Portal:England

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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. England shares a land border with Scotland to the north and another land border with Wales to the west, and is surrounded by the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south, the Celtic Sea to the south-west, and the Irish Sea to the west. Continental Europe lies to the south-east, and Ireland to the west. At the 2021 census, the population was 56,490,048. London is both the largest city and the capital.

The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic. It takes its name from the Angles, a Germanic tribe who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in the 10th century and has had extensive cultural and legal impact on the wider world since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century. The Kingdom of England, which included Wales after 1535, ceased to be a separate sovereign state on 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union brought into effect a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland that created the Kingdom of Great Britain.

England is the origin of the English language, the English legal system (which served as the basis for the common law systems of many other countries), association football, and the Anglican branch of Christianity; its parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England is home to the two oldest universities in the English-speaking world: the University of Oxford, founded in 1096, and the University of Cambridge, founded in 1209. Both universities are ranked amongst the most prestigious in the world.

England's terrain chiefly consists of low hills and plains, especially in the centre and south. Upland and mountainous terrain is mostly found in the north and west, including Dartmoor, the Lake District, the Pennines, and the Shropshire Hills. The London metropolitan area has a population of over 15 million as of 2025, representing the United Kingdom's largest metropolitan area. England's population of 56.3 million comprises 84% of the population of the United Kingdom, largely concentrated around London, the South East, and conurbations in the Midlands, the North West, the North East, and Yorkshire, which each developed as major industrial regions during the 19th century. (Full article...)

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St Giles’ Church, Wormshill

Wormshill (/wɜːrmzˈhɪl/ wurmz-HIL), historically Wormsell, is a small village and civil parish within the Borough of Maidstone, Kent, England. The parish is approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of the Swale and 8 mi (13 km) east of Maidstone. The village of Frinsted lies 0.6 mi (1 km) to the east and Bicknor 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) to the north-west; while Hollingbourne is 3 mi (5 km) to the south-west. The village lies on an exposed high point of the North Downs, within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Archaeological and toponymic evidence of Wormshill's existence predates its appearance in the Domesday Book of 1086. The village contains a number of heritage-listed buildings, which include a Norman church, a public house and one of the oldest surviving post office buildings in the United Kingdom. The fields and woodland surrounding Wormshill have changed little in the past 500 years, and the village itself remains rural with a low population density compared to the national average. The population of 200 is a mixture of agricultural workers employed by local farms, and professional residents who commute to nearby towns. (Full article...)

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The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from its foundation until 1992, when the top 22 clubs split from it to form the Premier League. The Football League was rebranded as the "English Football League" (EFL) starting with the 2016–17 season.

The EFL is divided into the: Championship, League One and League Two, with 24 clubs in each division, 72 in total, with promotion and relegation between them; the top Championship division clubs change places with the lowest-placed clubs in the Premier League, and the bottom clubs of League Two with the top clubs of the National League. Currently four of the EFL clubs are from Wales – Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham and Newport County – the other 68 are located in England. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various England-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Canterbury Cathedral nave, 1377 (from History of England)
Image 2The Spanish Armada and English ships in August 1588, (unknown, 16th-century, English School) (from History of England)
Image 3King Charles II, a patron of the arts and sciences, supported the Royal Society, a scientific group whose early members included Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle and Sir Isaac Newton. (from Culture of England)
Image 4The Lindisfarne Gospels (from Culture of England)
Image 5The Lady Chapel of Wells Cathedral (from Culture of England)
Image 6King James I of England (from History of England)
Image 7Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol played a major role in reviving the "spirit" of Christmas and seasonal goodwill. (from Culture of England)
Image 8The Ruthwell Cross, 8th century AD (from History of England)
Image 9The White Tower of the Tower of London, built in 1078 (from History of England)
Image 10Tomb of Richard I of England and Isabella of Angoulême (from History of England)
Image 11England playing Australia at Lord's Cricket Ground in the 2009 Ashes series. After winning the 2019 Cricket World Cup, England became the first country to win the World Cups in football, rugby union and cricket. (from Culture of England)
Image 12The first general laws against child labour, the Factory Acts, were passed in Britain in the first half of the 19th century. Children younger than nine were not allowed to work and the work day of youth under the age of 18 was limited to twelve hours. (from History of England)
Image 13Stinking Bishop cheese (from Culture of England)
Image 14Silbury Hill, c. 2400 BC (from History of England)
Image 15King's College in Cambridge is regarded as one of the greatest examples of late English Gothic architecture. It has the world's largest fan vault, while the chapel's stained-glass windows and wooden chancel screen are considered some of the finest from their era. (from Culture of England)
Image 16View of the ramparts of the hillfort of Maiden Castle (450 BC), as they look today (from History of England)
Image 17Josiah Wedgwood was a leading entrepreneur in the Industrial Revolution. (from Culture of England)
Image 18England in 878 (from History of England)
Image 19Frontispiece of Bede's Life of St Cuthbert, showing King Æthelstan presenting a copy of the book to the saint himself. c. 930 (from History of England)
Image 20Durham Cathedral, dating from 1093 (from Culture of England)
Image 21The Billingsgate Fish Market in London in the early 19th century (from History of England)
Image 22The Fairy Ring by William Holmes Sullivan, c.1908 (from Culture of England)
Image 23Sir Isaac Newton is regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the Scientific Revolution. (from Culture of England)
Image 24Portrait of Edward VI, c. 1550 (from History of England)
Image 25A traditional Punch and Judy booth, at Swanage, Dorset, England (from Culture of England)
Image 26Sir Francis Drake's voyage 1585–86 (from History of England)
Image 27Morris dancing (from Culture of England)
Image 28Durham Cathedral. The Norman cathedral was built 1093–1133 (from History of England)
Image 29Dover Castle, 12th–13th century (from History of England)
Image 30Remains of the Roman baths at Bath, England. (from History of England)
Image 31First played in 1877, the Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. (from Culture of England)
Image 32Maps of territory held by Royalists (red) and Parliamentarians (green) during the English Civil War (1642–1645) (from History of England)
Image 33Christopher Lee (seen here as Dracula in 1958) starred in many of Hammer's British horror films. (from Culture of England)
Image 34Gold torc from Snettisham, 70 BC (from History of England)
Image 35King Alfred the Great statue in Winchester, Hampshire. The 9th-century English king encouraged education in his kingdom. (from Culture of England)
Image 36Artefacts from Bush Barrow at Stonehenge. Wessex culture, Early Bronze Age, c. 1900 BC (from History of England)
Image 37Procession of characters from Shakespeare's plays (from Culture of England)
Image 38The Royal College of Music is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, established by royal charter in 1882. (from Culture of England)
Image 39A pint of real ale (from Culture of England)
Image 40The English landscape garden at Stourhead, described as a 'living work of art' when first opened in the 1750s (from Culture of England)
Image 41Anglo-Saxon king with his Witan. Biblical scene in the Old English Hexateuch (11th century) (from History of England)
Image 42Alfred Hitchcock is often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker, and was described as "a straightforward middle-class Englishman who just happened to be an artistic genius." (from Culture of England)
Image 43Portrait of the Royal Tudors. At left, Henry VII, with Prince Arthur behind him, then Prince Henry (later Henry VIII), and Prince Edmund, who did not survive early childhood. To the right is Elizabeth of York, with Princess Margaret, then Princess Elizabeth who didn't survive childhood, Princess Mary, and Princess Katherine, who died shortly after her birth. (from History of England)
Image 44Edward Elgar is one of England's most celebrated classical composers. (from Culture of England)
Image 45Whitehall by Francis Dodd (1920) displaying the Palace of Westminster (from Culture of England)
Image 46The Alfred Jewel, late 9th century (from History of England)
Image 47Remains of Hadrian's Wall (from History of England)
Image 48Interior of Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford (from Culture of England)
Image 49National performing arts are held annually at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as The Proms during the summer. (from Culture of England)
Image 50Francis Bacon led the advancement of both natural philosophy and the scientific method and his works remained deeply influential in the Scientific Revolution. (from Culture of England)
Image 51Depiction of the Battle of Hastings (1066) on the Bayeux Tapestry (from History of England)
Image 52Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Primate of All England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior bishop of the Church of England. (It was the property of the Roman Catholic Church before the English Reformation.) (from Culture of England)
Image 53Anglo-Saxon helmet from the Sutton Hoo ship burial, 625 AD (replica) (from History of England)
Image 54Jack In the Green, a traditional English folk custom being celebrated in Hastings Old Town, known for its many pre-Victorian buildings. (from Culture of England)
Image 55Kingdoms and tribes in Britain, c. AD 600 (from History of England)
Image 56Countries where English is natively spoken or has official status (from Culture of England)
Image 57William Hogarth's depiction of a scene from Shakespeare's The Tempest is an example of how English literature influenced English painting in the 18th century. (from Culture of England)
Image 58The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork yet found. It consists of almost 4,600 items and metal fragments. (from Culture of England)
Image 59Flatford Mill ('Scene on a Navigable River') by John Constable, c. 1816 (from Culture of England)
Image 60Folio 27r from the Lindisfarne Gospels, c. 720 AD (from History of England)
Image 61Elizabeth I (from History of England)
Image 62Geoffrey Chaucer, c. 1340s–1400, author of The Canterbury Tales (from History of England)
Image 63Stonehenge, erected in several stages from c.3000–2500 BC (from History of England)
Image 64Victory in Europe Day celebrations in London, 8 May 1945 (from History of England)
Image 65King Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649 (from History of England)
Image 66First English Civil War at the Battle of Marston Moor, 1644 (from History of England)
Image 67The Roman Baths in Bath; a temple was constructed on the site between 60–70CE in the first few decades of Roman Britain. (from Culture of England)
Image 68The Battersea Shield (detail), 350 BC. (from History of England)
Image 69Bronze coins of Cunobelin, called "King of the Britons" by Suetonius. 1–42 AD. (from History of England)
Image 70Chester, c. 1880 (from History of England)
Image 71The Mob Quad of Merton College, University of Oxford, 13th–14th century (from History of England)
Image 72One of only four surviving exemplifications of the 1215 text, Cotton MS. Augustus II. 106, property of the British Library (from History of England)
Image 73King Henry VIII (from History of England)
Image 74King Charles II (from History of England)
Image 75Shoulder clasp from Sutton Hoo, 625 AD (from History of England)
Image 76The epic poem Beowulf, set in 6th century Scandinavia, composed c. 700–1000 AD. (from History of England)
Image 77The Procession Picture, c. 1600, showing Elizabeth I borne along by her courtiers (from History of England)
Image 78The wizard Merlin features as a character in many works of fiction, including the BBC series Merlin. (from Culture of England)
Image 79The Great Fire London, 1666. (from History of England)

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The Loveday of 1458 (also known as the Annunciation Loveday) was a ritualistic reconciliation between warring factions of the English nobility that took place at St Paul's Cathedral on 25 March 1458. Following the outbreak of the Wars of the Roses in 1455, it was the culmination of lengthy negotiations initiated by King Henry VI to resolve the lords' rivalries. English politics had become increasingly factional during his reign, and was exacerbated in 1453 when he became catatonic. This effectively left the government leaderless, and eventually the King's cousin, and at the time heir to the throne, Richard, Duke of York, was appointed protector during the King's illness. Alongside York were his allies from the politically and militarily powerful Neville family, led by Richard, Earl of Salisbury, and his eldest son, Richard, Earl of Warwick. When the King returned to health a year later, the protectorship ended but partisanship within the government did not.

Supporters of King Henry and his wife, Queen Margaret, have been loosely called "Lancastrians", the King being head of the House of Lancaster, while the duke and his party are considered "Yorkists", after his title of Duke of York. By the 1450s, York felt increasingly excluded from government, and, in May 1455—possibly fearing an ambush by his enemies—led an army against the King at the First Battle of St Albans. There, in what has been called more of a series of assassinations than a battle, the personal enemies of York and the Nevilles—the Duke of Somerset, the Earl of Northumberland, and Lord Clifford—perished. (Full article...)

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Did you know?

...that Lambeth, in the London Borough of Lambeth appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086?
...that Kate Marsden journeyed overland to Siberia to find a leprosy cure.
...that the Old Bailey was destroyed in the 1666 Great Fire of London, only to be rebuilt in 1674?
...that a Jury is only sent to cases of an indictable offence that has been sent to a Crown Court by a magistrates?

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In the news

16 March 2026 –: A police report in New York formally reveals English street artist Banksy's identity as 51-year-old Robin Gunningham from Bristol, England. (ABC News) (The Telegraph)
15 March 2026 – 2026 Kent meningitis outbreak: Two people are killed and eleven others are hospitalized in serious condition following a meningitis outbreak at the University of Kent in Canterbury, Kent, England. (BBC News)
14 March 2026 – 2026 Six Nations Championship: In rugby union, France defeats England 48–46 to win the Six Nations Championship in the final. (The Guardian)
7 March 2026 – Soham murders: Child murderer Ian Huntley dies in a hospital nine days after being attacked by a fellow inmate at HM Prison Frankland in County Durham, England, United Kingdom. (BBC News)
4 March 2026 – Hong Kong–mainland China relations, China–United Kingdom relations, Chinese intelligence activity abroad: The Central Criminal Court in London, United Kingdom, charge two British Chinese nationals of violating the National Security Act for spying on diasporic Hong Kongers on behalf of the China-appointed Hong Kong government. (AP)
26 February 2026 – 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election: Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer wins the constituency of Gorton and Denton in Greater Manchester, England, in the party's first by-election win. (The New York Times) (The Washington Post)

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“

The rustics of England, especially those inhabiting the South hams (villages) of Devonshire, have great fun Wassailing the Orchards on Christmans Eve, New Year's and Twelfth Nigh (Boxing Day), when they drink toasts to the largest apple trees and sprinkle them with cyder (cider) carried by the beadle, the parish clerk, or some other such obsolete individual. The Devonshire people do this because they did it the year before.

”

— Will Cuppy

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Related WikiProjects

England • Bedfordshire • Brighton • Cheshire • Cornwall • Derbyshire • Dorset • Greater Manchester • Hampshire • Lincolnshire • London • Merseyside • Northamptonshire • North East England • Sheffield • Surrey. Warwickshire • West Midlands • Worcestershire • Yorkshire

Topics

Cities and major towns: Blackpool • Birmingham • Bristol • Chelmsford • Leeds • Liverpool • London • Manchester • Newcastle • Nottingham • Oxford • Portsmouth • Sheffield • Southampton • Stoke-on-Trent

Culture: The Football Association • Rugby Football Union • England and Wales Cricket Board • English inventions and discoveries

Geography: Geology • Climate • Mountains and hills • Islands • Rivers

Economy: Bank of England • London Stock Exchange • Chancellor of the Exchequer • Monetary Policy Committee • HM Treasury

History: Timeline of English history • Prehistoric Britain • Roman Britain • Anglo-Saxon England • Norman England • Plantagenet England • House of Lancaster • House of York • House of Tudor • House of Stuart

Governance: Kingdom of England • Prime Minister of the United Kingdom • Parliament of the United Kingdom • Home Secretary • Local Government Boundary Commission for England • Administrative divisions of England • English law

Symbols: Flags • Flag of England • St George's Cross • Tudor rose • Coat of arms of England

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