Culture of the United Kingdom

[15] Following the expansion of the British Empire, England, Scotland and Wales absorbed different peoples from around the world, and, post-World War II, Britain developed a more diverse cultural landscape through higher levels of immigration.

[28] However, the development of the novel took place in a wider literary context that included the rise of prose satires – which reached a high point with Gulliver's Travels (1729) by Anglo-Irish writer Jonathan Swift,[29] and earlier foreign works like the Spanish Don Quixote.

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Lyrical Ballads (1798) [35] is considered a landmark collection, emphasizing the beauty of nature and the primacy of emotion, and marking the official start of the Romantic Movement.

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813) offered a brilliant social satire, critiquing class structures and the courtship rituals of Regency England, and remains one of the most beloved novels in British Literature.

Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891) offers a tragic critique of Victorian society's treatment of women, sexuality, and class, while Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) examines themes of aestheticism, morality, and vanity in a Gothic narrative where the protagonist's portrait ages as his soul corrupts.

[38] In 2003 the BBC carried out a British survey entitled The Big Read in order to find the "nation's best-loved novel", with works by English novelists J. R. R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, Philip Pullman, Douglas Adams and J. K. Rowling making up the top five on the list.

Created by and starring Rik Mayall as Richie and Adrian Edmondson as Eddie, Bottom features two crude, perverted flatmates with no jobs and little money, which is noted for its chaotic, nihilistic humour and violent comedy slapstick.

They feature in A Grand Day Out (1989), The Wrong Trousers (1993) and A Close Shave (1995), which all have 100% positive ratings on the aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, while A Matter of Loaf and Death was the most watched television programme in the UK in 2008.

(a series based on books by author Martin Handford where readers are challenged to find Wally who is hidden in the group), Dennis the Menace and Gnasher, while Thunderbirds and Terrahawks by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson have been praised for creating Supermarionation.

Broadcast from 1951 to 1960, radio comedy The Goon Show, starring Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe, mixed ludicrous plots with surreal humour, puns, catchphrases and an array of bizarre sound effects.

[93] 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.

British performers who honed their skills at pantomime and music hall sketches include Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, George Formby, Gracie Fields, Dan Leno, Gertrude Lawrence, Marie Lloyd and Harry Champion.

The stock media phrase "real 'Roy of the Rovers' stuff" is often used by football writers, commentators and fans when describing displays of great skill, or surprising results that go against the odds, in reference to the dramatic storylines that were the strip's trademark.

[118][119] Created by Emma Orczy in 1903, the Scarlet Pimpernel is the alter ego of Sir Percy Blakeney, a wealthy English fop who transforms into a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking escape artist, establishing the "hero with a secret identity" into popular culture.

[121] He exhibits characteristics that became standard superhero conventions in comic books, including the penchant for disguise, use of a signature weapon (sword), ability to out-think and outwit his adversaries, and a calling card (he leaves behind a scarlet pimpernel at his interventions).

[121] Drawing attention to his alter ego Blakeney he hides behind his public face as a meek, slow thinking foppish playboy, and he establishes a network of supporters, The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, that aid his endeavours.

The comic book series Hellblazer, set in Britain and starring the Liverpudlian magician John Constantine, paved the way for British writers such as Jamie Delano, Mike Carey and Denise Mina.

While many legends and folk-customs are thought to be ancient, such as the tales of Offa of Angeln and Weyland Smith, others date from after the Norman invasion of England, such as Robin Hood and his Merry Men of Sherwood and their battles with the Sheriff of Nottingham.

A mischievous fairy-type creature in emerald green clothing who when not playing tricks spends all its time busily making shoes, the leprechaun is said to have a pot of gold hidden at the end of the rainbow, and if ever captured by a human it has the magical power to grant three wishes in exchange for release.

The first Madame Tussauds wax museum opened in London in 1835, and today displays waxworks of famous people from various fields, including royalty (Princess Diana), historical figures (Henry VIII), sport (David Beckham), music (Freddie Mercury), literature (Charles Dickens), politics (Winston Churchill), television (Gordon Ramsay), and cinema (Michael Caine) among others.

Other 19th- and early 20th-century British pioneers in their field include Joseph Lister (antiseptic surgery), Edward Jenner (vaccination), Richard Owen (palaeontology, coined the term Dinosaur), Florence Nightingale (nursing), Sir George Cayley (aerodynamics), William Fox Talbot (photography), and Howard Carter (modern archaeology, discovered Tutankhamun).

[181] In 1851 Sir George Airy established the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, as the location of the prime meridian where longitude is defined to be 0° (one of the two lines that divide the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres).

Maudslay'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.

"[217] Superimposing his humanitarian vision of the holiday, termed "Carol Philosophy",[218] Dickens influenced many aspects of Christmas celebrated today in Western culture, such as family gatherings, seasonal food and drink, dancing, games, and a festive generosity of spirit.

[222] After her marriage to her German cousin Prince Albert, a hugely influential image of the British royal family with their Christmas tree at Windsor Castle was published in the Illustrated London News in 1848, after which the custom became more widespread throughout Britain.

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".

[264] Fish and chips are also regarded as a national institution: Winston Churchill called them "the good companions", John Lennon smothered them in tomato ketchup, while George Orwell referred to them as a "chief comfort" of the working class.

Influential cookbooks include The Experienced English Housekeeper (1769), Modern Cookery for Private Families (1845) by food author Eliza Acton that introduced the now-universal practice of listing ingredients and giving suggested cooking times for each recipe, and Isabella Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861).

The Quakers, founded by George Fox in 1650s England and described by the BBC as "natural capitalists", had a virtual monopoly in the British chocolate industry for much of the 19th and 20th centuries, led by Cadbury of Birmingham, Fry's of Bristol and Rowntree's and Terry's of York.

[52] The four home nations have produced some of the greatest players in the game's history, including, from England, Bobby Moore and Gordon Banks; from Northern Ireland, George Best and Pat Jennings; from Scotland, Kenny Dalglish and Jimmy Johnstone; and from Wales, Ian Rush and Ryan Giggs.

The British Museum is one of the most visited museums in the world .
The Old English heroic poem Beowulf is located in the British Library.
Robert Burns is regarded as the national poet of Scotland. [ 24 ]
Welsh native Roald Dahl is frequently ranked the best children's author in British polls. [ 36 ]
William Shakespeare has had a significant impact on British theatre and drama.
The Grenadier Guards band playing " The British Grenadiers " at Trooping the Colour . Formed in 1685 the band performs at British ceremonial events.
The Beatles are the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in popular music, with estimated sales of over one billion. [ 46 ]
Peter O'Toole as T. E. Lawrence in David Lean 's 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia
Broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough is the only person to have won BAFTAs for programmes in each of black and white, colour, HD, and 3D.
Animator Nick Park with his Wallace and Gromit characters
Caricature of British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli in Vanity Fair , 30 January 1869
The Battle of Trafalgar is an oil painting executed in 1822 by J. M. W. Turner (c.1775–1851). The experience of military, political and economic power from the rise of the British Empire led to a very specific drive in artistic technique, taste and sensibility in the United Kingdom. [ 71 ]
The first colour photograph in 1861. Produced by the three-colour method suggested by James Clerk Maxwell in 1855, it is the foundation of all colour photographic processes. [ 75 ]
Banksy 's Grin Reaper
Concorde (and the Red Arrows with their trail of red, white and blue smoke) mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee . With its slender delta wings Concorde won the public vote for best British design.
The Proms are held annually at the Royal Albert Hall during the summer. Regular performers at the Albert Hall include Eric Clapton who has played at the venue over 200 times.
The Notting Hill Carnival is Britain's biggest street festival. Led by members of the British African-Caribbean community, the annual carnival takes place in August and lasts three days.
The Christmas Pantomime 1890. Pantomime plays a prominent role in British culture during the Christmas and New Year season. [ 93 ]
Music hall evolved into variety shows. First performed in 1912, the Royal Variety Performance was first held at the London Palladium ( pictured ) in 1941. Performed in front of members of the Royal Family, it is held annually in December and broadcast on television.
Jack In the Green , a traditional English folk custom being celebrated in Hastings Old Town , known for its many historic buildings. [ 97 ]
Bodiam Castle is a 14th-century moated castle in East Sussex. Today there are thousands of castles throughout the UK . [ 101 ]
Westminster Abbey is an example of English Gothic architecture . Since 1066, when William the Conqueror was crowned, the coronations of British monarchs have been held here. [ 103 ]
One of the UK's many stately homes , Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, surrounded by an English garden . The house is one of the settings of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice .
The Forth Railway Bridge is a cantilever bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. It was opened in 1890, and is designated as a Category A listed building .
Statue of a tripod from The War of the Worlds in Woking, England, the hometown of author H. G. Wells . The book is a seminal depiction of a conflict between mankind and an extraterrestrial race. [ 111 ]
Statue of Minnie the Minx , a character from The Beano , in Dundee, Scotland. Launched in 1938, The Beano is known for its anarchic humour, with Dennis the Menace appearing on the cover.
Engraving of the English pirate Blackbeard from the 1724 book A General History of the Pyrates . The book is the prime source for many famous pirates of the Golden Age. [ 131 ]
Two of the current Ravens of the Tower of London . The ravens' presence is traditionally believed to protect the Crown and the tower; a superstition holds that "if the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it". [ 136 ]
Robert Burns ' " Halloween " (1785)
The wizard Merlin features as a character in many works of fiction , including the BBC series Merlin .
Stonehenge , Wiltshire at sunset
Hadrian's Wall was built in the 2nd century AD. It is a lasting monument from Roman Britain . It is the largest Roman artefact in existence.
Titanic Belfast museum on the former shipyard in Belfast where the RMS Titanic was built
English Heritage blue plaque commemorating Sir Alfred Hitchcock at 153 Cromwell Road, London
Charles Darwin established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors . [ 170 ]
A Watt steam engine , the steam engine that propelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain and the world [ 182 ]
Smeaton's Eddystone Lighthouse , 9 miles out to sea. John Smeaton pioneered hydraulic lime in concrete which led to the development of Portland cement in England and thus modern concrete .
Physicist Stephen Hawking set forth a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics . His 1988 book A Brief History of Time appeared on The Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. [ 190 ]
William III and Mary II Presenting the Cap of Liberty to Europe , 1716, Sir James Thornhill . Enthroned in heaven with the Virtues behind them are the royals William and Mary who had taken the throne after the Glorious Revolution and signed the English Bill of Rights of 1689. William tramples on arbitrary power and hands the red cap of liberty to Europe where, unlike Britain, absolute monarchy stayed the normal form of power execution. Below William is the French king Louis XIV . [ 195 ]
Josiah Wedgwood was a leading entrepreneur in the Industrial Revolution .
John Speed 's Genealogies Recorded in the Sacred Scriptures (1611), bound into first King James Bible in quarto size (1612)
The Examination and Trial of Father Christmas (1686), published after Christmas was reinstated as a holy day in England
Queen Victoria 's Christmas tree at Windsor Castle , published in the Illustrated London News , 1848
10 Downing Street , official residence of the Prime Minister
Emmeline Pankhurst . Named one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century by Time , Pankhurst was a leading figure in the suffragette movement. [ 235 ]
King Edward's Chair in Westminster Abbey. A 13th-century wooden throne on which the British monarch sits when he or she is crowned at the coronation , swearing to uphold the law and the church. The monarchy is apolitical and impartial, with a largely symbolic role as head of state.
Yard , foot and inch measurements at the Royal Observatory , London. The British public commonly measure distance in miles and yards, height in feet and inches, weight in stone and pounds , speed in miles per hour .
The full breakfast is among the best known British dishes, consisting of fried egg, sausage , bacon, mushrooms, baked beans, toast, fried tomatoes, and sometimes white or black pudding .
Tea, biscuits, jam and cakes. Tea is the most popular beverage in the UK .
McVitie's chocolate digestive is routinely ranked the UK's favourite snack, and No. 1 biscuit to dunk in tea.
R. White's soft drinks sold in London. Selling carbonated lemonade in 1845, by 1887 they sold strawberry soda, raspberry soda and cherryade.
An award-winning Victoria sponge from an English village fête . Competitive baking is part of the traditional village fête, inspiring The Great British Bake Off television series.
Old Bushmills Distillery , County Antrim , Northern Ireland. Founded in 1608, it is the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world. [ 279 ]
A Christmas dinner plate in Scotland, featuring roast turkey , roast potatoes , mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts
Chicken tikka masala , served atop rice. An Anglo-Indian meal, it is among the UK's most popular dishes.
Cadbury chocolate bars ( Dairy Milk back of tray), circa 1910
The interior of an empty stadium as viewed from its upper tier of seating. The seats are a vivid red and the pitch is a vivid green. The pale grey sky is visible through an opening in the ceiling above the pitch.
Wembley Stadium , London, home of the England football team and FA Cup finals . Wembley also hosts concerts: Adele 's 28 June 2017 concert was attended by 98,000 fans, a stadium record for a music event in the UK. [ 299 ]
Sunday league football (a form of amateur football). Amateur matches throughout the UK often take place in public parks.
Millennium Stadium , Cardiff , Wales prior to a Wales vs England Six Nations Championship game. The annual rugby union tournament (which includes Scotland and Ireland) takes place over six weeks from late January/early February to mid March.
Centre Court at Wimbledon . The world's oldest tennis tournament, it has the longest sponsorship in sport with Slazenger supplying tennis balls to the event since 1902. [ 324 ]
Featherweight champion "Prince" Naseem Hamed was a major name in boxing and 1990s British pop culture.
Cricketer W. G. Grace , with his long beard and MCC cap, was the most famous British sportsman in the Victorian era.
Ice dancers Torvill and Dean in 2011. Their historic gold medal-winning performance at the 1984 Winter Olympics was watched by a British television audience of more than 24 million people. [ 336 ]
Mo Farah is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history, winning the 5000 m and 10,000 m events at two Olympic Games.
The founder of modern nursing Florence Nightingale tending to a patient in 1855. An icon of Victorian Britain, she is known as The Lady with the Lamp .
The British Heart Foundation is the biggest funder of cardiovascular research in the UK.
One of Britain's oldest indigenous breeds, the Bulldog is known as the national dog of Great Britain. [ 348 ]
The British Shorthair was an inspiration for the Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland .
Highland dancing in traditional Gaelic dress with its tartan pattern
The Royal Stewart tartan . It is also the personal tartan of Queen Elizabeth II Tartan is used in clothing, such as skirts and scarves, and has also appeared on tins of Scottish shortbread . [ 357 ]
Queen Victoria in her white wedding dress with Prince Albert on their return from the marriage service at St James's Palace, London, 10 February 1840
Naomi Campbell appeared on the era-defining January 1990 cover of British Vogue .
Union Flag being flown on The Mall, London looking towards Buckingham Palace
The red telephone box and Royal Mail red post box appear throughout the UK.
King Alfred the Great statue in Winchester, Hampshire. The 9th-century English king encouraged education in his kingdom, and proposed that primary education be taught in English , with those wishing to advance to holy orders to continue their studies in Latin.
The Oxford Union debate chamber. Called the "world's most prestigious debating society", the Oxford Union has hosted leaders and celebrities. [ 389 ]
New College , University of Edinburgh
Scouts , Brownies , and Cubs with the local community in Tiverton, Devon on Remembrance Sunday
Terraced houses are typical in inner cities and places of high population density.
Typical 20th-century, three-bedroom semi-detached houses in England
A 21st-century detached Mock Tudor house in Scotland. Its timber framing is typical of English Tudor architecture .