England

Basic facts:

National flag of England

• The highest mountain in England: Scafell Pike.

• The patron saint of England: St George.

• St George’s Day : April,23, the English national day.

• The symbol of England: Red rose.

• The Capital of England: London.

• The national flag of England: St. George’s Cross.

• In geographical names ce and w are not pronounced, as in Norwich, Leicester, Gloucestershire, Greenwich.

• In geographical names er is often pronounced as [a:], as in Berkshire, Derby, Hertfordshire.

• The largest cities of England: London, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham.

Dover Task 2. Read the description of counties and concentrate on cultural associations that geographical names have. While reading make a table:

County	Most striking cultural features	Historical associations
Kent	Canterbury Cathedral, Chaucer, Dickens, Dover Castle, Hever Castle, Eurotunnel.	Thomas Becket, coastal defences in WW2, Anne of Cleves

Kent [kent] is nicknamed the Garden of England because there are a lot of apple and cherry gardens. The cultural highlights of Kent are Canterbury [‘kentbri] and Rochester. Canterbury is the seat of the Executive Head of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, though his actual office is in Lambeth, London. The beautiful Canterbury Cathedral is a place of pilgrimage because of the tomb of Thomas Becket villainously murdered on the steps of the Altar by the order of Henry II. Canterbury is also rich in literary associations, the most famous of which is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

Rochester is famous for the annual Dickens’s festival held at the beginning of June. People dress up in Victorian costumes and visitors arrive to Rochester on a special train “Mr. Pickwick’s special”.The name Rochester shows that in the old times there was a Roman military camp (castra) in this place. One more important town in Kent is Dover, which is one of the significant ports in England. It used to be the center of Britain’s Coastal defenses during World War II. Dover attracts tourists by its old Norman Castle perched high on the white cliffs of Dover. Another famous castle in Kent is Leeds Castle with its picturesque setting on an island in the middle of a lake. The Castle is associated with many happy and unhappy life stories of monarchs. There is also Hever castle in Kent, where Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, was born. His fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, spent 17 years in exile in Hever Castle. The past is mixed with technical innovation in Kent. The entrance to the famous Eurotunnel, which goes under the English Channel, is in Folkestone. Eurotunnel runs high speed car, coach and freight shuttles connecting the United Kingdom with Europe.

Sussex [‘ssks] has some seaside resorts, the most famous of which are Brighton [britn] and Hastings[heistiz]. The latter is also the site of the historical battle in 1066 between William the Duke of Normandy and king Harold.

There are two towns in Sussex famous for their art festivals. Glyndebourne[glindbo:n] opera festival is a grand social event, where the entire audience wears evening dress. Chichester theatre festival attracts the audience both by its performances and by the theatre itself, which has an apron stage. The stage makes the producer and the actors use an entirely different technique because they have their audience on three sides of them instead of just in front. In West Sussex there is one of the most perfect –looking castles in Britain, Arundel Castle. The Castle suffered during the Civil War in England in the 17^th century but it was restored and is perfectly preserved.

Berkshire [‘ba:kier] is notable for one of the Royal palaces – Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle was initially built by the Normans as a fortress. Soon after it was built this military post began to be used as a royal residence. It is known that King Henry I held his court in the castle. During the reign of Henry II the castle was rebuilt in stone, which was brought from Bedfordshire. Later more chapels, halls and walls were added by other monarchs. The State Apartments are open for tourists. Visitors can enjoy the rich décor of the Waterloo Chamber, the Garter Throne room, where the Knights of the Order of the Garter meet once a year, in June. Not far from Windsor is the famous Ascot Race Course.

Hampshire [hemp] (Hants) used to be an Anglo-Saxon kingdom called Wessex in the early Middle ages. Winchester, the former capital of Wessex, is one of the ancient cities in England. There is a monument to the most famous Wessex king – King Alfred the Great. King Alfred is the only British monarch who is called the Great. This is because he managed to do so much during his reign: he stopped the Danes and created the English navy, he ordered to write the English Chronicles, he invited many European scholars to England and paid much attention to developing education. According to medieval and Tudor scholars, it was at Winchester that King Arthur held his court. In Winchester Castle there is a 14^th century reproduction of the round table around which the legendary king Arthur’s knights used to sit. Southampton is a busy port with many luxurious cruises starting there. The sad voyage of Titanic also began in Southampton.

Wiltshire [wilti] attracts thousands of people interested in history by Britain’s most important prehistoric monument, the Stonehenge. In Neolithic times many huge stones were brought from Wales to Salisbury Plain. The stones were arranged in two concentric circles. The upright stones are lintelled by horizontal slabs. The function of the Stonehenge remains a mystery. It could have been a site of Druidic rituals or a place to calculate the annual calendar.

One of the most impressive towns in Wiltshire is Salisbury. The town was founded in the 13^th century at the same time as its great cathedral. Salisbury cathedral is the tallest in England due to its graceful spire.

Dorsetshire [do:seti] is internationally famous for its limestone which decorates not only many famous buildings in Britain (St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace) but also the White House in Washington D.C. and the United Nations Building in New York. You can find descriptions of certain parts of Dorsetshire in the novels of Thomas Hardy.

The counties of Devonshire [divni] and Cornwall [ko:nwol] have long coast-lines, and have always had strong connections with the sea. Indeed, many of England’s most famous sailors were born in the South-West.

When we say the word «Cornwall», we mean either the Cornish Peninsula or the County of Cornwall, which lies in the south-western part of the peninsula.

The cliffs and sandy beaches of the county, good bathing and delightful surroundings attract crowds of tourists. Hundreds of little towns and old-time villages add to the beauty of the place. The village of Tintagel is reputed to have been the birthplace of King Arthur; the remains of a great castle stand on a high rock. Another place connected with the name of King Arthur is Dozmary Pool, not an exiting patch of water, but featured in Arthurian legends as the bottomless lake into which the King’s famous sword Excalibur was tossed after his death.

The County of Cornwall includes the so-called Land’s End, the most south-westerly point of English mainland, and the Isles of Scilly, situated about 30 miles from Land’s End. They are a cluster of more than 100 tiny islands, of which the five largest ones are inhabited. The islands stand at the entrance of the English Channel with the warm Gulf Stream washing their shores. Tourism is the main industry here.

The county of Devonshire (also called Devon) is one of England’s biggest counties, with most people living in or near the few larger towns. Exeter[‘ekset], the main town of the county, has managed to preserve some of its medieval character.

Devon has two holiday coasts. The north coast faces the Atlantic Ocean and is rugged and invigorating. The south coast is the complete opposite, soft and languid, with red cliffs and south-facing bays that enjoy a mild, almost Mediterranean climate in spring and in summer. The city of Plymouth[‘plimth], known the world over for its seafaring traditions, is on the south coast of Devon. Here is the Mayflower Stone, commemorating the spot from which the Pilgrim Fathers sailed to America.

Devon is famous for sailors and adventurers. Not only Walter Raleigh[ro:li] was a Devon man, but so was Francis Drake. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born and spent a good deal of his life in Devonshire. And from the town of Plymouth came the master of English painters, Joshua Reynolds.

Between the two coasts of Devonshire lies the massive expanse of Dartmoor. It is a plateau, with rough masses of granite, called tors, on the hilltops. Dartmoor Prison, first used in 1809 for prisoners of war taken in the Napoleonic Wars, is in the centre of Dartmoor. The southern part of the region is known for wild ponies. Conan Doyle set his «Hound of the Baskervilles» here.

The County of Somersetshire [‘smseti] (also called Somerset) is very rural in character. The leafy narrow country roads lead past miles of buttercup meadows and apple orchards to countless villages of stone and thatch. Dairy-farming and apple-growing are important here.

The north-western part of Somerset is occupied by Exmoor, an area of high ground. It is a place of quiet heathland, wooded slopes and clattering streams giving way to wilder uplands. In the centre of Somerset is the lowland region known as Sedgemoor. Here King Alfred the Great once hid from the marauding Danish armies. This was part of Alfred’s kingdom, called Wessex, and memorials to him are widespread here.

Glastonbury is probably the most famous town in Somerset simply because it is steeped in legends. It has a church where they say the first conversions to Christianity were made in Britain. Later, a monastery was built there, and it is said that King Arthur and his wife, Queen Guinevere, were buried here. One of many legends has it that the monks discovered a tomb, on which were carved the words, in Latin, «Here lies Arthur, the Once and Future King.»

Avon has two main cities: Bristol and Bath.

The earliest growth of Bristol owed much to its ideal position as a port situated where the river Avon flows into the mouth of the river Severn. Bristol is a great centre for trade, export and industry (among its diverse industries shipbuilding and repairing maintain an important position; aircraft and aircraft engines are also manufactured here).

Bath has the only natural hot springs in Britain, and was built by the Romans, who treated their various illnesses here. The Roman bathing pool still exists, along with other Roman remains. In the 18^th century. Bath became a fashionable resort, and many fine buildings in the neo-classical style were added to the city. Nowadays Bath is not only a popular health resort but also an important centre of engineering and education.

Gloucestershirebelongs to another area of England called the Midlands. The Thames, the main river of the South (and of Britain as a whole) begins here. The river Thames flows south-east across the counties of Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The city of Glocester was founded as a Roman fort and was also an important inland port because of its location by the river Severn. Now the city is known for its beautiful cathedral. The unfortunate king Edward II is buried in the cathedral. He was murdered by the order of his unfaithful wife and her lover in Berkeley Castle. The gentle green hills of Cotswold are near Glocester. In 1981 Prince Charles bought Highgrove House, which is an elegant Georgian building in the classical style. The estate allows him to practise his gardening and farming skills.

The main town of the County of Oxfordhsire (Oxon. for short) is Oxford, the home of the oldest of British universities (it was founded in the 12^th century). Some theories claim that Oxford University was founded by English students who had been expelled from the University of Paris in 1167, while others hold that it is an offshoot of the various monastic institutions in the immediate neighbourhood.The University includes 39 colleges. The oldest college is called University College. It was founded in the beginning of the 13^th century. Christ Church College is known as the “House”. Balliol, Corpus Christi, Merton, Trinity are the most famous colleges. Other attractions of Oxford are: the Bodleian library, the Ashmolean Museum, Magdalen bridge, Sheldonian Theatre and Museum of Oxford. Famous Oxonians include: Margaret Thatcher (a politician), Rowan Atkinson (a comedian), Roger Bacon (a scholar), Charles Dodgson (writing as Lewis Carroll), Evelyn Waugh, Iris Murdoch, Tolkien (writers). To the north of Oxford is the Palace of the Dukes of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace. It is the birthplace of Winston Churchill.

Norfolk. The main town of Norfolk is Norwich. It has a castle, a Norman cathedral, founded in 1095, and the school where Admiral Nelson studied as a child. Norwich school of artists is a famous art school in England. One of the Royal Palaces – Sandringham, is situated in Norfolk. The north coast of Norfolk is a wild, sinister place with miles of sand and numerous bird sanctuaries. Norfolk is also known for the Broads, a vast expanse of lakes and rivers, providing wonderful opportunities for boating.

Suffolk is more colourful; it is a warmer and cosier place than its northern neighbour. The county is associated with the names of John Constable, a famous landscape painter, and Thomas Gainsborough, a brilliant portraitist. Ipswich and Alderburgh are the most important towns of Suffolk. Geoffrey Chaucer’s family lived in Ipswich, as well as the family of Thomas Wolsey [wulzi], who became Cardinal and Chancellor of England during the reign of Henry VIII.

Cambridgeshire is largely famous for the second oldest university in England. The oldest colleges of Cambridge University are Peterhouse and Clare. One of the newest colleges is Robinson college, opened by the Queen in 1977. The most beautiful building in Cambridge is King’s College Chapel with the alter piece painted by Rubens. Isaac Newton worked in Cambridge, Oliver Cromwell and John Milton studied there.

Bedfordshire has one of wonderful British historical houses. Hatfield House was built in the place where Princess Elisabeth was informed about the death of her half-sister Mary I. The Hatfield House is a monument to Jacobean architecture and design at its finest.

Lancashire is a county of great variety, incorporating moorlands and mountains, industrial towns, little villages and agricultural plains. Most of all, however, it is famed for its coastline where lies that Mecca of holidaymakers, Blackpool. Here visitors can find every conceivable form of entertainment and over all this activity looms the great tower, 518 feet tall. From September to October the tower, promenade and beach are spectacularly illuminated. Lancashire Industries include cotton, iron, steel, cars. The main town is Lancaster. It has a Roman Catholic cathedral and a university.

Warwickshire is linked with the name of William Shakespeare. His birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, attract thousands of visitors. Shakespeare is buried in Holy Trinity Church. There is the Royal Shakespeare Theatre where a festival of Shakespeare’s plays is held every year. Another famous town of the county is Warwick, which is famous for its impressive castle the home of the Earls of Warwick, some of whom actively participated in the Wars of the Roses. In the town of Rugby the famous game was born in 1823 in the famous public school.

Nottinghamshire is most often associated with Sherwood Forest and the legendary Robin Hood. Another literary link is with the best novel by D.H. Lawrence “Sons and Lovers”. The town of Nottingham is dominated by its castle built by William the Conqueror. The castle is also connected with the Civil War: Charles I raised his standard there in 1642 and later in 1655 the castle was destroyed by O. Cromwell’s supporters. The castle was restored in 1875.

Staffordshire is famous for its pottery. North Staffordshire is frequently called “The Potteries”. The main city of the Potteries is Stoke-on-Trent. The most famous pottery is the so called Wedgwood pottery named after Josiah Wedgwood who created a special kind of porcelain in the 18^th century. It is blue, green or black with a raised design in white.

Shropshire is situated on the Welsh border. This county can boast the first iron bridge in the world. The bridge was built across the Severn in 1778. It is still used by pedestrians.

Cumbria or the Lake District. Thousands of people flock to the area every year for the scenery. The bright sails of yachts speckle the waters of Ullswater and Windermere, the largest lake in England. There are fifteen lakes, including Derwentwater, Grasmere, which nestle beneath dramatic mountain slopes. The hills surrounding the lakes are perfect walking country and hikers with muddy boots, plastic anoraks and large rucksacks are a common sight along the footpaths. The lovely scenery of this place attracted many famous English writers: among them the ‘Lake Poets’ William Wordsworth, born in Cockermouth, Southey and Samuel Tailor Coleridge, the writer Beatrix Potter who wrote stories for young children.

Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England.

No greater contrast could be imagined than that between the noisy bustle of Blackpool and the solitude and tranquillity of the adjoining countryside. Some of Cumbria’s most impressive scenery can be found around the Langdale Pikes. These two craggy peaks tower above the two valleys of Great and Little Langdale. Little Langdale is the starting point of the Wrynose Pass, a steep mountain road leading to the even steeper Hardknott Pass, which is notorious for its sharp bends and gradients of 1 in 3. The remains of a Roman castle stand by this pass.

Merseyside (parts of Lancashire and Cheshire).

Liverpool is the second largest port in England. Linen industry, silk, mixed clothes, knitwear, rubber, rainwear, engineering, sugar refining are the industries developing here.

The Anglican Cathedral (1978) built in red stone is the biggest in Britain. There is the Beatle Centre in Seal Street, the Walker Art Gallery, Merseyside County Museum (time keeping, maritime). The former prosperity of Liverpool was built on the docks and international trade: initially that was the triangular trade of slaves to America, sugar and cotton to England and manufactured goods to Africa. Later Liverpool became the leading port for goods and people to and from America. In the second half of the 20^th century the city was struck by economic decline. It receives funds from the EU as one of the poorest parts of Europe. Nevertheless Liverpudlians love their city, are proud of its history and believe in its future.

Greater Manchester(part of Lancashire). It is an industrial city. Manufacture of cotton, aircraft, chemicals are produced in Manchester. It is the birthplace of the famous quality newspaper “Guardian”(1821). There are 5 art galleries, the Gallery of English Costume, the Museum of Science and Industry, much of it devoted to transport. Liverpool-Manchester line was one of the first railways built by G. Stephenson. Henry Royce built his first car here in 1904. Manchester United is among the richest football clubs in the world. The Asian area of Manchester offers eating out experience in the Curry Mile. Manchester has the biggest Chinatown in Europe. Every year there is a Dragon-Boat Festival on the Manchester Ship Canal.

West Yorkshire is connected with Brontë sisters (Emily and Charlotte). Bradford is one of the world’s centres of woollen industry. In Leeds manufacture of textiles is now less important than other industries: manufacture of locomotives, clothes, rails, textile machinery, aircraft, electrical equipment, footwear.

There is Leeds University, several theatres, the only music hall in the county. The musical festivals are famous.

South Yorkshire stretches from the Pennines to the river Don. Sheffield is an important steel centre. Mary, Queen of Scots spent 14 years in Sheffield Castle.

North Yorkshire. York was the capital of Roman Britain, then the Anglo-Saxon capital of Northumbria. Today it is the seat of an archbishopric. York Minster is famous for its stained glass. There is the National Railway Museum, the Yorkshire (Roman) Museum and the Jorvik Viking Centre (Vikings called York Jorvik)

Whitby isa fishing port. Captain Cook lived here.

Humberside(part of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire).

Hull is the third greatest port. There is the Town Docks Museum with a plaque marking the spot from which Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe set sail. Beverley is a racing town. Grimsby is a fishing port.

Cleveland. There are several industrial towns: Bellingham (chemical industry), Middlesborough (coal, iron, steel), Stockton-on-Tees (shipbuilding, engineering).

Tyne and Wear is called by the name of the rivers.

The main town is Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a big commercial centre. It began as a fort at the end of Hadrian’s Wall. The Normans built a castle there. Another important town is Durham [´d^rэm] with an old castle and an old Norman cathedral (1093). Industrial products are: iron, steel, glass, chemicals.

Northumberland. The main town is Berwick on the river Tweed. There are moors in the centre and mountains in the North-West. There is the famous Hadrian’s Wall in Northumbria. It was built when England was part of the Roman Empire to protect England from Scots and Picts who lived on the territory of Scotland. The wall was built from shore to shore. It is one of the tourist attractions now. Bamburgh Castle was one of the principal strongholds of the Anglo-Saxon kings of Northumbria. The castle that stands today was built in the 12^th century. Now it houses an interesting museum of armour and a fine collection of porcelain and tapestries.