Living in England

Big Ben's Bongs fall silent

2007-08-11T04:36:00.000-01:00

The Clock Tower, often mistakenly called "Big Ben", is a large turret clock structure at the north-eastern end of the Houses of Parliament building in Westminster, London. Big Ben actually is the name of the main bell bell housed in the clock tower.

Maintenance work on the bell from 11 August 2007 will mean the hourly chimes and quarter bells will cease to ring from 0800 BST until September.

The clock itself will stop for a few hours as an alternative system is installed to keep it working while the work to the bells is carried out.

The maintenance is the second and final phase of a programme of works prior to the clock's 150th anniversary in 2009.
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/london/buildings.htm

Swan Upping

2007-07-21T16:11:00.000-01:00

The census of swans takes place annually during July on the River Thames in a ceremony known as Swan Upping. Swans are counted and marked on a 70 mile, five day journey up the River Thames.

We watched this traditional event last year. It took place during the hottest week we have had in England for many years. This year it took place during the wettest week we have had for several years.

You can read about Swan Uppping on our photographic journey of Swan Upping on the river Thames
www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/swanupping/

Rain Rain go away!

2007-07-21T16:02:00.000-01:00

St. Swithin's Day is 15th July, a day on which people watch the weather for tradition says that what ever the weather is like on St. Swithin's Day, it will continue so for the next forty days. In England we have been having many weeks of rain and this week we have had a months worth of rain in a day. Unfortunately it rained on St Swithun's day and so if the rhyme is to believed it looks like this summer will definitely be a wash out!

The weather-rhyme is well known throughout the British Isles since Elizabethan times.

'St Swithin's Day, if it does rain
Full forty days, it will remain
St Swithin's Day, if it be fair
For forty days, t'will rain no more.'

St. Swithin (or more properly, Swithun) was a Saxon Bishop of Winchester and legend says that as he lay on his deathbed, he asked to be buried out of doors, where he would be trodden on and rained on. For nine years, his wishes were followed, but then, the monks of Winchester attempted to remove his remains to a splendid shrine inside the cathedral on 15 July 971. According to legend there was a heavy rain storm either during the ceremony or on its anniversary.

This led to the old wives' tale (folklore) that if it rains on St Swithin's Day (July 15th), it will rain for the next 40 days in succession, and a fine 15th July will be followed by 40 days of fine weather.

So there you have it, it's that old Saxon monks fault that it's been raining cats and dogs every day.

Royal baby expected

2007-07-03T08:56:00.000-01:00

Buckingham Palace have announced that the Countess of Wessex (Prince Edward's wife) is three months pregnant.

New Prime Minister for Britain

2007-07-02T19:13:00.000-01:00

Gordon Brown has become the UK's prime minister, succeeding Tony Blair.

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/government/primeminister.htm

Smoking Ban

2007-07-02T19:10:00.000-01:00

The smoking ban in England came into effect on Sunday July 1.

It is now illegal to smoke a cigarette inside work places, pubs or any public building in England as well as the rest of the UK.

Wettest June

2007-07-02T19:01:00.000-01:00

The wettest June has followed the warmest April.

It's official: it was the wettest June on record in England,.
The unprecedented rainfall of the past four weeks and the floods which have followed have affected 27,000 homes and 5,000 businesses, causing damage likely to top £1bn, the Association of British Insurers said yesterday.

The Met Office have confirmed that the June rainfall record for England was broken: 123.9mm of rain was recorded by 10am 29 June, compared with the record of 121.2mm set in 1997 (in a list going back to 1914).

For the UK, 119.8mm was been recorded by yesterday, compared with the June record of 121.2mm set in 1988,

The last Queen of England

2007-05-06T17:05:00.000-01:00

Queen Elizabeth was the last Queen (and Monarch) of England.
Since 1603 there has only been a monarch of the United Kingdom.

Many people find this very hard to believe.

A recent email we received said what about Queen Anne?

Queen Anne was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland. England and Scotland formally united into a single state under the Act of Union 1707.

Our Queen today has the official title of:

"'Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. "

We would welcome comments...

Eating Etiquette

2007-04-14T16:17:00.000-01:00

Message sent via email:

"Could you please tell me what the correct procedure is when leaving thedining table during a meal?I was taught that you were to ask for permission to excuse yourself. I was recently offended by someone leaving the table while the rest of uswere still eating & was told by a relative the next day that it didn't really matter."

It does matter!
The proper and polite way to leave a table is to ask for permission to be excused.

Eating Etiquette

2007-03-22T06:04:00.000-01:00

The following was sent to us via email. We do not know the answer. Do you?

"I was born and raised in New England, and it was always the custom to eat with the fork in the right hand , but change hands when you cut your meat, with knife in your right hand, fork in your left. Then place the knife at the top of your plate, switch hands, and then eat with the fork in your right hand.

I was just on a cruise with People from United Kingdom and I was the only one eating the way I was raised to eat. Everyone was fascinated!

When we ever saw someone eating with the fork in the left hand and knife in the right and never changing hands, we were taught, that that was bad manners.

My question is: Where did the traditional way of eating satrt?? Which way???"

Polly

Can Royal Family vote in a General Election?

2007-03-05T06:26:00.000-01:00

"I find your web pages fascinating and very informative. Please can you tell me if any members of the Royal Family are allowed to vote in a General Election?
Thank you in anticipation." Owen

It is commonly thought that members of the Royal family are not allowed to vote, but this is not true. The Queen can vote, as can members of her family, but they do not do so because in practice it would be considered unconstitutional.

Have a question?

2007-02-17T10:03:00.000-01:00

Do you have a question about British life?
Leave your question in the comments below.

Prince Edward's Daughter

2007-02-17T09:16:00.000-01:00

The following was sent to us via email by Maureen :

"A friend and I have questioned for some time why the only child of Prince Edward is never shown or brought to public royal gatherings.

We are aware that her birth was traumatic and she had to have eye surgery soon after being born. However, she is now almost 3 and one-half years old yet she is never a part of the royal family's public celebrations.

We read British magazines and newspapers and no one mentions her unusual absences. If Princess Louise has some kind of physical problem/handicap, why wouldn't the royal family show to the world that this child is as loved and as welcome to celebrate in full public view as any of the Queen's grandchildren? Hiding her away sends the message that they are embarrassed or ashamed of the situation. I think that the British public would welcome the opportunity to embrace Princess Louise no matter her handicap.

Now, of course, this is all speculation on our part. However keeping her away from all things public leads to such speculation. "

Our reply:

Lady Louise Windsor parents, Edward and Sophie, have asked that their daughter enjoys a private life, away from the cameras. They have been careful to shield their little girl from media attention, rarely including her in public engagements.

Princess Ann also wanted her children to have as much of a normal life that a grandchild of the monarch can have. Her children were rarely seen in the press and like Lady Louise, they did not hold any royal style or title. (see note below)

Lady Lousie's last apperance was in July 2006.
(Click here to see a newspaper report)

Note:
As a granddaughter of the monarch in the male line, she is legally and officially 'Her Royal Highness Princess Louise of Wessex', not 'Lady Louise Windsor', and, when she comes of age, she may legally use the title Princess Louise if she wishes. However, when her parents married, they decided that their children would be styled as the children of an Earl rather than as princes or princesses with the style Royal Highness.

Is the UK about to break up?

2007-01-14T09:28:00.000-01:00

The United Kingdom was formed three hundred years ago. (You can read the story here).

Devolution has brought about major constitutional changes within the United Kingdom. Scotland now has its own parliament and Wales and Northern Ireland their own assemblies. (England has neither a parliament nor an assembly) Each nation is now fighting for its own independence. Could this be the beginning of the break up of the UK?

More teenagers see themselves as English, Scottish or Welsh rather than British
A YouGov poll carried out by the Daily Telegraph found that fewer than one third of today's teenagers instinctively think of themselves as British rather than English, Scottish or Welsh. But, pressed to say whether they also think of themselves as British, the great majority say yes. Only 10 per cent of the teenage sample, many of them Scots, reject a British identity altogether.

Most people want the United Kingdom broken up
An ICM poll published by the Daily Mail suggested that majorities of voters in both Scotland and England now want the countries to split.

Will Prince William's wife become a Queen?

2007-01-10T17:01:00.000-01:00

Message sent in via email
"I would like to know if Prince William marries and becomes King, his wife would be known as Queen, correct? Would she be eligible to become ruler if King William died?"

Answer:

When Prince William becomes King his wife will be Queen. She wont be a 'proper Queen' but will have the title Queen. She will be known as the Queen consort ( wife and consort of a reigning king). If her husband dies the crown will pass to the next in line to the throne.

( A consort is a spouse , usually of royalty.)

In contrast the husband of a reigning queen is not called "king consort".

The present Queen's husband is called a Prince because he was born a prince and on the Queen coronation she gave him the title of Prince Philip of the United Kingdom.

Visit our Royalty pages for more information

Royal Titles upon marriage

2006-12-27T20:31:00.000-01:00

"Hello,
I wonder about the following: At the moment, there are two Princesses of York: Beatrice and Eugenie. Now, if somebody, let's call him John Smith, marries Princess Beatrice, what would his style presumably be? I'm somewhat doubtful whether he would be called Prince John of York after the marriage... Second question: If some years later Eugenie gets married as well, say, to a Harry Miller, what would his new title be? I guess, it wouldn't be the same as the one of "JohnSmith"...
Thanks for your answers
Michael"

We are not sure of the answer to this question. We know that a Queen's husband is not know as a King and so assume the same applies to a Princess ( if a Princess marries, her husband is not known as a Prince).

Comments welcome

Pronunciation of British words

2006-12-26T14:02:00.000-01:00

The following message was sent via email:

Do you have a view on the use of the word 'Movie' instead of Film. Personally I hate the proliferation of the word Movie.

Secondly is there a view on the pronunciation of the word 'Texted' TV news readers tend to pronounce the word as 'Text ED' I disagree and feel that it should be 'TextD' - the emphasis on the D After all we don't say I 'Fax ED' you. We say 'FaxD' emphasis on the D again. As with 'TelephoneD' We never say 'Telephone ED' you.

This is a personal grip of mine.

Oxford University have nothing definite to say on the matter. 'The BBC Oxford Guide to Pronunciation' have no listing for the word.

sincerely

Gerald

Christmas Day in England 2006

2006-12-25T14:16:00.000-01:00

We woke up to a dull cloudy day. It was not too cold at 7 degrees celcius.

The children were the first to wake this morning. They were so excited to find out what Father Christmas had brought them. Their Christmas stockings were bulging with presents.
They got the usual presents such as a chocolate orange, an apple, hat and scarf and some small toys.

The family gathered around the Christmas tree for the 'grand opening' of presents. It was interesting to note this year, like many others before, that most of the presents come from around the world especially China.

We finally sat down for Christmas Dinner at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
You can see what we had on the Woodlands Junior website
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/dinner.html

It is now 3:30 and we are expecting more relatives to arrive for Christmas tea and a party games. This is one fun filled day of eating, drinking and opening pesents but not forgetting the true meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to one and all

Princess Diana and Queen of England

2006-12-19T15:58:00.000-01:00

The following question was sent by Jerry from the USA

Could Princess Diana, if she had lived, ever have become Queen of England?

Yes, she would have been if she was still married to Prince Charles. (Please note there is not a Monarch of England. The Queen today is the Queen of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland)

When a Prince becomes King his wife is known as the Queen so we have a King and Queen. The Queen in this case is officially a Queen consort which means she has no constitutional statue or power.

(A notable exception to this rule is that of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. It was announced that, in the event of Charles's ascent to the British throne, Camilla would assume the title of Princess Consort, not Queen Consort (although the legality of this under existing statutes has been called into question).

When a Princess becomes Queen, such as did our present Queen, her husband is not known as a King but instead as a Prince. (a prince consort). The present Queen's husband is Prince Philip.

Special Days Around the World

2006-12-07T08:34:00.000-01:00

We have written about many of the special days in England on our website.

Linda wrote to tell us about special days in her country, Australia:

"Thank you Woodlands Junior School for your wonderful website. I was looking all over the internet for the date of Mothers Day next year for the calendar I send to my parents in England-I like to write a little message on the days that are special to them and me-and I couldnt find it until I looked in your website. Thank you too for the information about the Simnel Cake, I have often wondered the significance of it.

Here in Australia, when we go to church on Mothers Day, which is the 2nd Sunday in May (13th next year 2007) we Mums get presented with small handmade items, like flowers or bookmarks. I have a bookmark that has some pretty beads threaded onto a length of plaited embroidery silks.

Fathers Day is the 1st Sunday in September and small handmade items are given to Dads when they arrive at church too.

And because I now live in a country that has palm trees, on Palm Sunday, we are sometimes given small crosses made from palm leaves. I am english but I moved here in 1991. I live in a small suburb called Bethania, which is about 35kms from the city of Brisbane, on the southside, in the state of Queensland. Qld is on the east coast of Australia.

Christmas
All our grade 12 young people finished school mid November, our grade 10 & 11s finished on 1 December and the primaries (Juniors) will finish the first or second week of December. This is the end of our school year, which begins at the end of January, so our main summer holiday is December and January. When you are having your main summer holiday, we have a couple of weeks winter holiday. For the temperature to drop to 0, you have to be up on the ranges (high ground) and usually heading west. The further up the State you travel, the warmer it gets because you are heading towards the equator. If we go South into New South Wales, in winter, we will find snow. And I believe a lot of schools include a "snow trip" for the seniors. There are people here who have never seen snow, except in pictures.

On 26 January, we will all be out and about celebrating "Australia Day". It is a public holiday here and families and friends get together and BBQ (barbecue)in their backyards, in parks (all parks have BBQ facilities) and on the beach.

Another special day here is Anzac Day, that too is a public holiday, for the purpose of remembering all those people who fought and died in many wars for freedom of all people and to stop injustice. We have parades here, just like you will see parades in November for Remembrance Day, but here the children and grandchildren and even great grandchildren will march alongside the veterans, wearing the medals of the grand/parents. The parades are usually held very early in the morning, just as the day dawns. Special Anzac services will be held in schools the day before.

The other main public holiday we celebrate, in all the states, is "Show Day". Each State will hold an annual show that last for around ten days, its when the country people come to the city and show us some of their way of life. They bring their cattle, sheep, dogs, fruit and veggies, chooks (chickens)and horses. Here in Qld it is called the "Ekka", short for Exhibition and the different suburbs of Brisbane will have a day set aside to go to the show. The show in Brisbane is held mid August. There is also a fair at the show and a whole pavilion set aside for "show bags". Once these were free and held merchants samples, now they cost anything from $2.50 up to $50, depending on what is in the bag you want. They usually contain sweets (lollies)and a toy, maybe something to write on or colour in.

We celebrate Easter and Christmas at the same time you do, the only difference is the climate. This is a really long comment but I thought you might like to hear a little of our culture.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays and God Bless you each."
Linda

Please tell us about the special days in your country.

Exchange Rates

2006-12-05T21:33:00.000-01:00

The strength of the pound against the dollar at the moment means huge savings for British people Christmas shopping in the US. However, did you know that there is a £145 allowance? British people buying more than £145 pounds worth of goods have to pay import duty and VAT which could add 20% to the bill on their return trip!

For more information on pound sterling visit our pages about Money in Britain

When is Twelfth Night?

2006-12-01T22:19:00.000-01:00

The date of Twelfth Night has and still does confuses people. It is important for us to know when Tweflth Night is because it is the time when all Christmas decorations have to be taken down by.

We received the following message from Brian, who has an answer to the confusion:

It is only with our modern understanding of astronomy and timekeeping that we start a new day in the middle of the night. We have all been taught this for generations so it seems logical to us and the resulting confusion is all our fault. However to anyone not so indoctrinated it would make no sense whatsoever. It is far more obvious that the day ends when the sun goes down and that the oncoming night is the beginning of the next day. To our ancient ancestors that was true of every day, not just special holidays. So there was no intention on anyone’s part of celebrating the previous night as a holiday. The night was actually part of the holiday. Nor would there be any significance for 6pm, especially in northern Europe where it would be hours after sunset. Rather December 25, Christmas, started at sunset on December 24. They considered this to be Christmas Evening (or Christmas Eve). Christmas would then continue until nightfall on the 25th which started St..Stephen’s Day, the first of the twelve celebratory days of Christmas.

Likewise the Twelfth night after Christmas would have been to them the evening starting January 6, Epiphany, the twelfth and final day of the Christmas season.

Brian

Campaign for a Real Christmas

2006-12-01T11:45:00.000-01:00

Our students enjoy finding out about the meaning of Christmas. They want to know why we do the things we do at Christmas. Who invented the Christmas card and the Christmas Cracker? Why do we decorate a Christmas tree? Their list of questions is endless but they all know why we celebrate Christmas. They all know the true meaning of Christmas.

We live in a society where the true meaning of Christmas can be lost. Christmas today has not only become commercialised but it also has started to change. The traditions we have taken for granted and have been passed down from generation to generation are, very sadly, being replaced with a 'politically correct' version or, even worse, stopped altogether.

This year a campaign to save traditions of Christmas from pollically-correct interference has been launched in the UK by Christians and Muslim leaders.

Notorious local authority attempts to stamp out Christmas include Birmingham's decision to name its seasonal celebrations 'Winterval' and Luton's attempt to change Christmas into a Harry Potter festival by renaming its lights 'luminos'.

Read more about how oganisations have tried to obliterate Christmas from the calendar on our Politically Correct Christmas page

Manners,politeness and general kindness

2006-11-30T21:00:00.000-01:00

The following message was sent in via email from a visitor to our website:

"There are certain things that get my back-up. Lack of manners,politeness and general kindness. Recently we had a debate about muslims wearing the vail in the U.K. It is no problem to me. The problem I have is when people from overseas dont think about our customs.
E.G- Wearing hats indoors. On many occasssion I have had to ask someone to remove their hat while indoors,usually a resturaunt or such. It makes me mad that our customs are ignored, yet we have to observe so many others."

Our page on the Dos and Don'ts in England is very popular. We feel it is important to let people know what we see in England, and indeed the rest of the UK, as polite and impolite.

Please add your comments below.

Remembrance Day

2006-11-11T17:27:00.000-01:00

A message from one of the visitors to our website:

"I’m 45 and know that i wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the brave old soldiers from round the world that made us free.I felt very sad today as i was in Hammersmith London W6, and not many people were wearing Poppy’s and not many people stopped and stood still for the 2mins silence.

I work for London transport and going back 5 years every bus would pull over and stop,well not today people were still rushing about there business and didn’t bother to respect the dead. Even on the news you see the soldiers at the cenotaph standing still look in the back ground people walking about, still driving.

As our country has become more cosmopolitan the old traditions we had in England are dieing out, as the new generation don’t give a dam. Tomorrow i visit all my family graves to place poppy crosses and then lay a cross for the fallen soldiers of Hammersmith/Fulham. "

You can visit our Remembrance Day pages st
www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Remembrance.html