Brits also played a major part in modern music. The Beatles started a British invasion from Liverpool in the 1960s that included Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones (Brian Jones, the founding member, was born and buried in Cheltenham), and the Moody Blues. Gordy Sumner (a.k.a. Sting) was born and raised in Newcastle. Sting and the Police were formed in Buckinghamshire. John Newton and William Cowper wrote the Olney Hymns, which include the famous "Amazing Grace".
In movies, James Bond is by far the most famous character, who is supposedly from Leavesden. The Star Wars Trilogy and 2001: Space Odyssey were both filmed at the British Hollywood Borehamwood (over time, the industry left, but it is beginning to return slowly).
Food is another major part of England. Cheddar cheese is made in Chester.
Nearby are the famous white cliffs of Dover, which overlook the English Channel and the route to France. Charles Dickens set his masterpiece Great Expectations in nearby Rochester. Gravesend is where Pocahontas is buried.
Also as mysterious as the stones are the carvings in the ground of horses. There are seven major horses, each of origin unknown.
Belfast is famed for its shipbuilding, as it is home to the world's largest drydock. Carrickfergus Castle on the outskirts of the city dates back to 1180. Also in the city are some botanical gardens and St. Anne's Cathdral.
Nessie, the Loch Ness Monsther, is the area's main attraction. Thousands of people a year flock to the lake to try to catch a glimpse of Nessie. Sightings of the monster date back to the seventh century AD. Many photographs of the monster have been taken, but most have been discredited and those that haven't can't be proven to be real.
Bath
Bath is an old Roman town originally named Acqua Sulis, and draws its name from the famous natural baths that the town centers upon. Nowadays it serves as a rest stop for those travelling on towards Cornwall and Devon. The city has a slight yellow tint, for the buildings are made out of a yellow stone quarried locally.Berkshire
Built along the Thames River, Berkshire is a major draw because of Windsor Castle and Ascot.Ascot
Ascot Races is the most famous in the world. It may not be as glorious as the Kentucky Derby or any of the other members of Triple Crown, but it is famous in other regards. Everyone who is anyone in England attends the Ascot races. It is a tradition of over a hundred years. The Royal family goes almost every week, and many important businessmen, scholars and politicians also attend on a regular basis.Windsor Castle
This is the apex of English Royalty. It stands atop the highest hill in the area, and is able to be seen for miles around. When the Queen is in residence the royal flag flies high above the castle. It is open to people to see. Prince Albert and Princess Sophie were married in the famous chapel inside the castle in 1999. Also known for the path that goes from the castle to Windsor Great Park's statue of a horsemen: it looks about half a mile, but it actually several miles long.Cambridge
Cambridge is the Boston equivalent in England: over 31 universities claim the city as their home. Peterhouse is the oldest of the schools, dating back to 1284, but it is largely overshadowed by the famous Cambridge University. Being the archrival of Oxford University, the other major university in England, it is constantly competing. In the Oxford Glossary, it describes Cambridge as "a cold damp place in the Fens founded by a group of people thrown out of Oxford." The area stands upon a 3,000 year old farming town with remains of ancient farm animals. The area was a swamp up until the 1700s, when King Charles I hired a Dutch architect to build a series of trenches and windmills (acting as pumps) to drain the area, and now it is rich farmland.Canturbury
Canturbury has a rich history. It was here that Chaucer set his famous Canturbury Tales. Sir Thomas More (Man for All Seasons) also called this place his home. It was here that St. Augustine was sent to re-establish Christianity in England, beginning what will later be known as Canturbury Cathedral.Cheshire
Cheshire is famed for a few things, the most important one is that it was immortalized in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. It is also the home of Cheddar cheese (made in the town of Chester). The town is held inside the original Roman fort from around 40 AD: it is the only English city with its original walls.Cornwall
Bordering the Atlantic Ocean with cliffs, Cornwall is famous for its ancient ruins. Numerous Celtic ruins dot the landscape, for they regarded the area as one large fortress.Tintagel Castle
Tintagel Castle is the legendary birthplace of the legendary King Arthur. Born to Unther Pendragon, the king, he was given to the care of Merlin, the wizard who is said to live in one of the caves under Tintagel, for it is on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The legend has grown over time, with the French adding their part with Sir Lancelot. King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table all went on quests to find the Holy Grail, the cup that Jesus used during the Last Supper.Coventry
Coventry is the major industrial center of England. Famous for the cars (Jaguars and Peugots), tanks (Scorpions) and bombs that they have been known to produce, Coventry also has a fairly rich heritage. St. George, the Patron Saint of England, is said to have been born in Coventry (he is the one that killed the dragon). It is here that Lady Godiva rode through the streets nude to protest her husband's raising of taxes (only one man looked, and it was Peeping Tom, who was blinded because of it). St Michael's Cathedral, which dates back to the 14th Century, was nearly leveled when Nazi bombers dropped tons of bombs on Coventry to try to stop British production. It was rebuilt, but the spire and the nave were left standing to serve as a reminder to the bombings.Derbyshire
Derbyshire is home to two of the greatest things of England. First, it is the home of Rolls Royce, one of the premier luxury cars in the world. The other is the legend of Robin Hood, in one of the towns of Nottingham. Little John is buried there, and Maid Marion hails from Barnley, another town.Hampshire
In this county the great novelist Jane Austen (she wrote Little Women amongst others) was born and raised. Hampshire also is famous for the fact that during the reign of the Royal Navy, it was a haven for debauchery. In the port float Lord Nelson's ship the HMS Victory (the ship that won at the battle of Trafalgar) and Henry VIII's ship the Mary Rose. The Mary Rose sank almost immediately after she sailed in 1545, but in 1982 she was raised from the sea floor and all of the artifacts are now in museums.Winchester Cathedral
The Winchester Cathedral is one of the oldest in the world. It dates back to the days of William the Conqueror, over 900 years ago. It is here that the author Jane Austen is buried.Hastings
Here in Hastings, one of the most famous battles in the history of the world took place. On October 14, 1066 at the Battle of Hastings is where William the Conqueror (known to the British as Bill the Bastard, affectionately, of course) defeated King Harold and set up a feudal government in England. William's castle still stands on West Hill.Isle of Wight
A mere 147 is all that the Isle or Wight is, but it is packed with history. The Romans used this as a large fort. Dinosaurs were so plentiful there at one point, that bones can be seen on the cliffs overhanging the ocean, and other fossils sometimes will surface through the sand. Living on the Isle of Wight is the world's greatest watchmaker. The watchmaker produces one pocket watch per year and they sell for many millions of dollars. A few years ago the United States Army tested this watch versus their official Pentagon electric clock, and the watch kept better time.London
London is the capital of Great Britain. It has been the capital for hundreds of years, and witnessed many great plagues and fires (one in the late 1600s burned down a third of the city).Big Ben
Attached to the Parliament Houses, Big Ben is the icon of London, England. A clock tower overlooking the Thames River, it is the most easily recognisable structure in all of England. Ben, by the way, is the bell of the tower, not the tower or the face of the tower.British Museum
The British Museum is the oldest in the world. Containing such treasures and the Rosetta Stone (discovered by Napoleon during his conquest of Egypt, it contains three languages: heiroglyphics, ancient Greek, and Coptic, a mixture of the two. This allowed Champillion, an French archeologist, to decifer heirogyphics for the first time), ancient Persian and Assyrian sculptures, sketches by Michelangelo, and many famous Dutch paintings. It also contains all of the sculptures from the famous Greek Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Inside of the museum library one can see the original copy of the Magna Carta, the document guarranteeing British liberty. Of almost the same importance, one can also see the original lyrics of the Beatles hit "Hey Jude" scribbled in crayon on the back of a napkin, amongst other songs.Buckingham Palace
The main palace of the Royal Family of England. Recently openning its doors to tourists in 1993 to pay for Windsor Castle repairs, it is much better to look at on the outside then it is from the inside. World famous for its Changing of the Guard ceremony, Buckingham palace draws thousands of people a day to bear witness to the daily event.Downing Street
Downing Street is the equivalent of our Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC. At 10 Downing Street the Prime Minister of England lives (he had to move to 9 Downing Street because the ceilings in 10 Downing Street were not high enough, and he is about 6'1" or 6'2") and on 11 Downing Street lives the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is protected now by an iron gate after security officials discovered that one lone bobby (policeman) was not a great enough force to stop an Irish mortar bomb attack on Margaret Thatcher.Hyde Park
Hyde Park is a former hunting grounds right in the middle of London. Since then it became a potato farm during World War II, and now is just a park for all to enjoy.Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace is the official palace of the Prince and Princes of Wales. Princess Diana lived here until her death.Madame Tussaud's
Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum is the most famous in the world. They specialize in making exact copies of people out of wax. Inside stand Elvis, the Beatles, various heads of state and other historical figures.National Gallery
The National Gallery, adjacent to Trafalgar Square, holds a very impressive art collection. Works by such artists as Cezanne and van Eyck are just many of the major draws to this free museum.Parliament Houses
The Parliament Houses are where the House of Commons and the House of Lords meet (they are the equivalent to our Senate and Congress).St. Paul's Cathedral
This cathedral was constructed by the glorified British architect Christopher Wren. Having the second largest dome in the world, next to St. Peters Bascilica in the Vatican City, it dominated the London skyline for centuries. St. Paul's stands on the foundations of two prior cathedrals, the first dating back to 604, and the second being destroyed in the Great Fire of London in the late 1600s. It was here that Prince Charles and Lady Di were married.Tate Gallery
Contains one of the world's best modern art collections. Extensive collections of Picasso, Matisse, and Cezanne make this one of the foremost museums in the world.The Tower of London
Originally a castle and later a palace, it is now a museum glorifying what it is most famous for: a prison. Home of political prisoners, such as Thomas More, Walter Raleigh, Anne Boleyn, and Rudolf Hess. Up in the tower contain the Crown Jewels of England, including the Star of Africa, the largest diamond ever quarried. Also contains a very extensive collection of armor and armorments. The ravens in the main courtyard are part of a legend: the day the ravens leave, London will fall to its enemies.Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is another of London's famous landmarks. A statue of Admiral Nelson (famous for defeating Napoleon in Egypt at the Battle of Trafalgar) tops marble column that is flanked by two sitting lions. It is particularly famous for the thousands of pigeons that reside there daily.Victoria and Albert Museum
Brought back from the conquests of the Victorian Era, the V and A museum holds more than 4 million artifacts. Inside are plaster casts of Michelangelo's David, Moses, finished slaves, crouching boy, amongst others by him, a full cast of Hadrians Column in Rome, Italy (acid rain in Rome has destroyed much of the carvings on Hadrian's Column, so researchers use the plaster cast instead of the actual column). One other famous item is one of four original wax models done by Michelangelo.Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is the resting place of the royal family, along with most other notable English citizens. Other people include Charles Dickens, a monument to Lord Byron, John Milton, William Wordsworth, and many other great military leaders, scientists, and literary scholars.Oxford
Oxford is very famous for two reasons, the first being the university, Oxford University. The original major English university, it is now rivaled by Cambridge University. The other famous part of Oxford were the MGs, a car that was a favorite of Americans and used in a James Bond movie, but were later hated with a passion.Southampton
As one of the premier shipbuilding ports in the world, Southampton is famous for one thing. The Titanic made its maiden and only voyage out of Southampton.Stonehenge
Built over five thousand years ago, Stonehenge is the most famous prehistoric site in Europe. A pile of stones in a horseshoe shaped semicircle with an outer circle then a ditch, it is believed that it is a temple of religious significance. It is aligned with the movements of the planets. Some of these stones were "imported" all the way from South Wales. The most amazing thing is that it would take 600 men to pull one of those 50-ton stones a mere half an inch.Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of William Shakespeare. The only problem is that the Bard left behind no papers to show that he even existed. One theory is that William Shakespeare is really two people, one who wrote the comedies and another who wrote the tragedies. The name would come from a poem who's one line read "Thy Will shakes Speares."York
York is home to the one of the oldest Gothic cathedrals in Europe. The cathedral also houses the largest medieval stained glass in the world. York was also the only major English city sacked by William Wallace.Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is the only part of Ireland that the English did not reliquish to the Irish when they were granted their independence. Ever since then, there have been numerous minor revolutions in an attempt to unite Ireland.Belfast
Belfast is the capital of English Northern Ireland. Though steeped in history (the area dates back over 9,000 years), most of the world only knows of its religious troubles. Civil war continually brews in Ireland between the Catholics and the Protestants. In the 1970s and the 1980s, the Irish Republican Army and other terrorist groups all fought for Irish freedom. Though peace agreements are near, the fighting will not die down for a long time.Scotland
Though Scotland has had its independence on numerous occasions (legendary William Wallace led one), today it is part of Great Britain. Known for its whiskey and its cold, wet, rocky climate, Scotland holds one of the world's most famous legends: Loch Ness. And of equal knowledge, the Shetland Ponies from Shetland are the smallest in the world.Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is the castle capital of the world. In the area of the country that exemplifies Scotland, there are more than 70 castles and numerous stone circles (ruins of prior castles) that dot the landscape. Duthie park, a million person a year tourist attraction, is the world's largest indoor garden.Edinburgh
Edinburgh serves as the capital of Scotland. Edinburgh is famous for its festivals: the Edinburgh Festival, the simultaneous Festival Fringe, and the Edinburgh International Science festival, all of them the largest of their kind in the world). The town is split into two parts, the Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town dates back to around 1100 AD and holds Holyrood Palace, one of the favorite palaces of the Royal family, and the only one in Scotland. The New Town is very new: it dates back a mere 300 years to the 18th Century.Fife
Fife may be the home of the oldest university in Scotland. Fife also served as a magnet for pilgrims during the Middle Ages. And then there is the famous marina with the beaches and the boats. But all of that pales in comparison to one thing: St. Andrews. St. Andrews Golf Course. The birthplace of golf. 600 years of golf all started right here. It got so popular that in 1491, King James IV outlawed it because it drew young men away from archery and church. The mecca of the golf world. Need I say more?Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, counting over 700,000 inhabitants. Mostly known for its shipbuilding (the famous cruiseliners the Queen Mary and the QE2 (Queen Elizabeth 2) were built here), Glasgow holds the Burrell Collection, the private art collection of ship owner Sir William Burrell.Highland
Highland is famous for four main reasons: Rob Roy, William Wallace, Macbeth, and the Loch Ness Monster. William Wallace, whom the Academy Award winning movie Braveheart was loosely based, was an 13th century Scotsman who rallied Scotland in a rebellion against the English. Macbeth's murder of King Duncan is immortalized in William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth.Loch Ness
Loch Ness is one of the largest lake's of its type in the world. Twenty-three miles long, a mile wide, and over 1000 feet deep, it is the largest fresh water lake in Great Britain. It is deeper than the North Sea. The dark colour of the water comes from the high peat content in the area.Wales
Cardiff
Cardiff is an ancient Roman town. Amongst the ruins is the famous Tintern Abbey, immortalized by William Wordsworth.