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 characterized by pilaster-strips, blank arcading, baluster shafts and triangular-headed openings. Almost no secular work remains above ground.
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.

 Westminster Abbey, London is anexample of English Gothic architecture

 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, Joshua Reynolds are also significant.
 Pictorial satirist William Hogarth pioneered Western sequential art, and political illustrations in this style are often referred to as
"Hogarthian".[1] Following the work of Hogarth, political cartoons developed in England in the latter part of the 18th century under the direction of James Gillray. Regarded as being one of the two most influential cartoonists (the other being 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.

 Chatsworth House, a famousexample of an English country house surrounded by an English garden.

 Since the early modern era, the food of England has historically been characterised by its simplicity of approach, honesty of flavour, and a reliance on the high quality of natural produce.
This has resulted in a traditional cuisine which tended to veer from strong flavours, such as garlic, and an avoidance of complex sauces which were commonly associated with Catholic Continental political affiliations.[3] Traditional meals have ancient origins, such as bread and cheese, roasted and stewed meats, meat and game pies, and freshwater and saltwater fish. The 14th-century
English cookbook, the Forme of Cury, contains recipes for these, and dates from the royal court of Richard II.

 A full English breakfast with scrambled eggs, sausage, black pudding, bacon, mushrooms, baked beans, hash browns, and half a tomato.

 English law is the legal system of England and Wales.[7] Due to the British Empire, it has been exported across the world: it is the basis of common law jurisprudence.[8] The 18th century
English jurist, judge and politician 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

 The Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand, London is the seat of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal.

 English literature begins with Anglo-Saxon literature, which was written in Old English. For many years, Latin and French were the preferred literary languages of England, but in the medieval period there was a flourishing of literature in Middle English;
Geoffrey Chaucer is the most famous writer of this period. The
Elizabethan era is sometimes described as the golden age of
English literature, as numerous great poets were writing in
English, and the Elizabethan theatre produced William
Shakespeare, often considered the English national poet.

 William Hogarth's depiction of ascene from Shakespeare's The
Tempest is an example of how English literature influenced
English painting in the 18th century

 England has a long and rich musical history. The United
Kingdom has, like most European countries, 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 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.


Edward Elgar is one ofEngland's most celebrated classical composers.

 English folklore developed over many centuries. Some of the characters and stories are present across England, but most belong to specific regions. Common folkloric beings include pixies, giants, elves, bogeymen, 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,[13] others date from after the Norman invasion; Robin Hood and his
Merry Men of Sherwood and their battles with the Sheriff of
Nottingham being, perhaps, the best known.[14]

 Robin Hood illustrated in 1912 wearing Lincoln green

 Large outdoor music festivals in the summer and autumn are popular, such as Glastonbury, V Festival, Reading and Leeds Festivals. The UK was at the forefront of the illegal, free rave movement from the late
1980s, which led to pan-European culture of teknivals mirrored on the
UK free festival movement and associated travelling lifestyle. The most prominent opera house in England is the Royal Opera House at
Covent Gardens.The Proms, a season of orchestral classical music concerts held at the Royal Albert Hall, is a major cultural event held annually.The Royal Ballet is one of the world's foremost classical ballet companies, its reputation built on two prominent figures of 20th century dance, prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn and choreographer
Frederick Ashton.

 A Punch and Judy booth at Swanage, Dorset. The anarchic Mr.
Punch has been an influential figure in British comedy and political cartoons.

 Following the building of the world's first seaside pier in July
1814 in Ryde, Isle of Wight off the south coast of England, the pier became fashionable at seaside resorts in England and Wales during the Victorian era, peaking in the 1860s with 22 being built.[48][49] Providing a walkway out to sea, the seaside pier is regarded among the finest Victorian architecture, and is an iconic symbol of the British seaside holiday.[48][50] By 1914, more than 100 piers were located around the UK coast.[48]
Today there are approximately 55 seaside piers in the UK.[51]

 Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century

English philosophers include Francis Bacon, Sir Thomas More, John
Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Thomas Paine, Jeremy Bentham, John
Stuart Mill and Bertrand Russell.

 In England, Christianity became the most practiced religion centuries ago. Polytheistic religions, often referred to as paganism, were practiced before Christianity took hold. These religions include Celtic polytheism, Norse paganism, Roman polytheism, and others. Some were introduced by the Anglo-
Saxons, who had their origins in ancient Germanic tribes.
 Christianity was first introduced through the Romans. Legend links the introduction of Christianity to England to the
Glastonbury legend of Joseph of Arimathea; see also the legend of
Saint Lucius.

 Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Church of England. It was the property of the Roman Catholic Church before the
English Reformation.

 English people traditionally speak the English language, a member of the West Germanic . language family. The modern
English language evolved from Old English, with lexical influence from Norman-French, Latin, and Old Norse. There were once many different dialects in England - which were recorded in projects such as the English Dialect Dictionary and the Survey of English Dialects - but many of these have passed out of usage as Standard English has spread through education, the media and socio-economic pressures.

 Countries where English has official status or is widely spoken.

 The English have played a significant role in the development of science and engineering. Prominent individuals have included
Roger Bacon, Francis Bacon, William Harvey, Robert Hooke,
Isaac Newton, Henry Cavendish, Isambard Kingdom Brunel,
Francis Crick, Abraham Darby, Michael Faraday, Charles
Darwin, James Chadwick, Joseph Swan, Barnes Wallis, Alan
Turing, Frank Whittle, Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Stephen
Hawking. Furthermore, it is home to the Royal Institution, the
Royal Society, the Greenwich Observatory and its associated meridian.

 The Metrology Division of the National Physical Laboratory is concerned with maintaining high standards of accuracy regarding measurements, such as length, mass and volume

 There are many sports which have been codified by the English, and then spread worldwide, including badminton, cricket, croquet, football, field hockey, lawn tennis, rugby league, rugby union, table tennis and thoroughbred horse racing. 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 rules of football were first drafted in 1863 by Ebenezer Cobb
Morley, and England has the oldest football clubs in the world.[

 The World Cup Sculpture featuring captain Bobby Moore with the 1966 World Cup trophy, on the shoulders of Geoff Hurst and
Ray Wilson, together with Martin Peters

 The English use as their national flag the red cross of St George. The three golden lions on a red background was the banner of the kings of
England derived from their status as Duke of Normandy and is now used to represent the English national football team and the English national cricket team, though in blue rather than gold. The English oak and the Tudor rose are also English symbols, the latter of which is
(although more modernised) used by the England national rugby union team.
 St George's Day in England is marked as the day of the patron saint, and is also celebrated as the day of birth and death of William
Shakespeare.