This list of cultural icons of England is a list of people and things from any period which are independently considered to be cultural icons characteristic of England.
Books and documents
The King James Bible (begun 1604; completed 1611).
The Bill of Rights 1689 (passed on 16 December 1689).
The Canterbury Tales (produced between c. 1386 and 1400) by Geoffrey Chaucer.
The Domesday Book (completed 1086).
William Shakespeare's First Folio (published posthumously in 1623).
The Lindisfarne Gospels (produced c. 700 A.D.), attributed to Eadfrith of Lindisfarne.
The Lord of the Rings (begun 1937; completed 1949), by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Magna Carta (agreed by King John on 15 June 1215).
Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861), edited by Isabella Beeton.
The novels of Charles Dickens (1812-1870).
On the Origin of Species (1859) by Charles Darwin.
Our Island Story (1905) by H. E. Marshall.
The Oxford English Dictionary (begun 1857; first edition completed 1928).
Pride and Prejudice (1813) by Jane Austen.
The works of Beatrix Potter (1866-1943).
Buildings and structures
The Abbey Road zebra crossing, famous for its association with the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road.
The Angel of the North, contemporary sculpture by Sir Antony Gormley, located near Gateshead in Tyne and Wear (completed 1998).
Big Ben (the nickname for the bell; the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012).
Blackpool Tower (opened 14 May 1894).
Buckingham Palace, London residence of the British monarch since 1837.
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).
Durham Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham (present cathedral founded 1093).
EMI's Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes, Middlesex, where records by The Beatles and other EMI artists were manufactured in the 1960s and after.
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).
Hadrian's Wall (begun in 122 A.D.).
The Iron Bridge, across the River Severn in Shropshire (opened 1781).
The National Memorial Arboretum, described by Prince William in 2011 as an "iconic focal point" for the nation's remembrance of fallen soldiers.
Seaside piers (first built early 19th century).
The Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, commemorating Lord Shaftesbury; the statue of Anteros is named The Angel of Christian Charity.
Spaghetti junction, or Gravelly Hill Interchange; opened 24 May 1972.
Stonehenge, a prehistoric ring of standing stones in Wiltshire.
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).
Westminster Abbey, formally the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster (construction of the present church began 1245).
York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York (long history; the cathedral was declared complete and consecrated 1472).
Blazer, originated with the red 'blazers' of the Lady Margaret Boat Club (1825), the rowing club of St. John's College, Cambridge.
Bowler hat, created 1849 for soldier and politician Edward Coke.
Deerstalker hat, popularly associated with representations of fictional private investigator Sherlock Holmes.
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.
Flat cap, dating back to the 14th century in Northern England.
Frock coat, popularised by Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria.
Miniskirt, so-called since the 1960s, when it became associated with "Swinging London."
Pith helmet, popular from the 1870s with military personnel in the Tropics.
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.
Smock-frock, dating back to the early 18th century in the Midlands and Southern England.
Top hat, said to have caused a riot when John Hetherington first wore one in public on 15 January 1797.
Trench coat, the invention of which is claimed by both Burberry and Aquascutum.
Customs and traditions
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.
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.
Birdman Rally, flying; format originated in Selsey, West Sussex, 1971.
Britannia Coco-nut Dancers, a troupe of Lancastrian clog dancers who perform every Easter in Bacup, dancing 7 miles (11 km) across the town.
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.
Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Brockworth, near Gloucester.
Cotswold Olimpick Games, probably began 1622.
Egg-and-spoon race, earliest recorded example, 1894.
Gurning, rural English tradition of assuming a distorted facial expression.
International Birdman, flying competitions held in Bognor Regis and Worthing, West Sussex.
London Marathon, first run 29 March 1981.
Maypole dancing, found historically in England and in areas of Wales and Scotland under English influence.
Morris dancing, earliest known and surviving English written mention dated to 1448.
Nottingham Goose Fair, dates back more than 700 years.
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.
Royal Shrovetide Football, played annually in Ashbourne, Derbyshire since c. 1667.
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.
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.
Wellie wanging, game originating from Upperthong, Holmfirth; competitors are required to hurl a Wellington boot as far as possible within boundary lines.
Cambridge University, founded in 1209.
Charterhouse School, founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611.
Eton College, founded in 1440.
Grammar schools: selective tier of England's Tripartite System of state-funded secondary education between 1945 and the 1970s.
Harrow School, founded in 1572.
Oxford University, evidence of teaching since 1096.
Roedean School, founded in 1885.
Rugby School, founded in 1567.
Winchester College, established by William of Wykeham in 1382.
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.
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.
Flag of St George, 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.
Remembrance poppy, used since 1921 to commemorate military personnel who have died in war; distributed by The Royal British Legion in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Sunday, in support of current and former British military personnel.
The Rose is the national flower of England, a usage dating back to the English civil wars of the 15th century.
Saint George, patron saint of England by the 14th century.
Commonwealth Day: annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations held on the second Monday in March.
Saint George's Day: 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in 303 AD.
May Day: usually celebrated on 1 May.
Empire Day (1904-1958): last school day before 24 May, Queen Victoria's birthday.
Whitsun: the festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples (Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2).
Trafalgar Day: 21 October, celebration of Nelson's victory over the combined French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.
Boxing Day: 26 (or 27 when 26 is a Sunday) December.
Glastonbury Festival: performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset; inaugurated in 1970.
Biggles, nickname of pilot and adventurer James Bigglesworth, created in 1932 by Captain W. E. Johns.
James Bond, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by Ian Fleming.
Dixon of Dock Green, typical "bobby" on the beat, first appeared in The Blue Lamp (1949).
Falstaff, fat, boastful knight who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare.
Alf Garnett, East End patriarch first seen in sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, created in 1965 by Johnny Speight.
Sherlock Holmes, private detective created in 1887 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Robin Hood, heroic outlaw of English folklore, dating from the 13th century.
Lord Snooty, comic strip character created in 1938 and drawn mostly by Dudley D. Watkins.
Noddy, little wooden puppet created in 1949 by Enid Blyton.
Paddington Bear, created by Michael Bond (b. 1926) in 1958.
Harry Potter, created by J. K. Rowling in 1997.
Rupert Bear, comic strip bear created in 1920 by Mary Tourtel and popularised from 1935 by Alfred Bestall.
Sooty, bear created by Harry Corbett in 1948.
Winnie-the-Pooh, created by A. A. Milne in 1926.
Dick Whittington and His Cat: English folklore surrounding the real-life Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423); earliest written form: 1604-5.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears: first recorded in narrative form by Robert Southey, 1837.
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.
Jack the Giant Killer: "The History of Jack and the Giants" was published by J. White of Newcastle in 1711.
The Three Little Pigs: first appeared in The Nursery Rhymes of England by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps in c. 1886.
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.
Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader (1910-1982).
Group Captain Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire VC, OM, DSO & Two Bars, DFC (1917-1992).
General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722).
Major General Robert Clive (1725-1774).
Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658).
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral (c. 1540 - 1596).
Major General Charles George Gordon (1833-1885).
Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet (1892-1984).
T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935).
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (1887-1976).
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758-1805).
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852).
Major General James Wolfe (1727-1759).
"Heart of Oak" (the official march of the Royal Navy).
"I Vow to Thee, My Country".
"Jerusalem" ("And did those feet in ancient time . . .").
"Land of Hope and Glory".
"Rose of England".
"Rule, Britannia!"
"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").
"There'll Always be an England".
"(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover".
Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006).
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976).
William Byrd (c. 1539/40 or 1543 – 1623).
Frederick Delius (1862-1934).
Edward Elgar (1857-1934).
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759; naturalised British 1727).
Gustav Holst (1874-1934).
Henry Purcell (1659-1695).
Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900); collaborated with librettist W. S. Gilbert.
John Tavener (1944-2013).
Michael Tippett (1905-1998).
William Walton (1902-1983).
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958).
John Barbirolli (1899-1970).
Thomas Beecham (1879-1961).
Adrian Boult (1889-1983).
Malcolm Sargent (1895-1967).
Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977, born in England).)
Britpop.
C86.
English folk music.
Madchester.
Pub rock.
Orders, decorations, and medals
British Empire Medal, awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown.
Distinguished Service Order (DSO), military decoration awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.
George Cross, highest gallantry award for civilians, as well as for members of the armed forces in actions for which purely military honours would not normally be granted.
Order of the British Empire, includes OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) and MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire); rewards contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside Her Majesty's Civil Service.
Victoria Cross, highest military decoration, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and former British Empire territories.
Country Life, launched by Edward Hudson in 1897.
Daily Mail, first published by Lord Northcliffe in 1896.
The Eagle, seminal comic published 1950-1969.
The Financial Times, founded by James Sheridan and Horatio Bottomley in 1888.
The Gentleman's Magazine, founded by Edward Cave in 1731.
The Lancet, weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal founded by Thomas Wakley in 1823.
Pall Mall Gazette, evening newspaper founded by George Murray Smith in 1865.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, scientific journal published by the Royal Society; established in 1665.
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.
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.
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.
Viz, adult comic magazine founded in 1979 by Chris Donald.
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".
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), wrote Leviathan (1651), the foundation of most later Western political philosophy.
John Locke (1632-1704), influential Enlightenment thinker, commonly known as the "Father of Liberalism".
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), influential liberal thinker, wrote on social theory, political theory and political economy.
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), logician, mathematician, and political activist.
Clement Attlee (1883-1967), Labour.
Tony Benn (1925-2014), Labour.
Winston Churchill (1874-1965), Conservative.
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), Tory/Conservative.
William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898), Liberal.
Lord Liverpool (1770-1828), Tory/Conservative.
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708-1778), Whig.
William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806), Tory/Conservative.
Enoch Powell (1912-1998), Conservative.
Lord Salisbury (1830-1903), Tory/Conservative.
Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013), Conservative.
Robert Walpole 1676-1745), Whig.
The Archers, radio serial broadcast on BBC Radio 4 since 1951; originally described as "an everyday story of country folk".
BBC Radio, founded 1927.
BBC World Service, founded 1932.
Tony Blackburn, disc jockey, b. 1943.
Desert Island Discs, radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4; first broadcast in 1942.
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.
John Peel, disc jockey, 1939-2004.
Pope Adrian IV (Nicholas Breakspear, c.?1100 – 1159); the only English Pope, 1154-1159.
Saint Alban (died c. 209-305 A.D.); first recorded British Christian martyr.
Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033 – 1109); Archbishop of Canterbury, 1093-1109.
Archbishop of Canterbury, senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England.
Augustine of Canterbury (6th century), first Archbishop of Canterbury in 597 A.D.
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.
The Venerable Bede (672/673-735); his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum earned him the title "The Father of English History".
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.
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.
Julian of Norwich (c. 1342 – c. 1416), English anchoress and important Christian mystic and theologian.
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).
Cardinal Newman (1801-1890), beatified in 2010.
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.
Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, culmination of the process of Catholic Emancipation.
The Salvation Army, founded by Catherine and William Booth, 1865.
John Wesley (1703-1791) and Charles Wesley (1707-1788), founders of Methodism.
Alfred the Great (848-899 A.D.).
Richard the Lionheart (1157-1199).
Henry V (1386-1422).
Richard III (1452-1485).
Henry VIII (1491-1547).
Elizabeth I (1533-1603).
Caroline of Brunswick (1768-1821), Princess of Wales 1795-1820; wife of George IV 1820-1821.
Queen Victoria (1819-1901).
Elizabeth II (b. 1926).
Diana, Princess of Wales (née Spencer; 1961-1997).
Francis Crick (1916-2004), co-discoverer (with James Watson) of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953.
John Dalton (1766-1844), best known for his pioneering work in the development of modern atomic theory, and his research into colour blindness.
Charles Darwin (1809-1882), best known for his contributions to evolutionary theory.
Michael Faraday (1791-1867), discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and electrolysis.
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".
Robert Hooke (1635-1703), natural philosopher and polymath of multiple innovations.
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."
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.
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".
Roger Bannister (b. 1929), ran the first sub-four-minute mile on 6 May 1954 at Iffley Road track in Oxford.
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.
Cricket; in recent times, the 2005 Ashes series; W. G. Grace (1848-1915), amateur cricketer, was important in the development of the sport.
Cyclists Chris Froome (b. 1985), and Bradley Wiggins (b. 1980); both victorious in the Tour de France.
Notable Darts players include: Eric Bristow (b. 1957), Keith Deller (b. 1959), Maureen Flowers (b. 1945), Bobby George (b. 1945), John Lowe (b. 1945), and Phil Taylor (b. 1960).
Football's FA Cup: first played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest association football competition in the world.
Bobby Moore (1941-1993), affectionately remembered captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup.
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.
Rugby Football; in recent times, Jonny Wilkinson's (b. 1979) dropped goal in the final minute of the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final.
Wimbledon tennis champions include: Fred Perry (1909-1995), and Virginia Wade (b. 1945).
Notable Snooker players include: Steve Davis (b. 1957), Ronnie O'Sullivan (b. 1975), and Jimmy White (b. 1962).
2012 Summer Olympics, commonly known as London 2012.
Gerry Anderson (1929-2012) ITV productions including: Fireball XL5 (1962-5); Stingray (1964-5); Thunderbirds (1965-6); Captain Scarlet (1967-8); and Joe 90 (1968-9).
Blue Peter (BBC, 1958–present).
Jackanory (BBC, 1965-96).
Muffin the Mule (BBC, 1946–55).
Play School (BBC, 1964-88).).
Smallfilms, the partnership of Oliver Postgate (1925-2008) and Peter Firmin (b. 1928), makers of: Noggin the Nog (BBC, 1959–65); The Clangers (BBC, 1969–74); and Bagpuss (BBC, 1974).
Watch with Mother (BBC, 1953-1975), including: Andy Pandy (1950–59); The Flower Pot Men (1952-4); The Woodentops (1955-7); Camberwick Green (1966), Trumpton (1967), and Chigley (1969); and Mr Benn (1971-2).
The Wombles (BBC, 1973-5).
The Benny Hill Show (BBC/ITV, 1955-1991).
Fawlty Towers (BBC, 1975-9).
Monty Python's Flying Circus (BBC, 1969–74).
The Morecambe & Wise Show (BBC, 1968–77; ITV, 1978–83).
On the Buses (ITV, 1969–73).
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (BBC, 1973-8).
Cathy Come Home and The Wednesday Play (1964-1970).
Coronation Street (ITV, 1960–present).
Dixon of Dock Green (BBC, 1955–76).
Doctor Who (BBC, 1963–89; 2005–present).
Play for Today (BBC, 1970–84).
Tales of the Unexpected (ITV, 1979–88).
Match of the Day (BBC, 1964–present).
Panorama (1953–present).
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II live broadcast (2 June 1953).
The Sky at Night (BBC, 1957–present).
Test Card F (BBC, 1967–99).
Top of the Pops (1964-2006).
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.
The Ford Cortina, built by Ford of Britain at Brentwood, Essex in various forms from 1962 to 1982.
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.
The Mini, made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors 1959-2000.
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; and the associated Bentley (1919-1998; bought by Rolls-Royce in 1931).
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.
HMS Dreadnought (1906): a Royal Navy battleship that revolutionised naval power.
The Golden Hind: an English galleon best known for Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580; 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.
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.
HMS Victory: best known as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805; in dry dock at Portsmouth since 1922.
The Avro Lancaster (1941-1963).
Concorde (1969-2003), jointly developed and manufactured by the British Aircraft Corporation and Aérospatiale under an Anglo-French treaty.
The de Havilland Comet (1949-1997), the first commercial jet airliner, and the Vickers VC10 (1962-2013).
the Fairey Aviation Company (1915-1960).
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier (1969-2006).
The Sopwith Camel (1916-1920).
The Supermarine Spitfire (1936-1948) and the Hawker Hurricane (1935-1944).
Blackpool tramway, last surviving first-generation tramway in the United Kingdom.
British Railways, which from 1965 traded as British Rail; most nostalgically in the days of the steam locomotive.
The London Underground or the Tube; began operating in 1863.
AEC Routemaster bus (red London double-decker bus), entered service 1956.
The man on the Clapham omnibus became the expression used in English courts to symbolise a hypothetical ordinary and reasonable person.
Middle English writers, notably: Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400), and William Langland (c. 1332 – c. 1386).
Early modern dramatists, most notably: William Shakespeare (1564-1616).
Early modern poets, notably: John Donne (1572-1631), and John Milton (1608-1674).
Augustan writers, notably: Alexander Pope (1688-1744), and Dr Johnson (1709-1784).
Romantic poets, notably: Wordsworth (1770-1850), Coleridge (1772-1834), Byron (1788-1824), Shelley (1792-1822), and Keats (1795-1821).
Regency and Victorian female novelists, notably: Jane Austen (1775-1817), Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), Emily Brontë (1818-1848), and George Eliot (1819-1880).
Victorian novelists, most notably: Charles Dickens (1812-1870).
Victorian poets, notably: Tennyson (1809-1892), and Browning (1812-1889).
Late 19th and early 20th century writers, notably: Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), and E. M. Forster (1879-1970).
20th century novelists, including: George Orwell (1903-1950), Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966), and Graham Greene (1904-1991).
20th century poets, including: Betjeman (1906-1984), Auden (1907-1973), and Larkin (1922-1985).
King Arthur, central figure in the legends making up the so-called Matter of Britain.
Bank of England, established 1694.
Bayeux Tapestry, final and best known work of Anglo-Saxon art, made in England in the 1070s but held in a French museum.
Betty's Tea Room in Harrogate, traditional tea rooms dating from 1919.
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.
The neighbourhood "bobby" on the beat, dating from the 19th century.
Boudica (d. A.D. 60 or 61), queen of the Celtic Iceni tribe who fought against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire.
Coldstream Guards and Trooping the Colour.
English eccentricity, some historical examples of which are documented in John Timbs' English Eccentrics and Eccentricities (1866).
The English garden, a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century.
English local government, originating from the municipal reform of the 19th century.
English sense of humour.
The E.U. membership referendum of 23 June 2016.
Fox hunting, of 16th century origin; and the 2005 ban (Hunting Act 2004).
Hedges.
Music hall, a theatrical entertainment popular from the early Victorian era until 1960; popularly revived on television by the BBC's The Good Old Days.
Ordnance Survey maps; work commenced in 1791.
Oxbridge, a portmanteau word blending Oxford University and Cambridge University, used to refer to the two collectively in contrast to other universities.
Pantomime, a type of musical comedy stage production for family entertainment, developed in England by "father of English pantomime" John Rich (1692-1761).
The Parish church, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches.
The public house, or Pub. The great diarist Samuel Pepys (1603-1733) described the pub as the heart of England.
Punch and Judy, traditional, popular puppet show, associated with seaside culture.
The Queen's head on postage stamps. see also: the Chalon head.
Queuing, the practice (once archetypally English) of waiting in line for one's turn to be attended to or to proceed.
Red pillar boxes (in use since 1852).
The Red telephone box, dating from 1924.
The Scout movement, created in 1907 by Lord Baden-Powell.
The seaside pleasure pier, first built in England in the early 19th century.
Stiff upper lip, a display of fortitude in the face of adversity, or an exercise of self-restraint in the expression of emotion; exemplified in Rudyard Kipling's poem "If—".
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.
The London Tube Map, designed originally in 1931 by Harry Beck (1902-1974).
English weather.
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 England Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
