Hello Anglotopians. Offa of Mercia was one of England’s greatest and least known kings. This post and podcast is the 4th in the complete series as we get you up to speed! For the complete series go to www.historyofengland.typepad.com or find us on iTunes.

04 4 Offa and a Golden Age of Anglo

Bringing you up to date with the History of England Podcast

As of today, there are 37 HOE Podcast episodes, taking us up to 1154. So what I plan to do with you Anglotopians is do a bit of a fast track to get us to catch up – or you can just go to the podcast itself. So today I’ll take you up to episode 4.

Offa and a Golden Age

By the 8th Century, Wessex was firmly established – but it was by no means the leading Anglo Saxon state. Episodes 2 & 3 of the History of England talk about the earliest kings of Wessex – notably Ine, who left one of the earliest English codes of law.

The two pre-eminent kingdoms were Northumbria in the North and Mercia in the Midlands. Northumbria had been the shining light of Anglo Saxon civilisation – but by the 8th Century aa new power had arrived in the form of Mercia.

Offa was the greatest king of Mercia, and a lost and forgotten English hero, who presided over a golden age of Anglo Saxon England. The 8th century saw the flowering of English writing, and a cultural vitality that was the equal of anything in Europe. Offa established a hegemony over all of the Anglo Saxon kingdoms south of the Humber. He was a man who could speak to Charlemagne as an equal, and did so.

Like all Anglo Saxon Kings, Offa was deeply involved in the affairs of the Church, and briefly established an Archbishopric at Lichfield to rival Canterbury. He ran an organised and efficient state, able to build his 80 mile dyke along the border with Wales. He even at one stage styles himself Rex Anglorum; but generally referred to himself as King of the Mercians. But it was an early signal of the ambition to create a united English state.

History of England Podcast: A Golden Age of Anglo Saxon England is a post from: Anglotopia.net

This is a question we get a lot – and a lot of people, even ardent lovers of Britain don’t quite understand the minute details.

But here’s an excellent video that summarizes all the geography tidbits there is to know out the UK and Britain.

Thanks to Neatorama for showing it first.

Fun Video: The Geography of the United Kingdom and Britain Explained is a post from: Anglotopia.net

One of the things I love about the British Isles are all the little corners that surprise you when you hear about them. One of them is the Isle of Man – a British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea that is not part of the UK and has it’s own distinct national character.

The Times of London recently profiled the island and it’s recent successes. Here’s an excerpt:

On a summer’s day 40 years ago, ferries from Liverpool and Llandudno, Heysham and Fleetwood, Belfast and Dublin, would have been queuing to dock in the harbour at Douglas. The town’s long, sandy beach would have been full with holidaymakers. A big British band such as The Rolling Stones or The Who might well have been playing at the Palace Lido. But that was before cheap package holidays killed the Isle of Man’s tourist industry, once mainstay of its economy.

Today the beach is empty except for the odd dog walker. There is not a bucket and spade around. The Lido has been demolished. Breakfast in one of the seafront’s tatty Victorian hotels offers a sample of life in an old people’s home. Horsedrawn trams still trundle along the promenade but they are relics of another era, like the island’s £1 notes. “You’ve got to change to survive but it’s a damn shame about the tourists,” says Paul Desmond, who runs the last, traditional, Manx kipper curing yard.

The Isle of Man, 220 square miles of hill and glen with 82,000 inhabitants, has reinvented itself. Its business now is business, not tourists or kippers. A self-governing island, which belongs to neither the United Kingdom nor the European Union, it responded to the collapse of tourism by slashing taxes and developing a financial sector.

Read the rest of this fascinating article here.

Profile of the Tiny Yet Exciting Isle of Man in the Times of London is a post from: Anglotopia.net

England, as I am fond of pointing out, is just about the size of New York State. But packed into this diminutive country is, arguably, as much diversity and historic locations as there are in the whole continental United States. In order to fit them all in, however, they have to keep them small.

It was something of a shock, when I first came here and took the tour of London and the surrounding countryside, to discover that Big Ben isn’t so big, the Thames is little more than a creek with high aspirations and Westminster Cathedral is less majestic, and much stranger looking, than I imagined. (In addition to these disenchantments, I also learned that the Tower of London isn’t a Tower at all and the White Cliffs of Dover are actually sorta grey).

Eventually, I began annoying people around me so much with my spontaneous outbursts of, “I thought it would be bigger,” that I gave up saying it. I also gave up expecting much in the way of impressive size in this country.

But then my wife took me to visit Hampton Court, and for the first time I heard myself saying, “I thought it would be smaller.”

To say Hampton court is big is a bit like suggesting the Boxing Day Tsunami was unpleasant; it just doesn’t cut it. Hampton Court is a massive, rambling, eclectic intertwining of buildings and gardens that covers the area of a mid-sized village. Granted, it has been almost continually added to over the years (the most recent renovation phase ended in the 1990′), but even at its inception in 1514 it was huge for the day.

A visit to Hampton Court cannot but help make you feel puny and insignificant, which one must suppose was its purpose. Wandering up the lane to Christopher Wrens South Front or poking around King Henry’s private chambers really dives home the message that your journey on this earth is going to go, by comparison, largely unnoticed. The grandeur of the cavernous hallways, the antiquity of the Tudor wing, the craftsmanship of the wooden wall panels all combine into a mind-bending spectacle that is nearly impossible to grasp. To see it properly would require several days; to do the main buildings and gardens in a single afternoon just leaves you breathless.

So, next time you’re in England (you do pop over a few times a year, don’t you?) and you’re touring, let’s say, Heaver Castle  and you find yourself thinking, “Where are the turrets? And the drawbridge? I though it would be bigger!” take the Southern Rail train to East Croydon, switch to a train to Clapham Junction and then board the South West Trains Service going to Shepperton and get off at Hampton so you can treat yourself to a tour of Hampton court (Open Monday thru Sunday, 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM; tickets £13.00).

Even if it doesn’t leave you gapping in wonder at the size or marveling at the splendor, you’ll at least have the opportunity of seeing the coolest toilet in the British Isles.

I Thought it Would be Bigger is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Most hardcore Anglophiles should already know this, but it never hurts to have a refresher. What exactly makes up the United Kingdom, Britain, Great Britain, etc?

A lot of people lump Ireland together with the rest of the UK and with that, they are doing a disservice to the Irish.

Credit goes to this website where I found this little gem. You can click the image to see a larger version.

The one thing that this leaves out is the various little islands surrounding the island of Great Britain that aren’t part of the UK but are Crown protectorates. Such as the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

The Definition of the Great Britain from the BBC is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Many people don’t realize that Britain actually has a much milder climate than North America. Britain is kept mild by the warm waters from the Caribbean thanks to the gulf stream. They don’t really have the extreme cold and snowy winters that many North Americans are used to.

Well, today, uncharacteristically, pretty much all of Britain got hit by a snowstorm thanks to an Arctic blast.

And chaos reigned in Britain.

Busses stopped running, schools were called off, Tube lines were shut down and folks were warned not to go out unless they needed to.

Londoners didn’t know how to deal with almost 6 inches of snow on the ground. Many took the time to build snowmen and enjoy the day off of work.

Even at the end of the day, it looked like the snow would continue into the rest of the week.

I would give anything to be in London right now with the snow. It would be so much fun to have a snowball fight in Hyde Park or taking pictures of a snowy Big Ben.

Here’s a news report on the London Snow Day from ITV News that aired in the evening:

Here’s my favorite London Snow Day picture:

Britain Gets a Snow Day: Chaos Ensues is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The sun set on the British Empire in the early 20th century, but their are still outposts of ‘ol Blighty out there, pledged to Queen and Country.

One such place is the remote island of Tristan Da Cunha. Located in the South Atlantic ocean, thousands of miles from anyway, it definitely qualifies at the most remote British village in the world.

It only has a population of several hundred, and is only accessible by boat, but the island still has a thriving community.

Isolation has created a unique outpost of British Civilization thousands of miles away from it’s motherland.

Check out a series of cool pictures featuring the island as well as some interesting facts about it on this website, Dark Roasted Blend.

Pictures from the Most Remote British Village in the World: Tristan da Cunha is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Google Recently teamed up with LIFE magazine to digitize their entire archive and post it for free on the internet, available to all. Many of the pictures are stunning and provide an unique insight into the life of yesteryear.

I did a search through the gallery to find pictures that might interest my fellow Anglophiles and it was a gold-mine of awesome picture. I’ve pasted some of the best LIFE Magazine pictures of London below.

What’s great is that if you really love a picture, you can buy a beautiful print directly from LIFE. Prints are reasonably priced. If you want to browse the Google LIFE gallery, click here. If you’d like to see British pictures, search for British related keywords. You can also download higher quality versions, many large enough to make desktop wallpapers.

Anglophile Pictures – London Through the Ages: Pictures from LIFE Magazine is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I was browsing some Expat forums recently and came across an interesting thread. It asked the question: What do you wish you knew about Britain before you moved there?

There were some pretty interesting nuggets of information I thought I’d share with all of you. I’m sure most Anglophiles dream of living in the green and pleasant land that is Britain one day. So, here’s a list of some practical things you may not have thought of. Credit is due to their original authors on the forums I came across. It is by no means an exhaustive list.

If you want to add something to these Life in Britain facts, feel free to leave a comment!

Anglophile Factoids or 25 Things You May Not Have Known about Britain

1. Don’t expect any kind of closet space, there isn’t any

2. You can’t declaw your cats in England, it’s illegal

3. You can’t get large quantities of OTC meds, so stock up if you want them.

4. There is a dampness here that gets in your bones and makes you colder than the actual temperature.

5. They don’t refrigerate the eggs at the store!

6. Another thing about the eggs: they’re brown.

7. You don’t have to tip nearly as much, or as often.

8. Brussel sprouts are mandatory Christmas table garnish.

9. Dry cooking ingredients are measured by WEIGHT not volume.

10. Toilet handles are on the opposite side.

11. Light switches operate the opposite way.

12. Pants are trousers and nice trousers are pants.

13. “b*tch”, “tit” and “pussy” are acceptable animal terms.

14. A “fanny pack” is something you do not discuss in polite company.

15. Nudity and swearing is common on regular TV.

16. The British school year is divided into three terms. Autumn(and they don’t EVER call it Fall here, by the way)-September-December. Spring term-January-Easter and Summer term-Easter-till the flippin’ END of July! Every term has a week long break called half-term. There are two weeks off for Christmas and Easter. And the Summer holiday is about six weeks long. Of course if you’re using private schools, the vacations are longer.

17. Electric sockets have on/off switches

18. A Fortnight = two weeks. They use that term a lot.

19. Don’t bring many summer clothes. I haven’t worn them at all in 3 years up here. Don’t bring many pairs of shorts (nobody wears them here) and so many hot weather clothes, they’re just sit around taking up space (which there isn’t a lot of).

20. You have to pay a tax to own a TV (the license fee) and TV’s have radios built in.

21. Don’t bother bringing your pans, they won’t fit in British ovens.

22. Research use of your small appliances on British Voltage. Many people take appliances (including computers) thinking will work and the don’t. Cheap voltage converters don’t always work right either.

23. While it’s okay to bring over some of the foods you’ll miss, you can find the same or equivalents in British grocery stores.

24. They don’t have extreme hot or extreme cold. It stays mild year round thanks for the Gulf Stream waters from the Caribbean. They have been known to have a cold spell occasionally. A white Christmas in London is VERY rare. It gets much colder in Scotland. Very much colder.

25. Traffic always comes from the RIGHT in the UK. So, always look right. Also, always stand to the right on escalators.

For the original thread or to read stories from Americans who moved to the UK, check out the UK Expat Forum here.

Feel free to leave your own nuggets of information in the comments below.

Anglophile Factoids: Things You Wish You Knew about Britain Before Moving There is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I used to collect stamps as a kid and still have a passing interest in all things related to Stamps.

Recently, I heard that Royal Mail is coming out with some stamps related to British Design Classics. They’re stamps that show items and objects that the Brits are known for designing.

The 8 stamp set features:

From the distinctive lines of RJ Mitchell’s Spitfire fighter and the stylish chic of Mary Quant’s daring mini skirt to the calm of the Penguin Books jacket and the practicality of Robin Day’s Polypropylene chair. But there’s one that remains close to millions of people’s hearts – the Mini. In 1959 the first Mini rolled off the production lines at the British Motor Corporation’s plants at Longbridge, Birmingham and Cowley in Oxford.

It also features the iconic London Underground Map by Beck, the Routemaster Bus, the Concord Jet and the Red Phone Box.

Interested Anglophiles can purchase the stamps directly from Royal Mail and they will be posted to you. You can order them on their website. The stamps will be released on January 13th. I’m definitely going to pick up a sheet. It’s only £3.60.

British Design Classics Stamp Set is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The folks over at Unearthed Outdoors True Marble Imagery have released some stunning satellite imagery into ‘creative commons’ domain.

The images are extreme high quality and have an amazing amount of detail of pretty much anywhere on the earth.

I saw an opportunity to combine some of the highest quality images and make my own satellite image of just Great Britain. The results are fantastic. It makes an excellent desktop wallpaper, especially if you have a huge screen.

In the spirit of the creative commons, I’m releasing the wallpapers on this site. Attribution must be given to Unearthed Outdoors True Marble Imagery for their fantastic work and extreme generosity.

It took several hours to process these raw images into something useful for regular wallpaper purposes. So, if you appreciate the stunning wallpapers, feel free to support our advertisers. I have a feeling these wallpapers are going to eat a lot of bandwidth.

Satellite Images of the British Isles Wallpaper

Right click and select save to download the free wallpapers.

British Isles Satellite Image – Width 3200 Pixels

British Isles Satellite Image – Width 1600 Pixels

British Isles Satellite Image – Width 1024 Pixels

If you’re interested in the massive original picture I made (it’s 10,000 pixels wide), contact me and I can arrange for you to download it (it’s massive).

Also, check out this close-up of the city of London. It gives you an idea of how massive London is. Incredible!

Unearthed Outdoors True Marble Imagery

True Marble by Unearthed Outdoors, LLC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License

Britain From Above: Free Satellite Images of the UK from Space is a post from: Anglotopia.net