tackle each other. The best rugby teams compete in the Super League final every year in September.
For many years, rugby was played only by the rich upper classes, but it is now celebrated nationwide. There are two different types of rugby – Rugby League, played in the north of England, and Rugby Union, played in the rest of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, together with Italy and France, play in an annual tournament called the Six Nations.
Tennis is very common in England. The world’s most well-known tennis tournament is Wimbledon. It originally started at a small club in south London in the nineteenth century. It starts in June when England has its finest weather.
Millions of people tune in to watch the Championships on TV live. It is also traditional for visitors to eat strawberries and cream whilst they watch!
What do you think England is famous for?
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