The Website for People Who Love Britain - Anglophiles
Whilst the cultural differences between the Scots and the English are always there (with the possible exception of sporting clashes between the two countries) they’re rarely as apparent as at New Year’s, or Hogmanay as it’s known north of Hadrian’s wall. Whilst for the rest of the UK Christmas is the biggest holiday of the year, with the … [Read more...]
As this is my first piece for Anglotopia.net, I thought I should come clean about one thing: I love singalongs. I love the dressing up, the singing out of tune, the waving of tchotchkes, and all the other silliness that goes with them. But, a couple of years ago at a Grease singalong, I had the misfortune of sitting in front of a row of young … [Read more...]
England is as famous for its stately homes as it is for its sometimes eccentric population. From hoarders to gamblers, misanthropes to humanitarians, inventors to statesman, titled nobility to self-made millionaires, author David Long, in English Country House Eccentrics, briefly touches on the lives of some of England’s most notoriously quirky … [Read more...]
One thing that will hit the wayward American hard when they arrive in Britain for the first time is that it will be unlike any place they have been before. Despite the familiarity of shared heritage and language, Britain is, and always will be, a foreign place. That said, on our many travels there, we've observed things that the Brits do that … [Read more...]
One would think a local Riddleton, in the West Yorks, has stepped back into the late 1930's. However, Michael McTigue, hasn't he is living and breathing in 2011. Mr McTigue has a passion for the era and lives his life, when he is not driving a school bus as if it were 1938. What does living in the late 1930's entail in 2011 you ask? Well for a … [Read more...]
There is such a romance about the British country house, I wonder what it would have been like to be a guest at a grand country house during this time in history. I would have adored participating in all of the events of a grand weekend in the country. While I cannot travel in time, Life in The Victorian Country House by Pamela Horn, … [Read more...]
The perception of Bingo as the quaint English game played on a seaside pier has long gone. Bingo is played by huge numbers of the public across the country and in many other parts of the world. Bingo has come a long way from its halcyon days in the 1950's when it was found on sea piers. In the competition each contestant had three (3) minutes on … [Read more...]
I used to thing that Lawnmower racing itself was odd but this just takes the cake! Teams of eccentric racers take on the 2012 12-Hour lawn mower endurance race in West Sussex. … [Read more...]
A pub in Yorkshire, UK, has made fish and chips weighing 45.36 kg on Saturday, breaking the Guinness World Record held by American pub in Boston who cooked 35.4 kg of fish and chips. Looks delicious! … [Read more...]
Britain is known for it's insane property prices - but the Daily Mail has the latest example of Britain's property price madness. A beach hut for sale for £250,000 ($400,000). From the article: It is a Tardis inside with two floors, gadgets galore and is expected to sell for £250,000. The newly-built hut measures just 23ft by 6ft, but has a … [Read more...]
It’s surprisingly easy to have an affordable holiday in Britain. From cheap hotels to inexpensive (or free) museums, there’s a lot to see and do that won’t cost you a fortune. But don’t be fooled into thinking you’re stuck with the usual castles and classic artworks. Britain is home to some of the quirkiest exhibitions you’ll ever see! … [Read more...]
The fastest grass cutters in Britain do battle as the Grand Prix season gets underway. If you think this is odd, there's even a Lawnmower Museum in Liverpool. … [Read more...]
A British man named Pete Johnson from Manchester, England - having a bit of a mid-life crisis - has decided to travel across North America and visit every town named Manchester. According to the BBC: Pete Johnson, 53, from Sale will criss-cross the United States by motorbike, starting in Massachusetts and finishing in California. On the way, he … [Read more...]
I don't know what'd more odd - the fact a man from Wales converted his garden shed into a 1950's style American diner or the fact that there is an entire website dedicated to garden shed modifications... Paul Siudowski from Wales has turned his garden shed into a 1950's style American diner and is up for Best Shed of the Year 2011. Check it … [Read more...]
Record-Breaking Britain: Experience Something Special The U.K. is home to some of the world’s record-breaking wonders, although chances are, not everyone is aware of them. Forget researching cheap holiday deals to far flung destinations; Britain has some world wonders of its own. From Europe’s longest roller coaster ride to the … [Read more...]
The Telegraph has put together an excellent article about some of the cultural quirks at Oxford and Cambridge. Here's an excerpt: Subfusc Subfusc is a mode of full academic dress worn by students to sit exams and attend university ceremonies such as matriculation at Oxford. Generally it consists of a suit, white shirt and bow tie for men, … [Read more...]
The Tetbury Woolsack Races take place every year in the historic market town of Tetbury in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds. Individuals and teams demonstrate their strength and fitness by carrying a sack of wool up and down a hill that reaches a gradient of 1 in 4. It is thought that the races originated in the 17th century when young sheep drovers … [Read more...]
One thing that astounds me about Britain is the variety of place names - many of them rude and hiliarious. So, we set out to create the biggest list we could find of funnysound places names in the United Kingdom. The result was a list that features towns and villages like: Crapstone Beaver Close Feltham Close Hole Bottom East … [Read more...]
I realize that I'm posting this right at the end of the summer, possibly not the best timing for a post such as this but I've had so much excitement this summer from the process of getting my ILR Visa to the Tall Ships Races here in Hartlepool and Red Dreams Pitch Invasion music festival last weekend that I just haven't had the opportunity to … [Read more...]
Photo from Flickr To continue with my “I've been here how long?†theme, this week we'll take a look at some of the things I would like to adapt to, but just can't seem to get the hang of. On the up side, I am pleased to say I can now travel around without getting lost (too often), can complain about the weather with the best of … [Read more...]
If you've been following my column here on Anglotopia, you know I am batty for all things Beatles. Practically every book, film, video game, you name it, I have devoured it. Needless to say, my curiously was piqued when I saw that Liverpool Hope University is offering a new Master's degree in The Beatles. Hailed as the first master's degree of … [Read more...]
Two things happened this week, I moved into a new home, and I bought my first garden gnome. To be fair, I bought it ironically, but I'm now a gnome owner just the same. And the most awesome thing about my gnome, apart from it's essential gnomeness, is the fact that it is powered by the sun, having a lantern, which actually lights up. All … [Read more...]
The final post in our Britannia in Brief series is a fantastic article from co-author William Mullins about how to behave in a British pub. I'm glad he decided to write about this as I've experienced the confusion of being a pub for the first time. Be sure to check out the rest of the posts for Britannia in Brief Week. It should be … [Read more...]
I have known for a couple of weeks now that I wanted to write a post about social clubs, but I am having a difficult time describing the atmosphere of a social club because there is just nothing like it in the US. A social club is like a marriage of an American Legion club and your local dive bar. The drinks are cheap, the clientele are mostly … [Read more...]
Photo of the Peppercorn Tornado from Flickr Filed under the 'Only in Britain' Banner. According to the Times Online recently, a brand new steam engine has had it's final tests and is ready to roll on Britain's mainline rails. What's odd about this is that they simply don't make steam trains anymore. Much to the annoyance of Train Anoraks … [Read more...]
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Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas in 2007 in a closet in Chicago. Anglotopia is for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia is now our full time jobs and we spend our time working on the site and planning our yearly trips to Britain. Join us as we explore Britain and everything it has to offer!
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