From Downton Abbey and Magna Carta to rugby and the Bakewell Pudding, England’s ultimate Hall of Fame has been revealed to celebrate St George’s Day.
The Hall of Fame exhibition opens on Wednesday, St George’s Day. Running for a week until April 30, the free open-air exhibition will take place at Observation Point on London’s Southbank.
Following the public’s suggestions, a panel of experts chose England’s Hall of Fame, below (The People’s Choice will be revealed on St George’s Day). Pictures of the gold winners.
History & Heritage
Bronze – The four surviving original copies of Magna Carta, sealed in 1215 at Runnymede, Surrey, and regarded by historians as the foundation of constitutional liberty in the English-speaking world
Silver – The smooth lawns and sweeping vistas of England’s landscaping master, Capability Brown, as seen at Northumberland’s Kirkharle Lake and Courtyard
Gold – Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, the world’s oldest industrial complex and a crucial part of England’s naval heritage
The Great, the Good and the Notorious
Bronze – World-renowned, elusive graffiti artist Banksy, whose original murals can be spotted on a guided tour of Bristol’s street art
Silver – Robin Hood, England’s lovable outlaw, whose world-famous legend is rooted in Sherwood Forest on the outskirts of Nottingham
Gold – Founder of the National Trust, Octavia Hill, whose birthplace museum in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, is dedicated to her life and social reforms
Food & Drink
Bronze – The Bakewell Pudding, first made at a local inn in Derbyshire during the 19th century… and whose recipe was something of a happy accident!
Silver – England’s oldest working gin distillery in Plymouth, whose guided tours provide a glimpse into the centuries-old process of gin making
Gold – The sandwich, an essential part of afternoon tea, which was named in honour of its ingenious inventor, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. Enjoy them cut up into dainty fingers at Woburn Abbey, where the tradition of afternoon tea was popularised around 1840.
Inventions & Discoveries
Bronze – England as the birthplace of the steam locomotive, whose steam train attractions can be found chugging merrily around the country. A working replica of the world’s first operational steam locomotive can be seen in action at Blists Hill Victorian Town in Ironbridge, Shropshire, while Birmingham’s Thinktank Science Museum is worth visiting for its exciting demonstrations of the steam engine’s power.
Silver – Sir Isaac Newton’s family home at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, where the English physicist and mathematician first discovered his theory of gravity
Gold – Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s engineering masterpieces in Bristol, including the magnificent Clifton Suspension Bridge and SS Great Britain passenger steamship
Sport & Leisure
Bronze – The annual BNY Mellon Boat Race (known also as the Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race), established in 1829 and one of the world’s oldest sporting events
Silver – The home of tennis, from Hampton Court Palace in Richmond-upon-Thames, where the sport is thought to have been invented, to Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum
Gold – The incidental birth of modern rugby during a football game at Rugby School in Warwickshire
Culture & Entertainment
Bronze – Glastonbury, the granddaddy of all festivals on Worthy Farm in Somerset
Silver –Hampshire’s elegant Highclere Castle, the real-life location of ITV’s hugely successful Downton Abbey
Gold – The Beatles, whose mop-top haircuts and irresistibly catchy tunes set fans’ hearts on fire in 1960s Liverpool
#EnglandsHOF
