• Dartmoor pony.^[1]
• Exmoor pony.^[2]
• Gloucester Old Spot pig.^[3]
• Hereford cattle.^[4]
• New Forest Pony.^[5]
• Norfolk turkey.^[6]
• Old English sheepdog.^[7]
• Suffolk Punch horse.^[8]

• Sir Peter Blake (b. 1932).^[9]
• William Blake (1757–1827).^[10]
• John Constable (1776–1837);^[11] in particular, The Hay Wain.^[12]
• George Cruikshank (1792–1878).^[13]
• Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788).^[14]
• James Gillray (1756/1757-1815).^[13]
• Nicholas Hilliard (c. 1547–1619).^[15]
• David Hockney (b. 1937).^[16]
• William Hogarth (1697–1764).^[17]
• Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830).^[18]
• L. S. Lowry (1887–1976).^[12]
• Henry Moore (1898–1986).^[12]
• Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792).^[19]
• Sir James Thornhill (1675/76-1734).^[20]
• J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851).^[21]
• Joseph Wright of Derby (1734–1797).^[22]

• The King James Bible (begun 1604; completed 1611).^[12]
• The Bill of Rights 1689 (passed on 16 December 1689).^[23]
• The Canterbury Tales (produced between c. 1386 and 1400) by Geoffrey Chaucer.^[24]
• The Domesday Book (completed 1086), survey by William the Conqueror.^[12]
• William Shakespeare's First Folio (published posthumously in 1623).^[25]
• The Lindisfarne Gospels (produced c. 700 A.D.), attributed to Eadfrith of Lindisfarne.^[12]
• The Lord of the Rings (begun 1937; completed 1949), by J. R. R. Tolkien.^[12]
• Harry Potter (begun 1997; completed 2007), by J. K. Rowling.^[12]
• Magna Carta (agreed by King John on 15 June 1215).^[12]
• Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861), edited by Isabella Beeton.^[12]
• The novels of Charles Dickens (1812–1870).^[12]
• On the Origin of Species (1859) by Charles Darwin.^[12]
• Our Island Story (1905) by H. E. Marshall.^[26]
• The Oxford English Dictionary (begun 1857; first edition completed 1928).^[12]
• Pride and Prejudice (1813) by Jane Austen.^[12]
• The works of Beatrix Potter (1866–1943).^[12]

• The Abbey Road zebra crossing, famous for its association with the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road.^[27]
• The Angel of the North, contemporary sculpture by Sir Antony Gormley, located near Gateshead in Tyne and Wear (completed 1998).^[28][29][30]
• Big Ben (the nickname for the bell; the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012).^[31]
• Blackpool Tower (opened 14 May 1894).^[32]
• Buckingham Palace, London residence of the British monarch since 1837.^[33]
• Burghley House, a sixteenth-century country house near Stamford, Lincolnshire. It is a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house.
• Canterbury Cathedral (founded 597; completely rebuilt 1070–1077; east end enlarged early 12th century, and largely rebuilt in Gothic style following a fire in 1174).^[34]
• Clifton Suspension Bridge, a suspension bridge spanning the Avon Gorge and the River Avon, in Bristol based on an earlier design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.^[35]
• Durham Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham (present cathedral founded 1093).^[36]
• EMI's Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes, Middlesex, where records by The Beatles and other EMI artists were manufactured in the 1960s and after.^[37]
• Globe Theatre (the modern reconstruction, named "Shakespeare's Globe", opened in 1997 approximately 750 feet [230 m] from the site of the original[s]; the second Globe was pulled down 1644–45).^[12]
• Hadrian's Wall (begun in 122 A.D.).^[12]
• The Iron Bridge, across the River Severn in Shropshire (opened 1781).^[12]
• The National Memorial Arboretum, described by Prince William in 2011 as an "iconic focal point" for the nation's remembrance of fallen soldiers.^[38]
• Seaside piers (first built early 19th century).^[12]
• The Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, commemorating Lord Shaftesbury; the statue of Anteros is named The Angel of Christian Charity.^[39]
• Spaghetti junction, or Gravelly Hill Interchange; opened 24 May 1972.^[40]
• Stonehenge, a prehistoric ring of standing stones in Wiltshire.^[41]
• Tower of London, officially Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London (the White Tower built 1078; expanded in the 12th & 13th centuries).^[12]
• Westminster Abbey, formally the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster (construction of the present church began 1245).^[12]
• York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York (long history; the cathedral was declared complete and consecrated 1472).^[12]

• Blazer, originated with the red 'blazers' of the Lady Margaret Boat Club (1825), the rowing club of St. John's College, Cambridge.^[42]
• Bowler hat, created 1849 for soldier and politician Edward Coke.^[36]
• Deerstalker hat, popularly associated with representations of fictional private investigator Sherlock Holmes.
• R. Griggs's Dr. Martens AirWair boot; associated with, among others, skinheads and punks.^[43]
• The tailless dinner jacket suit, the earliest recorded example of which was ordered by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) from Savile Row tailors Henry Poole & Co.^[44]
• Flat cap, dating back to the 14th century in Northern England.^[45]
• Frock coat, popularised by Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria.^[46]
• Miniskirt, so-called since the 1960s, when it became associated with "Swinging London."^[12]
• Ruff, formal neck-wear from the mid-sixteenth century to the mid-seventeenth century, following Elizabeth I's New Year's gift to her ladies in 1565.^[47]
• Ben Sherman clothing brand; typically associated with mods.^[48]
• Smock-frock, dating back to the early 18th century in the Midlands and Southern England.^[49]
• Top hat, said to have caused a riot when John Hetherington first wore one in public on 15 January 1797.^[50]
• Trench coat, the invention of which is claimed by both Burberry and Aquascutum.^[51]

• Aunt Sally, traditional English game in which players throw sticks or battens at a model of an old woman's head, usually played in pub gardens and fairgrounds.^[52]
• Beating the bounds, ancient custom still observed in some English parishes; members of a community walk the boundaries of the parish, usually led by church officials, to share the knowledge of where they lay, and to pray for protection and blessings for the lands.^[53]
• Birdman Rally, flying; format originated in Selsey, West Sussex, 1971.^[54]
• Britannia Coconut Dancers, a troupe of Lancastrian clog dancers who perform every Easter in Bacup, dancing 7 miles (11 km) across the town.^[55]
• Coconut shy, traditional funfair and fête game consisting of throwing wooden balls at a row of coconuts balanced on posts; may have originated at the annual Pleasure Fair in Kingston, Surrey, 1867; probably derives from the game of Aunt Sally.^[56]
• Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Brockworth, near Gloucester.^[57]
• Cotswold Olimpick Games, probably began 1622.^[58]
• Gurning, rural English tradition of assuming a distorted facial expression.^[59]
• International Birdman, flying competitions held in Bognor Regis and Worthing, West Sussex.^[60]
• London Marathon, first run 29 March 1981.^[61]
• Maypole dancing, found historically in England and in areas of Wales and Scotland under English influence.^[62]
• Morris dancing, earliest known and surviving English written mention dated to 1448.^[12]
• Nottingham Goose Fair, dates back more than 700 years.^[63]
• Royal Maundy; small silver coins known as "Maundy money" ceremonially distributed as symbolic alms to elderly recipients by the Monarch or a royal official at a religious service in the Church of England, held on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday.^[64]
• Royal Shrovetide Football, played annually in Ashbourne, Derbyshire since c. 1667.^[65]
• Shin-kicking: a combat sport that originated in England in the early 17th century; it involves two contestants attempting to kick each other on the shin to force their opponent to the ground.^[66]
• Well dressing, summer custom practised in rural England in which wells, springs or other water sources are decorated with designs created from flower petals; most closely associated with the Peak District of Derbyshire and Staffordshire.^[67]

• Oxford University, evidence of teaching since 1096.^[68]
• Cambridge University, founded in 1209.
• Public schools,^[69][70][71] including Eton College, founded in 1440.^[72]

• John Bull, a national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works; created by Dr John Arbuthnot and Alexander Pope in 1712.^[73]
• English Oak, consequent upon the future King Charles II hiding from his Parliamentarian pursuers in the oak tree at Boscobel House, in 1650 during the English Civil War.^[12]
• Flag of St George,^[12] dating from the Middle Ages; used as a component in the design of the Union Flag in 1606.
• The Lion/Lion passant; evidence of a seal bearing two lions passant used by the future King John during the lifetime of his father, Henry II.^[74]
• The Rose is the national flower of England, a usage dating back to the English civil wars of the 15th century.^[12]
• Saint George, patron saint of England by the 14th century.^[75]

• Saint George's Day: 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in 303 AD.^[76]
• May Day: usually celebrated on 1 May.^[77]
• Glyndebourne Festival: Opera festival that has taken place near Glynde, Sussex, since 1934.
• Glastonbury Festival: performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset; inaugurated in 1970.^[12]
• Reading and Leeds Festivals: Two annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds, respectively.
• Download Festival: An annual British Rock and Metal festival.

• Biggles, nickname of pilot and adventurer James Bigglesworth, created in 1932 by Captain W. E. Johns.^[78]
• Gandalf, fictional character from the fantasy series written by J. R. R. Tolkien, created in 1937.
• Harry Potter, fictional character from the fantasy series written by J.K. Rowling, created in 1997.
• James Bond, titular character from the spy series created by Ian Fleming in 1953.
• Dixon of Dock Green, typical "bobby" on the beat, first appeared in The Blue Lamp (1949).^[79]
• Falstaff, fat, boastful knight who appears in three historical plays by William Shakespeare.^[80]
• Alf Garnett, East End patriarch first seen in sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, created in 1965 by Johnny Speight.^[81]
• Sherlock Holmes, private detective created in 1887 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.^[82]
• Del Boy, character from the cult British sitcom Only Fools and Horses.
• Bridget Jones, a journalist and television producer created by Helen Fielding^[83]
• Robin Hood, heroic outlaw of English folklore, dating from the 13th century.^[12]
• Noddy, little wooden puppet created in 1949 by Enid Blyton.^[84]
• Paddington Bear, created by Michael Bond in 1958.^[85]
• Rupert Bear, comic strip bear created in 1920 by Mary Tourtel and popularised from 1935 by Alfred Bestall.^[86]
• Sooty, bear created by Harry Corbett in 1948.^[87]
• Thomas the Tank Engine, created by the Rev. W. Awdry in 1945.
• Winnie-the-Pooh, created by A. A. Milne in 1926.^[12]
• The Doctor, character in the show [[Doctor Who[] created by Sydney Newman in 1963

• Dick Whittington and His Cat: English folklore surrounding the real-life Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423); earliest written form: 1604–5.^[118]
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears: first recorded in narrative form by Robert Southey, 1837.^[119]
• Humpty Dumpty: English nursery rhyme; character typically portrayed as an anthropomorphic egg, though not explicitly described so; first recorded versions date from the late 18th century.
• Jack and the Beanstalk: "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" appeared in 1734; "The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk" published by Benjamin Tabart in 1807.^[120]
• Jack the Giant Killer: "The History of Jack and the Giants" was published by J. White of Newcastle in 1711.^[121]
• The Three Little Pigs: first appeared in The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps in c. 1886.^[122]
• Tom Thumb: the tale of Tom Thumb is the first English fairy tale; the earliest surviving text (presumed to be by Richard Johnson) was printed in London in 1621.

• Field Marshal Sir Edmund Allenby (1861–1936); leader of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I, known for winning the Battle of Megiddo.^[139]
• Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader (1910–1982); Royal Air Force flying ace during the Battle of Britain.^[140]
• Group Captain Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire VC, OM, DSO & Two Bars, DFC (1917–1992); highly decorated Royal Air Force group captain during World War II.^[141]
• General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650–1722); known for suppression of the Monmouth Rebellion and later support of the Glorious Revolution, leader of British forces fighting King Louis XIV's armies during the War of the Spanish Succession.^[142]
• Major General Robert Clive (1725–1774); Governor of the Bengal Presidency for the British East India Company, known for fighting the French forces in India in the Carnatic Wars and the Seven Years' War.^[143]
• Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), military leader of the Roundheads, the New Model Army, and the Commonwealth during the British Civil Wars.^[144]
• Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral (c. 1540–1596), naval hero and privateer known for his circumnavigation of the world and his leadership against the Spanish Armada.^[145]
• Major General Charles George Gordon (1833–1885); commander of the Ever Victorious Army and Governor-General of Sudan, known for his suppression of the Taiping Rebellion and the siege of Khartoum.
• Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet (1892–1984); Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command responsible for implementing area bombing of German cities in the European theatre of World War II.^[146]
• T. E. Lawrence (1888–1935); known for coordinating the Arab Revolt and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I.^[147]
• Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (1887–1976); commander of the British Army during the North African and North West European theatres of World War II, most famous for his victory in the Second Battle of El Alamein.^[148]
• Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758–1805).^[149]
• Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852); Commander of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars, most famously during the Hundred Days, and future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.^[150]
• Major General James Wolfe (1727–1759); British major general known for his victories in the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War, especially the Battle of the Plains of Abraham securing the British conquest of New France.^[151]
• Boudica (d. A.D. 60 or 61), queen of the Celtic Iceni tribe who fought against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire.^[152]

AnthemsEdit

• "Heart of Oak" (the official march of the Royal Navy).^[153]
• "I Vow to Thee, My Country".^[154]
• "Jerusalem" ("And did those feet in ancient time ...").^[12][155]
• "Land of Hope and Glory".^[156]
• "Rose of England".^[157]
• "A Song of Patriotic Prejudice" by Flanders and Swann (with the refrain, "The English, the English, the English are best/I wouldn't give tuppence for all of the rest").^[158]
• "There'll Always be an England".
• "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover".^[159]

Classical composersEdit

• Malcolm Arnold (1921–2006).^[160]
• Benjamin Britten (1913–1976).^[161]
• William Byrd (c. 1539/40 or 1543 – 1623).^[162]
• Frederick Delius (1862–1934).^[163]
• Edward Elgar (1857–1934).^[164]
• George Frideric Handel (1685–1759; naturalised British 1727).^[165]
• Gustav Holst (1874–1934).^[166]
• Henry Purcell (1659–1695).^[167]
• Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900); collaborated with librettist W. S. Gilbert.^[168]
• Thomas Tallis (c. 1505–1585).^[169]
• John Tavener (1944–2013).^[170]
• Michael Tippett (1905–1998).^[171]
• William Walton (1902–1983).^[172]
• Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958).^[173]

ConductorsEdit

• John Barbirolli (1899–1970).^[174]
• Thomas Beecham (1879–1961).^[175]
• Adrian Boult (1889–1983).^[176]
• Malcolm Sargent (1895–1967).^[177]
• Leopold Stokowski (1882–1977, born in England).^[178][179]

Popular musical entertainersEdit

• Gracie Fields (1898–1979).^[180]
• George Formby (1904–1961).^[181]
• Jack Hylton (1892–1965).^[182]
• Vera Lynn (1917-2020).^[183]
• Anthony Newley (1931–1999).^[184]
   

  The Beatles, 1964

Rock and popEdit

Alternative/independentEdit

• C86^[199]
• English folk music^[200]
• Madchester^[201]
• Pub rock^[202]

• Country Life, launched by Edward Hudson in 1897.^[203]
• Daily Mail, first published by Lord Northcliffe in 1896.^[204]
• The Eagle, seminal comic published 1950–1969.^[205]
• The Financial Times, founded by James Sheridan and Horatio Bottomley in 1888.^[206]
• The Gentleman's Magazine, founded by Edward Cave in 1731.^[207]
• The Lancet, weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal founded by Thomas Wakley in 1823.^[208]
• Pall Mall Gazette, evening newspaper founded by George Murray Smith in 1865.^[209]
• Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, scientific journal published by the Royal Society; established in 1665.^[210]
• Private Eye, fortnightly satirical and current affairs magazine launched in 1961.
• Punch, weekly magazine of humour and satire established by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells in 1841.^[211]
• The Times, daily national newspaper based in London; began in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register; became The Times on 1 January 1788.^[212]
• Tit-Bits (a.k.a. Tit-Bits from all the interesting Books, Periodicals, and Newspapers of the World), weekly magazine founded by George Newnes in 1881.^[213]
• Viz, adult comic magazine founded in 1979 by Chris Donald.^[214]

• Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832), founder of modern utilitarianism: that "it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong".^[215]
• Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), wrote Leviathan (1651), the foundation of most later Western political philosophy.^[216]
• John Locke (1632–1704), influential Enlightenment thinker, commonly known as the "Father of Liberalism".^[217]
• John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), influential liberal thinker, wrote on social theory, political theory and political economy.^[218]
• Bertrand Russell (1872–1970), logician, mathematician, and political activist.^[219]

•  

  Boris Johnson
  Clement Attlee (1883–1967), Labour; served as Deputy Prime Minister during World War II, and created many aspects of the British welfare state through nationalisations and social reforms such as the introduction of the National Health Service.^[220]
• Tony Benn (1925–2014), Labour; key proponent of democratic socialism and influential Cabinet member in the governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan in the 1970s.^[221]
• Winston Churchill (1874–1965), Conservative; Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II.^[222]
• Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881), Tory/Conservative; creator of the modern Conservative Party and one-nation conservatism.^[223]
• William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898), Liberal; creator of Gladstonian liberalism.^[223]
• Boris Johnson (b. 1964), Conservative; Mayor of London, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; led the United Kingdom through its exit from the European Union and the COVID-19 pandemic.^[224][225]
• Lord Liverpool (1770–1828), Tory/Conservative; Prime Minister at the end of the Napoleonic Wars and their aftermath, dealt with growing radicalism through repressive measures such as the Peterloo Massacre.^[226]
• William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–1778), Whig; political leader of Great Britain during the Seven Years' War known for consolidating the British Empire's dominance over world affairs.
• William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806), Tory/Conservative; Prime Minister during the French Revolutionary Wars and the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars, drafted the Acts of Union 1800.^[227]
• Lord Salisbury (1830–1903), Tory/Conservative; Prime Minister during the Scramble for Africa and the Second Boer War, crafted the British foreign policy of "splendid isolation."^[228]
• Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013), Conservative; liberalised the economy through privatisations of formerly nationalised industries and economic deregulation, wartime leader during the Falklands War.^[229]
• Robert Walpole 1676–1745), Whig; first Prime Minister of Great Britain.^[230]

• Tony Blackburn, disc jockey, b. 1943.^[231]
• Kenny Everett, disc jockey, 1944–1995.^[232]
• The Goon Show, BBC radio comedy series), broadcast 1951–1960.^[233]
• Hancock's Half Hour, BBC radio comedy (later television comedy series), broadcast 1954–1961; the radio series broke with the variety tradition then dominant in radio comedy, highlighting a new genre: the sitcom, or situation comedy.^[234]
• John Peel, disc jockey, 1939–2004.^[235]

• Pope Adrian IV (Nicholas Breakspear, c. 1100 – 1159); the only English Pope, 1154–1159.^[236]
• Saint Alban (died c. 209–305 A.D.); first recorded British Christian martyr.^[237]
• Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033 – 1109); Archbishop of Canterbury, 1093–1109.^[238]
• Archbishop of Canterbury, senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England.^[239]
• Augustine of Canterbury (6th century), first Archbishop of Canterbury in 597 A.D.^[240]
• Thomas Becket (c. 1120 – 1170), Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170; venerated as saint and martyr by both Catholic Church and Anglican Communion; engaged in conflict with Henry II over rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral; canonised soon after by Pope Alexander III.^[241]
• The Venerable Bede (672/673 – 735); his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum earned him the title "The Father of English History".^[242]
• Church of England, from 6th to 16th century in full communion with the See of Rome; the English Reformation saw a break from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church.^[243]
• Fidei defensor or "Defender of the Faith", a subsidiary title of English and later British monarchs since granted in 1521 by Pope Leo X to King Henry VIII.^[244]
• Julian of Norwich (c. 1342 – c. 1416), English anchoress and important Christian mystic and theologian.^[245]
• Thomas More (1478–1535), venerated by Catholics as Saint Thomas More (canonised 1535); author of Utopia (1516); his story is told in A Man for All Seasons (1966).^[246]
• Cardinal Newman (1801–1890), beatified in 2010.^[247]
• Post-Reformation oaths: English churchmen and others were required to assent to religious changes starting in the 16th century and continuing for more than 250 years.^[248]
• Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, culmination of the process of Catholic Emancipation.^[249]
• The Salvation Army, founded by Catherine and William Booth, 1865.^[250]
• John Wesley (1703–1791) and Charles Wesley (1707–1788), founders of Methodism.^[251]

• Alfred the Great (848–899 A.D.); King of Wessex and first King of the Anglo-Saxons, defeated the Viking invasions of England.^[252]
• Richard the Lionheart (1157–1199); known for his campaigns in the Third Crusade.^[253]
• King Henry V (1386–1422); known for military victories in the final phase of the Hundred Years' War and establishing a personal union between England and France, protagonist of Shakespeare's Henry V.^[254]
• King Richard III (1452–1485); leader of the House of York before his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field during the Wars of the Roses, protagonist of Shakespeare's Richard III.^[255]
• King Henry VIII (1491–1547); known for launching the English Reformation.^[256]
• Queen Elizabeth I (1533–1603); known for the Elizabethan Religious Settlement and her leadership during the Anglo-Spanish War.^[257]
• Queen Elizabeth II (1926 -), Queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms; known for her 70 years of reign and iconic representation of British monarchy and royalty.
• Diana Spencer (1961 –1997), member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales and mother of Prince William and Prince Harry. Diana's activism and glamour made her an international icon and earned her enduring popularity as well as unprecedented public scrutiny, exacerbated by her tumultuous private life.

• Francis Crick (1916–2004), co-discoverer (with James Watson) of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953.^[258]
• John Dalton (1766–1844), best known for his pioneering work in the development of modern atomic theory, and his research into colour blindness.^[259]
• Charles Darwin (1809–1882), best known for his contributions to evolutionary theory.^[260]
• Michael Faraday (1791–1867), discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and electrolysis.^[261]
• Francis Galton (1822–1911), devised a method for classifying fingerprints that advanced forensic science; initiated scientific meteorology; pioneered eugenics, coining the phrase "nature versus nurture".^[262]
• Robert Hooke (1635–1703), natural philosopher and polymath of multiple innovations.^[263]
• Edward Jenner (1749–1823), said to have "saved more lives ... than were lost in all the wars of mankind since the beginning of recorded history".^[264][265]
• Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727), widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time and a key figure in the scientific revolution.^[266]

• The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final: England 4 – West Germany 2; the most watched television event ever in the United Kingdom; Kenneth Wolstenholme's BBC TV match commentary drew to a close memorably with the line "They think it's all over".^[267]
• Roger Bannister (1929–2018), ran the first sub-four-minute mile on 6 May 1954 at Iffley Road track in Oxford.^[268]
• Henry Cooper (1934–2011), heavyweight boxer who held the British, Commonwealth, and European heavyweight titles several times throughout his career; knocked down Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) in 1963.^{[269][270][271]}
• Cricket;^[12] in recent times, the 2005 Ashes series;^[272] W. G. Grace (1848–1915), amateur cricketer, was important in the development of the sport.^[273]
• Cyclist Chris Froome (b. 1985),^[274] four times winner of the Tour de France.
• Notable Darts players include: Eric Bristow (b. 1957),^[275] Keith Deller (b. 1959),^[276] Maureen Flowers (b. 1945), Bobby George (b. 1945), John Lowe (b. 1945),^[277] and Phil Taylor (b. 1960).^[278]
• Football's FA Cup: first played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest association football competition in the world.^[12]
• Notable Formula One drivers include: Mike Hawthorn (1929–1959),^[279] Graham Hill (1929–1975),^[280] James Hunt (1947–1993),^[281] Stirling Moss (1929-2020),^[282] and John Surtees (1934–2017).^[283]
• Bobby Moore (1941–1993), affectionately remembered captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup.^[284]
• England's Premier League of men's association football clubs is the most-watched football league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people; after narrowly avoiding relegation the previous season, Leicester City F.C. won the league for the first time in their 132-year history in the 2015–16 season, becoming the sixth club to win the Premier League.^[285]
• Rugby Football;^[12] in recent times, Jonny Wilkinson's (b. 1979) dropped goal in the final minute of the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final.^[286][287]
• Wimbledon^[12] tennis champions include: Fred Perry (1909–1995),^[288] Virginia Wade (b. 1945) & Andy Murray (b. 1987).^[289]
• Notable Snooker players include: Steve Davis (b. 1957), Ronnie O'Sullivan (b. 1975),^[290] and Jimmy White (b. 1962).^[291]

Children'sEdit

• Gerry Anderson (1929–2012)^[292] ITV productions including: Fireball XL5 (1962–1965);^[293] Stingray (1964–65);^[294] Thunderbirds (1965–66);^[295] Captain Scarlet (1967–68);^[296] and Joe 90 (1968–69).^[297]
• Smallfilms, the partnership of Oliver Postgate (1925–2008) and Peter Firmin (b. 1928),^[298] makers of: Noggin the Nog (BBC, 1959–1965);^[299] The Clangers (BBC, 1969–1974);^[300] and Bagpuss (BBC, 1974).^[301]
• Doctor Who (BBC, 1963 to date)

ComedyEdit

• The Benny Hill Show (BBC/ITV, 1955–1991).^[302]
• On the Buses (ITV, 1969–1973).^[303]
• Dad's Army (BBC, 1968–1977)
• Monty Python's Flying Circus (BBC, 1969–1974)
• Porridge (BBC, 1973–1977)
• Fawlty Towers (BBC, 1975–1979)

DramaEdit

• Cathy Come Home and The Wednesday Play (1964–1970).^[304][305]
• Coronation Street (ITV, 1960–present).^[306]
• Tales of the Unexpected (ITV, 1979–1988).^[307]

OtherEdit

• Match of the Day (BBC, 1964–present).
• Test Card F (BBC, 1967–1999).^[308]

CarsEdit

• Aston Martin, a manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers; associated since the 1960s with the fictional character James Bond following the use of a DB5 model in the 1964 film Goldfinger.^[309]
• The Ford Cortina, built by Ford of Britain at Brentwood, Essex in various forms from 1962 to 1982.^[310]
• The Jaguar E-Type, manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1961 and 1975.
• Land Rover, a car brand that specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles; the Land Rover name was originally used, from 1948, by the Rover Company.^[12]
• The Mini, made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors 1959–2000.^[12]
• Morris Minor (1948–1971), recognised as typifying "Englishness".
• Rolls-Royce Limited and Rolls-Royce Motors, renowned car-manufacturers 1906–1998; exemplified by the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow;^[12] and the associated Bentley (1919–1998; bought by Rolls-Royce in 1931).^[311]

WaterEdit

• Cutty Sark (1869): a tea clipper built by 19th century ship-owning firm John Willis & Sons of London; in dry dock at Greenwich, London since 1954.^[312]
• The Golden Hind: an English galleon best known for Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580;^[313] the ship does not survive, but a replica – the Golden Hinde (1973) – has been berthed at St Mary Overie Dock on Cathedral Street, in Bankside, Southwark since 1996.
• The Mary Rose: King Henry VIII's warship sank on 19 July 1545 in the Solent, the straits north of the Isle of Wight; the wreck was rediscovered in 1971.^[314]
• The Mayflower: the ship that transported the first English Separatists, known today as the Pilgrims, from Plymouth to the New World in 1620.
• Narrowboats: the original working boats built in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on England's narrow canals.^[12]

Public transportEdit

• Blackpool tramway, last surviving first-generation tramway in the United Kingdom.^[36]
• Hackney carriage (also called a cab, black cab, hack or London taxi)
• The London Underground or the Tube; began operating in 1863; oldest underground railway service in the world.
• AEC Routemaster bus (red London double-decker bus), entered service 1956.^[12][126]
• "The man on the Clapham omnibus" became the expression used in English courts to symbolise a hypothetical ordinary and reasonable person.^[315]

• Middle English writers, notably: Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400),^[316] and William Langland (c. 1332 – c. 1386).^[317]
• Early modern dramatists, most notably: William Shakespeare (1564–1616).^[318]
• Early modern poets, notably: John Donne (1572–1631),^[319] and John Milton (1608–1674).^[320]
• Augustan writers, notably: Alexander Pope (1688–1744),^[321] and Dr Johnson (1709–1784).^[322]
• Romantic poets, notably: Wordsworth (1770–1850),^[323] Coleridge (1772–1834),^[324] Byron (1788–1824),^[325] Shelley (1792–1822),^[326] and Keats (1795–1821).^[327]
• Regency and Victorian female novelists, notably: Jane Austen (1775–1817),^[328] Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855),^[329] Emily Brontë (1818–1848),^[330] and George Eliot (1819–1880).^[331]
• Victorian novelists, most notably: Charles Dickens (1812–1870).^[332]
• Victorian poets, notably: Tennyson (1809–1892),^[333] and Browning (1812–1889).^[334]
• Late 19th and early 20th century writers, notably: Thomas Hardy (1840–1928),^[335] Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936),^[336] and E. M. Forster (1879–1970).^[337] Agatha Christie (1890-1976).
• 20th century novelists, including: George Orwell (1903–1950),^[338] Evelyn Waugh (1903–1966),^[339] Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), and Graham Greene (1904–1991).^[340]
• 20th century poets, including: Betjeman (1906–1984),^[341] Auden (1907–1973),^[342] and Larkin (1922–1985).^[343]
• 21st century writers, including: J.K. Rowling

• King Arthur, central figure in the legends making up the so-called Matter of Britain.^[344]
• Bank of England, established 1694.^[345]
• Bayeux Tapestry, final and best known work of Anglo-Saxon art, made in England in the 1070s (disputed) but held in a French museum.^[346]
• Betty's Tea Room in Harrogate, traditional tea rooms dating from 1919.^[36]
• Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red by Paul Cummins, with setting by Tom Piper; an installation at the Tower of London July–November 2014 commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of World War I.^[347]
• The neighbourhood "bobby" on the beat, dating from the 19th century.^[36]
• Coldstream Guards and Trooping the Colour.
• English eccentricity, some historical examples of which are documented in John Timbs' English Eccentrics and Eccentricities (1866).^[12]
• The English garden, a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century.^[12]
• English local government, originating from the municipal reform of the 19th century.^[348]
• English sense of humour.^[12]
• Fox hunting, of 16th century origin; and the 2005 ban (Hunting Act 2004).^[12]
• Hedges.^[12]
• Music hall, a theatrical entertainment popular from the early Victorian era until 1960;^[349] popularly revived on television by the BBC's The Good Old Days.^[350]
• Ordnance Survey maps; work commenced in 1791.^[12]
• Oxbridge, a portmanteau word blending Oxford University and Cambridge University, used to refer to the two collectively in contrast to other universities.^[12]
• Pantomime, a type of musical comedy stage production for family entertainment, developed in England by "father of English pantomime" John Rich (1692–1761).^[12]
• The Parish church, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches.^[12]
• The public house, or pub. The great diarist Samuel Pepys (1633–1703) described the pub as the heart of England.^[12]
• Punch and Judy, traditional, popular puppet show, associated with seaside culture.^{[12][351][352]}
• Queuing, the practice (once archetypally English) of waiting in line for one's turn to be attended to or to proceed.^[12]
• Red pillar boxes (in use since 1852).^[353]
• The red telephone box, dating from 1924.^[12]
• The Scout movement, created in 1907 by Lord Baden-Powell.^[12]
• The seaside pleasure pier, first built in England in the early 19th century.^[12]
• Stiff upper lip, a display of fortitude in the face of adversity, or an exercise of self-restraint in the expression of emotion;^[12] exemplified in Rudyard Kipling's poem "If—".^[354]
• The Sutton Hoo helmet, excavated in 1939 from a (c. 7th century) ship-burial and prompting comparisons with the world described in the heroic Old English poem Beowulf.^[12]
• The London Tube Map, designed originally in 1931 by Harry Beck (1902–1974).^[12]
• English weather.^[12]
• The White Cliffs of Dover; of symbolic significance because they face Continental Europe across the narrowest part of the English Channel, where invasions have historically threatened, and against which the cliffs form a symbolic guard; because crossing at Dover was the primary route to the continent before the advent of air travel, the white line of cliffs also formed the first or last sight of England for travellers.

• List of cultural icons of the United Kingdom

• British Postal Museum & Archive: Icons of England
• Culture24: Icons of England