Portal:England

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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It shares a land border with Scotland to the north and another land border with Wales to the west, and is otherwise surrounded by the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south, the Celtic Sea to the south-west, and the Irish Sea to the west. Continental Europe lies to the south-east, and Ireland to the west. At the 2021 census, the population was 56,490,048. London is both the largest city and the capital.

The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic. It takes its name from the Angles, a Germanic tribe who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in the 10th century and has had extensive cultural and legal impact on the wider world since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century. The Kingdom of England, which included Wales after 1535, ceased to be a separate sovereign state on 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union brought into effect a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland that created the Kingdom of Great Britain.

England is the origin of the English language, the English legal system (which served as the basis for the common law systems of many other countries), association football, and the Anglican branch of Christianity; its parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England is home to the two oldest universities in the English-speaking world: the University of Oxford, founded in 1096, and the University of Cambridge, founded in 1209. Both universities are ranked amongst the most prestigious in the world.

England's terrain chiefly consists of low hills and plains, especially in the centre and south. Upland and mountainous terrain is mostly found in the north and west, including Dartmoor, the Lake District, the Pennines, and the Shropshire Hills. The London metropolitan area has a population of 14.2 million as of 2021, representing the United Kingdom's largest metropolitan area. England's population of 56.3 million comprises 84% of the population of the United Kingdom, largely concentrated around London, the South East, and conurbations in the Midlands, the North West, the North East, and Yorkshire, which each developed as major industrial regions during the 19th century. (Full article...)

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Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649.

Charles was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after his father inherited the English throne in 1603, he moved to England, where he spent much of the rest of his life. He became heir apparent to the kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1612 upon the death of his elder brother, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales. An unsuccessful and unpopular attempt to marry him to Infanta Maria Anna of Spain culminated in an eight-month visit to Spain in 1623 that demonstrated the futility of the marriage negotiation. Two years later, shortly after his accession, he married Henrietta Maria of France. (Full article...)

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Stonehenge in July 2007

Stonehenge is a prehistoric megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, two miles (3 km) west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around 13 feet (4.0 m) high, seven feet (2.1 m) wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connecting horizontal lintel stones, held in place with mortise and tenon joints, a feature unique among contemporary monuments. Inside is a ring of smaller bluestones. Inside these are free-standing trilithons, two bulkier vertical sarsens joined by one lintel. The whole monument, now ruinous, is aligned towards the sunrise on the summer solstice and sunset on the winter solstice. The stones are set within earthworks in the middle of the densest complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred tumuli (burial mounds).

Stonehenge was constructed in several phases beginning about 3100 BC and continuing until about 1600 BC. The famous circle of large sarsen stones were placed between 2600 BC and 2400 BC. The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the bluestones were given their current positions between 2400 and 2200 BC, although they may have been at the site as early as 3000 BC. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various England-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Procession Picture, c. 1600, showing Elizabeth I borne along by her courtiers (from History of England)
Image 2William Hogarth's depiction of a scene from Shakespeare's The Tempest is an example of how English literature influenced English painting in the 18th century. (from Culture of England)
Image 3Depiction of the Battle of Hastings (1066) on the Bayeux Tapestry (from History of England)
Image 4Anglo-Saxon helmet from the Sutton Hoo ship burial, 625 AD (replica) (from History of England)
Image 5Londinium (Roman London), c. 120 AD (from History of England)
Image 6King Henry VIII (from History of England)
Image 7Folio 27r from the Lindisfarne Gospels, c. 720 AD (from History of England)
Image 8Countries where English is natively spoken or has official status (from Culture of England)
Image 9Durham Cathedral. The Norman cathedral was built 1093–1133 (from History of England)
Image 10Flatford Mill ('Scene on a Navigable River') by John Constable, c. 1816 (from Culture of England)
Image 11King Alfred the Great statue in Winchester, Hampshire. The 9th-century English king encouraged education in his kingdom. (from Culture of England)
Image 12First English Civil War at the Battle of Marston Moor, 1644 (from History of England)
Image 13The Lady Chapel of Wells Cathedral (from Culture of England)
Image 14The Ruthwell Cross, 8th century AD (from History of England)
Image 15The English landscape garden at Stourhead, described as a 'living work of art' when first opened in the 1750s (from Culture of England)
Image 16King Charles II (from History of England)
Image 17England 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. (from Culture of England)
Image 18The wizard Merlin features as a character in many works of fiction, including the BBC series Merlin. (from Culture of England)
Image 19Frontispiece of Bede's Life of St Cuthbert, showing King Æthelstan presenting a copy of the book to the saint himself. c. 930 (from History of England)
Image 20Victory in Europe Day celebrations in London, 8 May 1945 (from History of England)
Image 21Chester, c. 1880 (from History of England)
Image 22Jack In the Green, a traditional English folk custom being celebrated in Hastings Old Town, known for its many pre-Victorian buildings. (from Culture of England)
Image 23First played in 1877, the Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. (from Culture of England)
Image 24King Charles II, 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. (from Culture of England)
Image 25Geoffrey Chaucer, c. 1340s–1400, author of The Canterbury Tales (from History of England)
Image 26Bronze coins of Cunobelin, called "King of the Britons" by Suetonius. 1–42 AD. (from History of England)
Image 27Maps of territory held by Royalists (red) and Parliamentarians (green) during the English Civil War (1642–1645) (from History of England)
Image 28Alfred Hitchcock is often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker, and was described as "a straightforward middle-class Englishman who just happened to be an artistic genius." (from Culture of England)
Image 29King James I of England (from History of England)
Image 30Durham Cathedral, dating from 1093 (from Culture of England)
Image 31The Royal College of Music is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, established by royal charter in 1882. (from Culture of England)
Image 32Kingdoms and tribes in Britain, c. AD 600 (from History of England)
Image 33Portrait of Edward VI, c. 1550 (from History of England)
Image 34A traditional Punch and Judy booth, at Swanage, Dorset, England (from Culture of England)
Image 35The Roman Baths in Bath; a temple was constructed on the site between 60–70CE in the first few decades of Roman Britain. (from Culture of England)
Image 36Francis Bacon led the advancement of both natural philosophy and the scientific method and his works remained deeply influential in the Scientific Revolution. (from Culture of England)
Image 37The Fairy Ring by William Holmes Sullivan, c.1908 (from Culture of England)
Image 38Silbury Hill, c. 2400 BC (from History of England)
Image 39The Alfred Jewel, late 9th century (from History of England)
Image 40The Mob Quad of Merton College, University of Oxford, 13th–14th century (from History of England)
Image 41Josiah Wedgwood was a leading entrepreneur in the Industrial Revolution. (from Culture of England)
Image 42Stinking Bishop cheese (from Culture of England)
Image 43Canterbury Cathedral nave, 1377 (from History of England)
Image 44Elizabeth I (from History of England)
Image 45Portrait of the Royal Tudors. At left, Henry VII, with Prince Arthur behind him, then Prince Henry (later Henry VIII), and Prince Edmund, who did not survive early childhood. To the right is Elizabeth of York, with Princess Margaret, then Princess Elizabeth who didn't survive childhood, Princess Mary, and Princess Katherine, who died shortly after her birth. (from History of England)
Image 46Canterbury Cathedral 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.) (from Culture of England)
Image 47Christopher Lee (seen here as Dracula in 1958) starred in many of Hammer's British horror films. (from Culture of England)
Image 48King Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649 (from History of England)
Image 49The Billingsgate Fish Market in London in the early 19th century (from History of England)
Image 50Edward Elgar is one of England's most celebrated classical composers. (from Culture of England)
Image 51Interior of Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford (from Culture of England)
Image 52The Lindisfarne Gospels (from Culture of England)
Image 53Dover Castle, 12th–13th century (from History of England)
Image 54Anglo-Saxon king with his Witan. Biblical scene in the Old English Hexateuch (11th century) (from History of England)
Image 55Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol played a major role in reviving the "spirit" of Christmas and seasonal goodwill. (from Culture of England)
Image 56Stonehenge, erected in several stages from c.3000–2500 BC (from History of England)
Image 57The White Tower of the Tower of London, built in 1078 (from History of England)
Image 58View of the ramparts of the hillfort of Maiden Castle (450 BC), as they look today (from History of England)
Image 59Gold torc from Snettisham, 70 BC (from History of England)
Image 60Remains of the Roman baths at Bath, England. (from History of England)
Image 61Tomb of Richard I of England and Isabella of Angoulême (from History of England)
Image 62One of only four surviving exemplifications of the 1215 text, Cotton MS. Augustus II. 106, property of the British Library (from History of England)
Image 63Remains of Hadrian's Wall (from History of England)
Image 64Procession of characters from Shakespeare's plays (from Culture of England)
Image 65The Great Fire London, 1666. (from History of England)
Image 66King's College 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. (from Culture of England)
Image 67The Spanish Armada and English ships in August 1588, (unknown, 16th-century, English School) (from History of England)
Image 68A pint of real ale (from Culture of England)
Image 69The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork yet found^[update]. It consists of almost 4,600 items and metal fragments. (from Culture of England)
Image 70The epic poem Beowulf, set in 6th century Scandinavia, composed c. 700–1000 AD. (from History of England)
Image 71England in 878 (from History of England)
Image 72The first general laws against child labour, the Factory Acts, were passed in Britain in the first half of the 19th century. Children younger than nine were not allowed to work and the work day of youth under the age of 18 was limited to twelve hours. (from History of England)
Image 73Sir Isaac Newton is regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the Scientific Revolution. (from Culture of England)
Image 74The Battersea Shield (detail), 350 BC. (from History of England)
Image 75Sir Francis Drake's voyage 1585–86 (from History of England)
Image 76Whitehall by Francis Dodd (1920) displaying the Palace of Westminster (from Culture of England)
Image 77National performing arts are held annually at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as The Proms during the summer. (from Culture of England)
Image 78Artefacts from Bush Barrow at Stonehenge. Wessex culture, Early Bronze Age, c. 1900 BC (from History of England)
Image 79Morris dancing (from Culture of England)
Image 80Shoulder clasp from Sutton Hoo, 625 AD (from History of England)

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The starting point at Minehead

The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for 630 miles (1,014 km), running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Because it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more challenging trails. The total height climbed has been calculated to be 114,931 ft (35,031 m), almost four times the height of Mount Everest. It has been voted 'Britain's Best Walking route' twice in a row by readers of The Ramblers' Walk magazine, and regularly features in lists of the world's best walks.

The final section of the path was designated as a National Trail in 1978. Many of the landscapes which the South West Coast Path crosses have special status, either as a national park or one of the heritage coasts. The path passes through two World Heritage Sites: the Dorset and East Devon Coast, known as the Jurassic Coast, was designated in 2001, and the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape in 2007. (Full article...)

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Did you know?

The tower of St. Paul's Church, in Brighton

...that the Rev. Arthur Wagner, the first curate of the Church of St. Paul, Brighton, England, commissioned stained glass windows of his mother, father and aunt for the church?
...that Scots' Dike was constructed by the English and the Scots in 1552 to mark the division of the Debatable Lands and thereby settle the exact boundary between the kingdoms of Scotland and England?
...that the famed message "England expects that every man will do his duty" is misquoted on Nelson's Column in London?

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In the news

1 May 2025 –: The Football Association bans transgender women from women's football in England starting 1 June after amending its eligibility criteria. (BBC Sport)
29 April 2025 –: A 38-year-old man suspected of seriously injuring two women on Saturday in a shooting and crossbow attack on the Otley Run pub crawl in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, succumbs to a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the hospital. It is confirmed that the perpetrator's motive was misogyny. (BBC News)
26 April 2025 –: Two women are seriously injured in an attack on a road when a 38-year-old man attacks them with a crossbow and a firearm before shooting and injuring himself in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Counter Terrorism Policing is currently investigating the incident. (BBC News)
12 April 2025 –: Three prison officers sustain life-threatening injuries in a mass stabbing and burn attack when Hashem Abedi, the brother of Islamic terrorist Salman Abedi, the perpetrator of the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, attacks prison officers at HM Prison Frankland in County Durham, England, with hot cooking oil and shivs. (BBC News)
9 April 2025 –: Universal Destinations & Experiences formally announces that they have chosen a site near Kempston Hardwick in Bedfordshire, England, as the location for their Universal Studios United Kingdom resort. The theme park will officially open in 2031 and will be the largest theme park in the UK upon completion. (AP)
7 April 2025 –: The first birth of a baby in the United Kingdom to a woman with a transplanted womb is announced. The baby girl, delivered at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in London to a 36-year-old woman, is reported to be healthy. (BBC News)

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“

The rustics of England, especially those inhabiting the South hams (villages) of Devonshire, have great fun Wassailing the Orchards on Christmans Eve, New Year's and Twelfth Nigh (Boxing Day), when they drink toasts to the largest apple trees and sprinkle them with cyder (cider) carried by the beadle, the parish clerk, or some other such obsolete individual. The Devonshire people do this because they did it the year before.

”

— Will Cuppy

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Related WikiProjects

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Cities and major towns: Blackpool • Birmingham • Bristol • Chelmsford • Leeds • Liverpool • London • Manchester • Newcastle • Nottingham • Oxford • Portsmouth • Sheffield • Southampton • Stoke-on-Trent

Culture: The Football Association • Rugby Football Union • England and Wales Cricket Board • English inventions and discoveries

Geography: Geology • Climate • Mountains and hills • Islands • Rivers

Economy: Bank of England • London Stock Exchange • Chancellor of the Exchequer • Monetary Policy Committee • HM Treasury

History: Timeline of English history • Prehistoric Britain • Roman Britain • Anglo-Saxon England • Norman England • Plantagenet England • House of Lancaster • House of York • House of Tudor • House of Stuart

Governance: Kingdom of England • Prime Minister of the United Kingdom • Parliament of the United Kingdom • Home Secretary • Local Government Boundary Commission for England • Administrative divisions of England • English law

Symbols: Flags • Flag of England • St George's Cross • Tudor rose • Coat of arms of England

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