Basic British History for the Traveler
What’s So Great About Britain?
Notable Brits of Today and Tomorrow
Britain was created by force and held together by force. It’s really a nation of the 19th century, when this rich Victorian-era empire reached its financial peak. Its traditional industry, buildings, and the popularity of the notion of “Great” Britain are a product of its past wealth.
To best understand the many fascinating tour guides you’ll encounter in your travels, have a basic handle on the sweeping story of this land and its capital, London. (Generally speaking, the nice and bad stories guides tell are not true...and the boring ones are.)
When Julius Caesar landed on the misty and mysterious isle of Britain in 55 B.C., England entered the history books. The primitive Celtic tribes he fought were themselves invaders (who had earlier conquered the even more mysterious people who built Stonehenge). About 90 years later, the Romans came back, building towns and roads and establishing their capital at Londinium. The Celtic natives in Scotland and Wales—consisting of Gaels, Picts, and Scots—were not easily subdued. The Romans built Hadrian’s Wall near the Scottish border as protection against their troublesome northern neighbors. Even today, the Celtic language and influence are strongest in these far reaches of Britain.
As Rome fell, so fell Roman Britain—a victim of invaders and internal troubles. Barbarian tribes from Germany and Denmark, called Angles and Saxons, swept through the southern part of the island, establishing Angle-land. These were the days of the real King Arthur, possibly a Christianized Roman general who fought valiantly—but in vain—against invading barbarians. In 793, England was hit with the first of two centuries of savage invasions by barbarians from Norway, called the Vikings or Norsemen. The island was plunged into 500 years of Dark Ages—wars, plagues, and poverty—lit only by the dim candle of a few learned Christian monks and missionaries trying to convert the barbarians. The sightseer sees little from this Anglo-Saxon period.
Modern England began with yet another invasion. William the Conqueror and his Norman troops crossed the English Channel from France in 1066. William crowned himself king in Westminster Abbey (where all subsequent coronations would take place) and began building the Tower of London. French-speaking Norman kings ruled the country for two centuries. Then followed two centuries of civil wars, with various noble families vying for the crown. In the bitterest feud, the York and Lancaster families fought the Wars of the Roses, so-called because of the white and red flowers the combatants chose as their symbols. Rife with battles, intrigues, and kings, nobles, and ladies imprisoned and executed in the Tower, it’s a wonder the country survived its rulers.
England was finally united by the “third-party” Tudor family. Henry VIII, a Tudor, was England’s Renaissance king. He was handsome, athletic, highly sexed, a poet, a scholar, and a musician. He was also arrogant, cruel, gluttonous, and paranoid. He went through 6 wives in 40 years, divorcing, imprisoning, or executing them when they no longer suited his needs. (To keep track of each one’s fate, British kids learn this rhyme: “Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived.”)
Henry “divorced” England from the Catholic Church, establishing the Protestant Church of England (the Anglican Church) and setting in motion years of religious squabbles. He also “dissolved” the monasteries (c. 1540), left just the shells of many formerly glorious abbeys dotting the countryside, and pocketed their land and wealth for the crown (for more on Henry, see the sidebar on here).
Henry’s daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, who reigned for 45 years, made England a great trading and naval power (defeating the Spanish Armada) and presided over the Elizabethan era of great writers (such as William Shakespeare) and scientists (such as Sir Francis Bacon). But Elizabeth never married, so the English Parliament asked the Protestant ruler to the north, Scotland’s King James (Elizabeth’s first cousin twice removed), if he’d like to inherit the English throne. The two nations have been tied together ever since.
The longstanding quarrel between England’s divine-right kings and Parliament’s nobles finally erupted into a civil war (1643). Parliament forces under the Protestant Puritan farmer Oliver Cromwell defeated—and beheaded—King Charles I. This civil war left its mark on much of what you’ll see in Britain. Eventually, Parliament invited Charles’ son to take the throne. This “restoration of the monarchy” was accompanied by a great colonial expansion and the rebuilding of London (including Christopher Wren’s St. Paul’s Cathedral), which had been devastated by the Great Fire of 1666. Parliament gained ultimate authority over the throne when it deposed Catholic James II and imported the Dutch monarchs William and Mary in 1688, guaranteeing a Protestant succession.
Britain grew as a naval superpower, colonizing and trading with all parts of the globe (although it lost its most important colony to ungrateful Americans in 1776). Admiral Horatio Nelson’s victory over Napoleon’s fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar secured her naval superiority (“Britannia rules the waves”), and 10 years later, the Duke of Wellington stomped Napoleon on land at Waterloo. Nelson and Wellington—both buried in London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral—are memorialized by many arches, columns, and squares throughout England.
Economically, Britain led the world into the Industrial Age with her mills, factories, coal mines, and trains. By the time of Queen Victoria’s reign (1837-1901), Britain was at its zenith of power, with a colonial empire that covered one-fifth of the world (for more on Victoria, see sidebar).
The 20th century was not kind to Britain. After decades of rebellion, Ireland finally gained its independence—except for the more Protestant north. Two world wars devastated the population. The Nazi Blitz of World War II reduced much of London to rubble, although the freedom-loving world was inspired by Britain’s determination to stand up to Hitler. Britain was rallied through difficult times by two leaders: Prime Minister Winston Churchill, a remarkable orator, and King George VI, who overcame a persistent stutter. After the war, the colonial empire dwindled to almost nothing, and Britain lost its superpower economic status.
One post-Empire hot spot—Northern Ireland, plagued by the “Troubles” between Catholics and Protestants—heated up, and then finally started cooling off. In the spring of 2007, the unthinkable happened when leaders of the ultra-nationalist party sat down with those of the ultra-unionist party. London returned control of Northern Ireland to the popularly elected Northern Ireland Assembly. Perhaps most important of all, after almost 40 years, the British Army withdrew from Northern Ireland that summer. Three years later, the British government formally apologized for the 1972 shooting of 26 civilians in Derry by British soldiers—a day of infamy known as “Bloody Sunday.”
The tradition (if not the substance) of greatness continues, presided over by Queen Elizabeth II, her husband, Prince Philip, and their son Prince Charles. With economic problems, the marital turmoil of Charles and Diana, Princess Di’s untimely death in 1997, and a relentless popular press, the royal family has had a tough time over the past few decades. It seems you can’t pick up a British newspaper without some mention of the latest scandal, event, or oddity involving the royal family.
Prince Charles’ sons are the ones generating the biggest tabloid buzz these days—especially Prince William (b. 1982). A graduate of Scotland’s St. Andrews University and an officer in both the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, William married Catherine “Kate” Middleton in 2011. Kate—a commoner he met at university—is now the Duchess of Cambridge and will eventually become Britain’s queen.
William’s brother, redheaded Prince Harry (b. 1984), made a media splash as a bad boy when he wore a Nazi armband (as an ill-advised joke) to a costume party. Since then, he’s proved his mettle as a career soldier, serving in Afghanistan, doing charity work in Africa, and training to become a pilot with the Army Air Corps. Harry’s love life is a perennial tabloid topic.
For years, the boys’ father’s love life was also fodder for the British press: his marriage to Princess Di, their bitter divorce, Diana’s dramatic death, and the ongoing drama with Charles’ longtime girlfriend—and now wife—Camilla Parker Bowles. Camilla, trying to gain the respect of the Queen and the public, doesn’t call herself a princess—she uses the title Duchess of Cornwall. (And even when Charles becomes king, she will not use “Queen” as her title—instead she plans to call herself the “Princess Consort.”)
Charles’ siblings are occasionally in the news: Princess Anne, Prince Andrew (who married and divorced Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson), and Prince Edward (who married Di look-alike Sophie Rhys-Jones).
Through it all, Queen Elizabeth has stayed above the fray, and most British people still jump at an opportunity to see royalty. With the worldwide hubbub surrounding Prince William’s marriage (more than two billion people tuned in to watch), it is clear that the concept of royalty is still alive and well in the third millennium.
Queen Elizabeth, who turns 87 in 2013, just marked her 60th year on the throne in 2012—her Diamond Jubilee. Only her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria (see sidebar on here), had a longer reign. While many wonder who will succeed her—and when—the situation is fairly straightforward: The Queen sees her job as a lifelong position, and legally, Charles (who wants to be king) cannot be skipped over for his son William. Given the longevity in the family (the Queen’s mum, born in August of 1900, made it to a ripe old age of 101), Charles is in for a long wait.
For more on the monarchy, see www.royal.gov.uk.
From Stonehenge to Big Ben, travelers are storming castle walls, climbing spiral staircases, and snapping the pictures of 5,000 years of architecture. Let’s sort it out.
The oldest ruins—mysterious and prehistoric—date from before Roman times, back to 3000 B.C. The earliest sites, such as Stonehenge and Avebury, were built during the Stone and Bronze ages. The remains from these periods are made of huge stones or mounds of earth, even man-made hills, and were created as celestial calendars and for worship or burial. Britain is crisscrossed with lines of these mysterious sights (ley lines). Iron Age people (600 B.C.-A.D. 50) left desolate stone forts. The Romans thrived in Britain from A.D. 50 to 400, building cities, walls, and roads. Evidence of Roman greatness can be seen in lavish villas with ornate mosaic floors, temples uncovered beneath great English churches, and Roman stones in medieval city walls. Roman roads sliced across the island in straight lines. Today, unusually straight rural roads are very likely laid directly on these ancient roads.
Aisles: The long, generally low-ceilinged arcades that flank the nave.
Altar: The raised area with a ceremonial table (often adorned with candles or a crucifix), where the priest prepares and serves the bread and wine for Communion.
Apse: The space beyond the altar, often bordered with small chapels.
Barrel Vault: A continuous round-arched ceiling that resembles an extended upside-down U.
Choir (“quire” in British English): A cozy area, often screened off, located within the church nave and near the high altar where services are sung in a more intimate setting.
Cloister: Covered hallways bordering an (usually square shaped) open-air courtyard, traditionally where monks and nuns got fresh air.
Facade: The outer wall of the church’s main (west) entrance, viewable from outside and usually highly decorated.
Groin Vault: An arched ceiling formed where two equal barrel vaults meet at right angles. Less common usage: term for a medieval jock strap.
Narthex: The area (portico or foyer) between the main entry and the nave.
Nave: The long, central section of the church (running west to east, from the entrance to the altar) where the congregation stood through the service.
Transept: The north-south part of the church, which crosses (perpendicularly) the east-west nave. In a traditional Latin cross-shaped floor plan, the transept forms the “arms” of the cross.
West Portal: The main entry to the church (on the west end, opposite the main altar).
The Keep (or Donjon): A high, strong stone tower in the center of the castle complex that was the lord’s home and refuge of last resort.
Great Hall: The largest room in the castle, serving as throne room, conference center, and dining hall.
The Yard (or Bailey or Ward): An open courtyard inside the castle walls.
Loopholes: Narrow slits in the walls (also called embrasures, arrow slits, or arrow loops) through which soldiers could shoot arrows at the enemy.
Towers: Tall structures serving as lookouts, chapels, living quarters, or the dungeon. Towers could be square or round, with either crenellated tops or conical roofs.
Turret: A small lookout tower projecting up from the top of the wall.
Moat: A ditch encircling the wall, often filled with water.
Motte-and-Bailey: A traditional form for early English castles, with a small fort on top of a hill (motte) next to an enclosed and fortified yard (bailey).
Wall Walk (or Allure): A pathway atop the wall where guards could patrol and where soldiers stood to fire at the enemy.
Parapet: Outer railing of the wall walk.
Crenellation: A gap-toothed pattern of stones atop the parapet.
Hoardings (or Gallery or Brattice): Wooden huts built onto the upper parts of the stone walls. They served as watch towers, living quarters, and fighting platforms.
Machicolation: A stone ledge jutting out from the wall, fitted with holes in the bottom. If the enemy was scaling the walls, soldiers could drop rocks or boiling oil down through the holes and onto the enemy below.
Barbican: A fortified gatehouse, sometimes a stand-alone building located outside the main walls.
Drawbridge: A bridge that could be raised or lowered, using counterweights or a chain-and-winch.
Portcullis: A heavy iron grille that could be lowered across the entrance.
Postern Gate: A small, unfortified side or rear entrance used during peacetime. In wartime, it could become a “sally-port” used to launch surprise attacks, or as an escape route.
As Rome crumbled in the fifth century, so did Roman Britain. Little architecture survives from Dark Ages England, the Saxon period from 500 to 1000. Architecturally, the light was switched on with the Norman Conquest in 1066. As William earned his title “the Conqueror,” his French architects built churches and castles in the European Romanesque style.
English Romanesque is called Norman (1066-1200). Norman churches had round arches, thick walls, and small windows; Durham Cathedral and the Chapel of St. John in the Tower of London are prime examples. The Tower of London, with its square keep, small windows, and spiral stone stairways, is a typical Norman castle. You’ll see plenty of Norman castles—all built to secure the conquest of these invaders from Normandy.
Gothic architecture (1200-1600) replaced the heavy Norman style with light, vertical buildings, pointed arches, soaring spires, and bigger windows. English Gothic is divided into three stages. Early English Gothic (1200-1300) features tall, simple spires; beautifully carved capitals; and elaborate chapter houses (such as the Wells Cathedral). Decorated Gothic (1300-1400) gets fancier, with more elaborate tracery, bigger windows, and ornately carved pinnacles, as you see at Westminster Abbey. Finally, the Perpendicular Gothic style (1400-1600, also called “rectilinear”) returns to square towers and emphasizes straight, uninterrupted vertical lines from ceiling to floor, with vast windows and exuberant decoration, including fan-vaulted ceilings (King’s College Chapel at Cambridge). Through this evolution, the structural ribs (arches meeting at the top of the ceilings) became more and more decorative and fanciful (the most fancy being the star vaulting and fan vaulting of the Perpendicular style).
As you tour the great medieval churches of Britain, remember that almost everything is symbolic. For instance, on the tombs of knights, if the figure has crossed legs, he was a Crusader. If his feet rest on a dog, he died at home; but if the legs rest on a lion, he died in battle. Local guides and books help us modern pilgrims understand at least a little of what we see.
Wales is particularly rich in English castles, which were needed to subdue the stubborn Welsh. Edward I built a ring of powerful castles in Wales, including Conwy and Caernarfon.
Gothic houses were a simple mix of woven strips of thin wood, rubble, and plaster called wattle and daub. The famous black-and-white Tudor (or “half-timbered”) look came simply from filling in heavy oak frames with wattle and daub.
The Tudor period (1485-1560) was a time of relative peace (the Wars of the Roses were finally over), prosperity, and renaissance. Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church and “dissolved” (destroyed) the monasteries, leaving scores of Britain’s greatest churches as gutted shells. These hauntingly beautiful abbey ruins (Glastonbury, Tintern, Whitby, Rievaulx, Battle, St. Augustine’s in Canterbury, St. Mary’s in York, and lots more), which are surrounded by lush lawns, are now pleasant city parks.
Although few churches were built during the Tudor period, this was a time of house and mansion construction. Heating a home was becoming popular and affordable, and Tudor buildings featured small square windows and many chimneys. In towns, where land was scarce, many Tudor houses grew up and out, getting wider with each overhanging floor.
The Elizabethan and Jacobean periods (1560-1620) were followed by the English Renaissance style (1620-1720). English architects mixed Gothic and classical styles, then Baroque and classical styles. Although the ornate Baroque never really grabbed Britain, the classical style of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio did. Inigo Jones (1573-1652), Christopher Wren (1632-1723), and those they inspired plastered Britain with enough columns, domes, and symmetry to please a Caesar. The Great Fire of London (1666) cleared the way for an ambitious young Wren to put his mark on London forever with a grand rebuilding scheme, including the great St. Paul’s Cathedral and more than 50 other churches.
The celebrants of the Boston Tea Party remember Britain’s Georgian period (1720-1840) for its lousy German kings. “Georgian” is English for “Neoclassical.” Its architecture was rich and showed off by being very classical. Grand ornamental doorways, fine cast-ironwork on balconies and railings, Chippendale furniture, and white-on-blue Wedgwood ceramics graced rich homes everywhere. John Wood Sr. and Jr. led the way, giving the trendsetting city of Bath its crescents and circles of aristocratic Georgian row houses.
The Industrial Revolution shaped the Victorian period (1840-1890) with glass, steel, and iron. Britain had a huge new erector set (so did France’s Mr. Eiffel). This was also a Romantic period, reviving the “more Christian” Gothic style. London’s Houses of Parliament are Neo-Gothic—they’re just 140 years old but look 700, except for the telltale modern precision and craftsmanship. Whereas Gothic was stone or concrete, Neo-Gothic was often red brick. These were Britain’s glory days, and there was more building in this period than in all previous ages combined.
The architecture of the mid-20th century obeyed the formula “form follows function”—it worried more about your needs than your eyes. But more recently, the dull “international style” has been nudged aside by a more playful style, thanks to cutting-edge architects such as Lord Norman Foster and Renzo Piano. In the last several years, London has added several creative buildings to its skyline: the City Hall (nicknamed “the Armadillo”), the Swiss Re Tower (“the Gherkin”), and the tallest building in the European Union, the pointy Shard London Bridge (called...um, “the Shard”).
Even as they set trends for the 21st century, Britain treasures its heritage and takes great pains to build tastefully in historic districts and to preserve its many “listed” (government-protected) buildings. With a booming tourist trade, these quaint reminders of its past—and ours—are becoming a valuable part of the British economy.
Regardless of the revolution we had 230-some years ago, many American travelers feel that they “go home” to Britain. This most popular tourist destination has a strange influence and power over us. The more you know of Britain’s roots, the better you’ll get in touch with your own.
Geographically, the Isle of Britain is small (about the size of Uganda or Idaho)—600 miles long and 300 miles at its widest point. England occupies the southeastern part of Britain (with about 60 percent of its land—similar in size to Louisiana—and 80 percent of its population). England’s highest mountain (Scafell Pike in the Lake District) is 3,206 feet, a foothill by our standards. The population is a fifth that of the United States. At its peak in the mid-1800s, Britain owned one-fifth of the world and accounted for more than half the planet’s industrial output. Today, the Empire is down to the Isle of Britain itself and a few token, troublesome scraps, such as the Falklands, Gibraltar, and Northern Ireland (though many larger nations—including Canada and Australia—still consider themselves part of the “British Commonwealth”).
Economically, Great Britain’s industrial production is about 5 percent of the world’s total. After emerging from a recession in 1992, Britain’s economy enjoyed its longest period of expansion on record. But in 2008, the global economic slowdown, tight credit, and falling home prices pushed Britain back into a recession.
Culturally, Britain is still a world leader. Her heritage, culture, and people cannot be measured in traditional units of power. London is a major exporter of actors, movies, and theater; of rock and classical music; and of writers, painters, and sculptors.
Ethnically, the British Isles are a mix of the descendants of the early Celtic natives (in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and Cornwall), the invading Anglo-Saxon “barbarians” who took southeast England in the Dark Ages, and the conquering Normans of the 11th century...not to mention more recent immigrants from around the world. Cynics call the United Kingdom an English Empire ruled by London, whose dominant Anglo-Saxon English (50 million) far outnumber their Celtic brothers and sisters (10 million).
Politically, Britain is ruled by the House of Commons, with some guidance from the mostly figurehead Queen and House of Lords. Just as the United States Congress is dominated by Democrats and Republicans, Britain’s Parliament is dominated by two parties: left-leaning Labour and right-leaning Conservative (“Tories”). Recently the center-left Liberal Democrats (“Lib Dems”) have made some inroads, but still remain a distant third.
Strangely, Britain’s “constitution” is not one single document; the government’s structures and policies are based on centuries of tradition, statues, and doctrine, and much of it is not actually in writing. While this might seem potentially troublesome—if not dangerous—the British body politic takes pride in its ethos of civility and mutual respect, which has long made this arrangement work.
The prime minister is the chief executive. He or she is not elected directly by voters; rather, he or she assumes power as the head of the party that wins a majority in Parliamentary elections. (If no party wins a clear majority—as none did in the 2010 election—it’s a “hung parliament,” and is usually resolved by at least two parties forming a coalition that adds up to a majority.) In the interest of protocol, the Queen symbolically invites the winner to form a “government” (administration). Instead of imposing term limits, the Brits allow their prime ministers to choose when to leave office. The ruling party also gets to choose when to hold elections, as long as it’s within five years of the previous one—so prime ministers carefully schedule elections for times that (they hope) their party will win. (Breaking with tradition, the current coalition government has already announced an election for May 7, 2015.) When an election is announced, the Queen dissolves the Parliament so the parties can focus on a short-and-sweet, one-month campaign.
In the 1980s, Conservatives were in charge under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Prime Minister John Major. As proponents of traditional, Victorian values—community, family, hard work, thrift, and trickle-down economics—they took a Reaganesque approach to Britain’s serious social and economic problems.
In 1997, a huge Labour victory brought Tony Blair to the prime ministership. Labour began shoring up a social-service system (health care, education, minimum wage) undercut by years of Conservative rule. Blair started out as a respected and well-liked PM. But after he followed US President George W. Bush into war with Iraq, his popularity took a nosedive. In May of 2007, Blair announced that he would resign; a few weeks later, his Chancellor of the Exchequer and longtime colleague, Gordon Brown, was sworn in as Britain’s new prime minister. Burdened with an economic crisis and lacking his predecessor’s charisma, Brown never achieved a level of popularity anywhere near Blair’s.
Elections in May of 2010 pitted Brown against a Conservative opponent, David Cameron, and a third-party Liberal Democrat challenger, Nick Clegg. Thanks to the economic crisis—and his own, characteristic stumbles—Brown failed to win a clear majority for his Labour Party; in fact, no party won the number of seats needed for a majority. After a few days of wrangling, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems formed a coalition government (the first since World War II), Gordon Brown stepped down, and David Cameron became prime minister.
In 2013, Brits are resting up from their busy summer of 2012, when they hosted both the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The flurry of investment that swept Britain in the lead-up to that summer has left this already spruced-up country looking better than ever.
From early 2008 to late 2009, the British economy shrank more than 6 percent—the largest decline since the Great Depression. Facing a huge—and growing—budget deficit, soon after his election Prime Minister Cameron announced an austerity program that dramatically cut back spending and increased the VAT (Value-Added Tax—the national sales tax) to 20 percent. The prime minister’s budget eliminated more than 500,000 public-sector jobs, shortened long-term unemployment benefits to 12 months, imposed higher rents on public housing, slashed funding for the arts and the BBC, cut police services, and raised the retirement age to 66 by 2020. (Visitors might notice reduced bus schedules and unexpected closures of TIs or minor sights.) It’s still unclear whether these bold steps will return Britain to its previous prosperity, or douse the spark of economic recovery. (In the spring of 2012, Britain plunged into a double-dip recession.)
Other hot-button topics in Britain include terrorism, immigration, and binge-drinking. While British forces ended combat operations in Iraq in 2009, its troops remain in Afghanistan, and every new casualty re-invigorates public debate about the merits and possible outcomes of this conflict.
Like the US, Britain has been coping with its own string of terrorist threats and attacks. On the morning of July 7, 2005, London’s commuters were rocked by four different bombs that killed dozens across the city. In the summer of 2006, authorities foiled a plot to carry liquid bombs onto a plane (resulting in the liquid ban air travelers are still experiencing today). On June 29, 2007, two car bombs were discovered (and defused) near London’s Piccadilly Circus, and the next day, a flaming car drove into the baggage-claim level at Glasgow Airport. Most Brits have accepted that they now live with the possibility of terrorism at home—and that life must go on.
Britain has taken aggressive measures to prevent future attacks, such as installing CCTV (closed-circuit television) surveillance cameras everywhere, in both public and private places. (You’ll frequently see signs warning you that you’re being recorded.) As Brits trade their privacy for security, many wonder if they’ve given up too much.
The terrorist threats have also highlighted issues relating to Britain’s large immigrant population (nearly 4 million). Second-generation Muslims—born in Britain, but who strongly identify with other Muslims rather than their British neighbors—were responsible for the July 2005 bombs. Some Brits reacted to the event known as “7/7” as if all the country’s Muslims were to blame. At the same time, a handful of radical Islamic clerics justified the bombers’ violent actions.
The large Muslim population is just one thread in the tapestry of today’s Britain. While nine out of ten Brits are white, the country has large minority groups, mainly from Britain’s former overseas colonies: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Africa, the Caribbean, and many other places. Despite the tensions between some groups, for the most part Britain is relatively integrated, with minorities represented in most (if not all) walks of life.
But unemployment, the economic downturn, and cuts to programs for the working class have stretched the already-strained relations between communities within Britain. In August of 2011, London police shot and killed a young black man named Mark Duggan, inflaming tensions between the police and the black community. A peaceful protest against the police was followed by violent riots. Looting and riots spread to other parts of London and major cities in England. While police contained the violence within a few days, British society as a whole was left to grapple with its causes and social implications: Were the riots a sign of rising racial and economic tensions, or simply a chance for poor young people to grab a shiny new smartphone?
Throughout the British Isles, you’ll also see many Eastern Europeans (mostly Poles, Slovaks, and Lithuanians) working in restaurants, cafés, and B&Bs. These transplants—who started arriving after their home countries joined the EU in 2004—can make a lot more money working here than back home. British small-business owners have found these new arrivals to be polite, responsible, and affordable. While a few Brits complain that the new arrivals are taking jobs away from the natives, and others are frustrated that their English can be far from perfect, for the most part Britain has absorbed this new set of immigrants gracefully.
Over the last several years, Britain has seen an epidemic of binge-drinking among young people. A 2007 study revealed that one out of every three British men, and one out of every five British women, routinely drink to excess. It’s become commonplace for young adults (typically from their mid-teens to mid-20s) to spend weekend nights drinking at pubs and carousing in the streets. (And they ratchet up the debauchery even more when celebrating a “stag night” or “hen night”—bachelor and bachelorette parties.) While sociologists and politicians scratch their heads about this phenomenon, tourists are complaining about weekend noise and obnoxious (though generally harmless) young drunks on the streets.
Although it has its share of lowbrow reality programming, much British television is still so good—and so British—that it deserves a mention as a sightseeing treat. After a hard day of castle climbing, watch the telly over tea in the living room of your village B&B.
There are currently five free channels that any television can receive. BBC-1 and BBC-2 are government-regulated and commercial-free. Broadcasting of these two channels (and of the five BBC radio stations) is funded by a mandatory £145.50-per-year-per-household television and radio license (hmmm, 65 cents per day to escape commercials and public-broadcasting pledge drives). Channels 3, 4, and 5 are privately owned, are a little more lowbrow, and have commercials—but those “adverts” are often clever and sophisticated, providing a fun look at British life. In addition, about 85 percent of households now receive digital cable or satellite television, which offer dozens of specialty channels, similar to those available in North America.
Whereas California “accents” fill our airwaves 24 hours a day, homogenizing the way our country speaks, Britain protects and promotes its regional accents by its choice of TV and radio announcers. See if you can tell where each is from (or ask a local for help).
Commercial-free British TV, while looser than it used to be, is still careful about what it airs and when. But after the 21:00 “watershed” hour, when children are expected to be in bed, some nudity and profanity are allowed, and may cause you to spill your tea.
American programs (such as Game of Thrones, CSI, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Family Guy, and trash-talk shows) are very popular. But the visiting viewer should be sure to tune the TV to more typically British shows, including a dose of British situation- and political-comedy fun, and the top-notch BBC evening news. British comedies have tickled the American funny bone for years, from sketch comedy (Monty Python’s Flying Circus) to sitcoms (Are You Being Served?, Fawlty Towers, Absolutely Fabulous, and The Office). Quiz shows and reality shows are taken very seriously here (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and The X Factor are all based on British shows). Jonathan Ross is the David Letterman of Britain for sometimes edgy late-night talk. Other popular late-night “chat show” hosts include Graham Norton and Alan Carr. For a tear-filled, slice-of-life taste of British soaps dealing in all the controversial issues, see the popular and remarkably long-running Emmerdale, Coronation Street, or EastEnders. The costume drama Downton Abbey has become a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
Only history can judge which British names will stand the test of time, but these days big names in the UK include politicians (David Cameron, Tony Blair), actors (Helen Mirren, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter, Jude Law, Stephen Fry, Ricky Gervais, Robert Pattinson, Daniel Radcliffe, Kate Winslet), musicians (Adele, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Lily Allen), writers (J. K. Rowling, Tom Stoppard, Nick Hornby, Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith), artists (Rachel Whiteread), athletes (David Beckham), entrepreneurs (Sir Richard Branson)...and, of course, William and Kate.