The Website for People Who Love Britain - Anglophiles
My last post was about my trip to the Isle of Wight and on the way back I took the opportunity to make my first visit to our smallest National Park - New Forest. Although the best time of year to visit is late Summer when the heather colour is at its peak on the heathland or Autumn when the deciduous woods are ablaze with green, yellow and orange … [Read more...]
The pub, or public house as it is officially known, is an everyday institution in the UK It’s a place go and unwind after a long day of work, to watch a football match, and for a night with the lads or girls. When someone says, “You want to go down to the pub?” they already have one in mind, a local place where, as the saying goes “everyone … [Read more...]
Editor's Note: While going through old notes I took on our last trip to England in May 2012, I found a bunch of observations that got lost in the shuffle and buried at the bottom of my note program. I thought it would be fun to put them together into one post. So, while the topic is a little dated, the information is timeless. We're a little … [Read more...]
Having just returned from my first real photo trip of the year I thought I would share with you some of the images captured during my visit to the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight, England's largest island is located in the English Channel and separated from the mainland 5 miles away by the Solent. It has 57 miles of coastline and is the home … [Read more...]
It's no secret that we're huge Doctor Who fans. You might even call us superfans. We don't get to cover everything we would like in the Doctor Who universe because we don't want this site to be all about Doctor Who. So, we've always held back, despite our Doctor Who coverage being some of our most popular content. So, a few months ago we decided … [Read more...]
Did you know that there are 35 US States that have a British themed grocery store? More than likely, there is a British store near you. Most of these places offer British groceries, goods, books, accessories and much more. Each store is unique. Some are tea shops, some are just like grocery stores. We thought it would be useful for our fellow … [Read more...]
This guide to music festivals in Britain in 2013 was put together by Visit Britain. The summer in Britain means one thing to lots of Brits: music festivals. This can also mean several other things: mud, mayhem, naked swimming and dancing til the wee hours; or else time to spend with the family in the beautiful British countryside, with actvities … [Read more...]
Its a couple of months now since we took our last look at these so here's the final few images on this subject, at least for the time being. To start with I am recalling some images from my trip to the "Queen of the Hebrides", the Isle of Islay in the Spring of 2010. Although well known for its distilleries of which I believe there are eight or … [Read more...]
Undoubtedly, one of the reasons we go see films is to experience a story that raises our spirits. A great film can make us laugh and cry, but ultimately makes us feel better about life, the world around us, and ourselves. Since the beginning of its film industry, Britain has created a great number of movies that continue to inspire us. 1. … [Read more...]
British Airways has announced which routes will get their first deliveries of Airbus A380 Superjumbos. This is something I've been looking forward to for a long time. The big announcement is they they will first fly the 'Red Carpet Route' from Los Angeles to London and tickets for the first flight went on sale yesterday. The double-decker … [Read more...]
This famous scare attraction had been on Tooley Street in London Bridge for nearly 40 years but closed at the end of January 2013 to move to its new home on the Southbank. From Friday 1 March 2013, The London Dungeon is at County Hall, right next door to the London Aquarium and by the London Eye, which makes sense when you know these three major … [Read more...]
Doesn't time fly - its almost six months now since I started this column and through out that period we have always visited England, Scotland and Wales. So for the immediate future I thought I would slow things down each time concentrating on a specific area. One of the areas I know particularly well is the Snowdonia National Park. As a … [Read more...]
We've been working on it for months and hinting at it on our social media feeds and today is the day we're ready to release Anglotopia's Dictionary of British English: Brit Slang from A to Zed! We're really excited about this new book as we've had a lot of interest in it. Our new British Slang Dictionary features over 1,000 words of British … [Read more...]
The biggest problem that we Anglophiles have is that Britain is usually far away from us (unless you're in Europe already). For many people, traveling to Britain is just a dream, something they hope to do one day. This is a real shame but we all have to be realistic, it's just not possible for everyone to travel there, for whatever … [Read more...]
Being an Anglophile these days can be a tough hobby to follow. We're a fairly small community that not many people can identify with and so the issues we run into are so small - they're not likely to ever be fixed. But what exactly are those issues? Here's our list of 'Anglophile Problems.' Britain Being an Island This may seem obvious to … [Read more...]
It's going to be an exciting year for British Movies and we've decided to put together a rundown of all the British movies we could find that will be opening this year. From the Return of Bridget Jones to Paddington Bear's journey to the big screen there's a lot to look forward to. The Sweeney Tearing up the streets of London, "The Sweeney" is a … [Read more...]
Last week I came down with a lovely seasonal cold (which kindly coincided with my Birthday). I was confined to exile in bed and had plenty of time on my hands so I decided to watch every episode of Foyle's War from start to finish. I'd never seen the show but had always wanted to watch it. I had been provided the new complete DVD box set coming … [Read more...]
For many, reading is an escape into another world, shutting out the reader's physical environment. Sometimes, though, a place can so perfectly fit a book that reading in that spot intrudes on and enhances the experience. Cambridge, England is a university town that has inspired authors for more than 800 years. Here are ten books and their … [Read more...]
While researching food for my post on the Top 10 Classic British Meals to Warm Your Soul and Fill Your Stomach, I came across so many amazing dishes that I had to write a post dedicated to desserts. If nothing else, a serving or two of sticky toffee pudding or a warm fruit crumble ought to put to rest Britain’s reputation for awful food. It … [Read more...]
The islands of Scotland's west coast are known collectively as the Hebrides; the Inner Hebrides are separated from the Outer Hebrides by The Minch to the north and the Sea of the Hebrides to the south. The Inner Hebrides are split into two areas being those that lie north and south of Ardnamurchan. The northern Inner Hebrides includes Skye, the … [Read more...]
Laws are the backbone of our society and keep us from doing really crazy things that could harm others. Or at least, that’s the idea. While these laws may have had a purpose at one time (and one can only imagine what happened to cause their creation), many of these laws are baffling today. Here is a sampling of some of the stranger rules … [Read more...]
It's no misnomer that period pieces like Downton Abbey are sometimes called "costume dramas," and Downton has more than earned that title in its past three years on air. Designer Susannah Buxton took home the 2011 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or Special, and was nominated for best costume awards at both the BAFTAs … [Read more...]
Coronation chicken, faggots, bubble and squeak...the words are enough to bring up homey sights and smells from kitchens across Britain. Despite negative stereotypes (and years of living up to them), Britain has recently rediscovered the beauty and flavor of its culinary past, and good food is now easy to find all over the UK. It's an exciting time … [Read more...]
Since the inception of the filming industry in Britain and the United States, a great number of castles in the United Kingdom have provided the backdrop to historical pieces, period dramas, raucous comedies, and fantasy epics. Whether you want to pretend you’re walking across the courtyards of Hogwarts or charging some insulting French knights … [Read more...]
Downton Abbey is a huge success all around the globe and one thing it has certainly done is generate interest in travel to Great Britain. Did you know you can explore the halls of 'Downton Abbey' (aka Highclere Castle) yourself? Or that you can walk through Downton Village (actually Bampton)? You can indeed! So, we've put together a listing … [Read more...]
The earlier post on Churches, Chapels and Crosses seemed to be quite popular so I thought we should return and take a look at some more predominantly from Scotland but we also visit East Anglia and the North York Moors. We'll start off in East Anglia and St Peter's Church on the Wall, reputed to be one of the oldest places of worship in England … [Read more...]
Tickets went on sale last summer for The View From The Shard and it opens on 1 February 2013. As you would expect, I've had a preview already. What is The View from The Shard? This is the new premium visitor attraction at the pinnacle of The Shard, London’s newest landmark. It offers the highest vantage point from any building in Western Europe … [Read more...]
Downton Abbey returns to our screens this weekend and will take us through the next few years of drama at Downton Abbey. If you love Downton like we do, perhaps you'd like to consider reading some books about the time period. We've gathered up a list of books that are suitable reading if you're interested in the Edwardian era or life in service … [Read more...]
Author’s Note: The content of this article is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended, nor should be construed as, legal advice and no attorney-client relationship is formed between the reader, author, and anyone else associated with Anglotopia. If you are in need of legal advice, please consult an … [Read more...]
So when I decided to tackle this subject for Anglotopia, my research uncovered that there are a multitude of opinions on which American actors do the worst British accents. Some commentators think Renee Zellweger’s Bridget Jones is like nails on a chalkboard, while others loathe Don Cheadle’s Basher Carr from Oceans 11-13. However, there … [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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