English Art, Architecture & Literature

Art

The history is art in England is a long one, with recent cave art discovered at Creswell Crags dating back to around 15,000 years ago. In more recent Millennia,the influence of Germanic traditions in it's Anglo-Saxon metalworking and bone sculpture. From the 16th Century, portrait are became popular in England, while the 18th Century saw the increased popularisation of landscape painting.

For those interested in exploring English art, the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery are great places to start. British Museum also includes art and sculpture from throughout the world. Any art enthusiast visiting England also needs to visit at least one of the Tate Galleries. Also in London, The Victoria and Albert Museum is the world's largest museum of applied and decorative arts. And if you want a more immersive art experience while in England, there are also a number of wonderful art retreats worth considering such as Brambles Art Retreat in Devon.

architecture

England has some fine examples of pre-historic architecture worth visiting, such as Stonehenge. The Roman influence is also apparent, with many building and city walls incorporated into later structures. There are also a multitude of Norman castles left intact, and large Tudor houses can be found on massive estates.

England is probably best known in architectural terms for it's Georgian and Victorian buildings. The finest examples of the Victorian period include the Palace of Westminster and St Pancras station. In the modern era, England saw a large number of Brutalist building constructed post World War 2, in a period where cost dictated design.

High tech architect has since come to the fore, with stunning structures such as the The Gherkin, the Walkie Talkie and the Shard taking pride of place in London’s skyline. The most well known proponent of the style is Norman Foster and other examples of his work include the Great Court at the British Museum and Canary Wharf tube station.

literature

The English language spread throughout the world with the rise of the British Empire so England's literature was always going to have a similarly major impact. William Shakespeare is regarded as one of the greatest writers to have ever lived, and for the English literature enthusiast a few days of your time in England could easily be spent visiting sights associated with him. In Stratford Upon Avon, you can visit his birthplace, his mother and sisters homes and Anne Hathaway's Cottage, where Shakespeare courted his bride-to-be. In London, you can do a tour of The Globe Theatre and take in a performance of one if his plays.

Other famous English writers include Geoffrey Chaucer, who lived in the 1300s and is most famous for “The Canterbury Tales”, Charles Dickens, regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, and The Bronte sisters, who are among England’s most well known female writers. As was the case with many female author of the time, they had to use male pseudonyms when releasing their works.

You can find museums dedicated to all of these authors dotted throughout England. And In Poets Corner in Westminster Abbey, you can see the final resting places of Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, CS Lewis. the Bronte sisters along with close to 100 other poets and writers.

England has produced a wealth of amazing art, architecture and literature and if you would like to explore more of these aspects of English culture further during your visit, contact us today and we will prepare the perfect itinerary for you.