Celebrities and VIPs comment on the latest round of icons...
The ICONS – A Portrait of England project's latest round of 21 Icons of England. This is what people have been saying about them...
Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management
“For
the past century and a half Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
has had pride of place on the kitchen shelves of England. Few people
have read it right through, but countless busy women have dipped into
their 'Mrs Beeton' to find a recipe for rice pudding or advice on how
to cure a child's chesty cough. It's wonderful that Mrs Beeton's
mammoth compendium of domestic wisdom - written when she was in her
early twenties - is now being recognised as central to English culture
as the work of George Eliot or Charles Dickens.” Kathryn Hughes, whose
biography of Mrs Beeton was televised by the BBC
“ Mrs Beeton
another great icon of our age who despite having died at the early age
of 28 gave us our first real cookbook - her book of household
management which in today’s terms would have been in the top ten on
Amazon.” Celebrity chef, Antony Worrall Thompson
Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management
Cheddar
“Cheddar
cheese - a truly great English cheese that’s been with us since 1170,
hailing from where else but Cheddar - the ultimate slow food. Buy
yourself a named variety such as Montgomery or Keens; don’t go for
reproductions.” Celebrity chef, Antony Worrall Thompson
“It’s
fitting that after such a long and distinguished history, Cheddar
should be voted as an Icon of England. It has been part of the English
diet for 900 years. As a Cheddar cheesemaker I’ll certainly raise a
glass to that. Most people are aware that Cheddar cheese is the most
popular cheese worldwide. England - where Cheddar was invented –
remains its real home. The picture of a strong Cheddar, pickle and
bread, accompanied by a pint of beer or cider, is uniquely English.”
John Spencer, Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company
Doctor Who
“We are all honoured and delighted that Doctor Who has been selected as a quintessential British icon. It is testament to all the great actors, script writers and production crew who have worked on the show throughout the last 43 years and to the great British public who have taken the doctor to their hearts.” Russell T Davies, Writer and Executive Producer
“The Doctor has to be regarded as an English
icon. Apart from the imagery of the police box, the character of the
Doctor has largely epitomised Edwardian England. Furthermore in his
recent incarnations... he has also encompassed the characteristics of
northern England and Cockney London, thus making him far more relatable
to the English in general. A gentleman, an outnumbered underdog, an
eccentric, a defiant rebel - all of these qualities go to make the
Doctor a very English character indeed.” Nick Payne, a fan from
Alcester (on the ICONS site)
Doctor Who
English Weather
“No
portrait of England would be complete without including our weather. It
shapes our national lifestyle; the way we live, work and play. By
influencing the outcome of battles, the weather may have even altered
the course of our nation’s history. The modern weather forecast is
never far from our minds and is arguably iconic itself; the shipping
forecast, weather symbols and the unique language of weather
forecasters are all part of our national heritage. The ICONS collection
will be an inspirational resource for anyone interested in English
culture.” Peter Gibbs, BBC weatherman
“When there's good
weather there's no better place to be on earth. I've always said if we
had hot weather in England who'd ever want to go abroad? But of course
the unpredictable English weather keeps life interesting and it's
definitely a feature which defines life in this country.” Sir Henry
Cooper
“I am delighted that the public have voted the English
weather as an ICON of England. The Met Office, as the UK’s National
Weather Service, understands the impact the weather has on people’s
everyday lives; our weather is as diverse as the people who make up our
culture. The Met Office leads the world in the science of weather
forecasting and in climate change. We promote UK achievements in these
fields across the world and are pleased to be associated with the ICONS
of England collection as we face the challenges of climate change in
the 21st century.” Mark Hutchinson, Chief Executive, Met Office
English Weather
Guy Fawkes Night
"Guy
Fawkes is a symbol of resistance to overweaning centralised government
powers. He plays a central role in Lewes Bonfire which, as an event,
espouses individuality and non-conformity and the right to be
gloriously politically incorrect." Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat MP
for Lewes, whose annual Guy Fawkes procession is world-famous
"The
excitement in setting off fireworks appeals to the rebel in all of us.
In the spirit of Guy Fawkes, it is an ‘anti-establishment' thing to do.
I think that many people have forgotten, or don't realise, the true
meaning of this day we celebrate by setting off fireworks, and that it
was, in fact , illegal not to celebrate Guy Fawkes night until the
1960's!" David Jordan, partner in Jordans Fireworks, one of the U.K.'s
leading suppliers of Fireworks.
Iron Bridge
“Iron
Bridge has been regarded as an international icon of the Industrial
Revolution for centuries and it is fitting that it has now been
recognised as an Icon of England’s innovation, creativity and
industrial prowess. This acknowledgement is a great testament to the
determination of the thousands of people who worked in the Gorge over
the centuries and the current inspiration that drives the Ironbridge
Gorge Museum Trust and allied agencies to work together to manage this
remarkable World Heritage Site.” Steve Miler Chief Executive of the
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust
“I pick Iron Bridge because it is
a wonderful example of ingenuity and the English have always been
rather good at ingenuity, and I speak as a Welshman. It is also
extremely elegant, and the English are rather good at elegance… and
they like things to be graceful. In that sort of mixture of this
new-fangled ability to handle iron, and at the same time to make
something of a beautiful, classical construction, I think you see
Englishness at work. “ The Dean of York, the Very Reverend Keith Jones
Iron Bridge
Narrowboats on Canals
"Sailing the Canals is a great way to see - and at 4mph, to stretch - the countryside." Timothy West, who is a great fan of narrowboats
“Brightly
painted narrowboats are synonymous with Britain’s 200 year old canals
and I am delighted that they have been acknowledged as an Icon.
Chugging from place to place and passing through canal locks,
narrowboats are a fascination for the millions of visitors to the
towpath each year. In bygone days horse-drawn boats would have been
laden with goods and raw materials for industry. Today’s narrowboats
are fitted with all the latest mod cons ideal for tranquil weekend
breaks and lazy summer holidays.” Robin Evans, chief executive of
British Waterways, which manages 2,200 miles of canals and rivers in
the UK
Indiana Jones star, Harrison Ford is a surprise
fan of narrowboats on England’s canals. “You can see the English
countryside in a way you can’t when you’re speeding down the M1. I
found it relaxing and fun, and the rest of the family loved it.. The
boat was a 60-footer - that was longer, and the canals narrower, than
I’d anticipated. So it became a question of looking ahead, being
observant, working out where we were going and what was possible.” The
Times March 2006.
Narrowboats on canals
The Peak District
“I
love coming back to the Peak District, one of my favourite places has
to be the network of tracks around my parents’ home. When I was young
my dog Mac and I used to disappear and just mess around building dens
and being in the open. We still make it our first port of call whenever
I’m visiting.” Dame Ellen MacArthur, solo round-the-world sailor
”When
I was a lad in Sheffield, the Peak District was some kind of exotic,
faraway land which I could get to without spending a lot of money. I
explored the Peak District on my bicycle, so it was somewhere I kind of
discovered myself. It was a wonderful place to be let loose in. Up
there on the tops there was really lovely scenery with fantastic views.
The Peak District provided me early on with the inspiration to travel
and go to places that were different from where I lived. You do see
things that when you’re on your travels you might have to go many
hundreds of miles to see. That’s what makes the Peak District so
special. It’s very, very important for people not just to get fresh air
but also a bit of excitement that wild scenery gives you. That’s
certainly what it did for me.” Michael Palin
“It’s very hard not to sound as tired as a cliché, when describing something that you love. This becomes totally impossible when trying to describe the Peak District. So I will just say what comes to me first when I close my eyes…from the peat bogs on top of Kinder Scout to the deepest part of its reservoirs and caves, from the stately homes of Chatsworth, Haddon and Hardwick to the beauty of its market towns, Bakewell, Ashbourne and Wirksworth, from the ancient games like the Royal Shrovetide Football and the cricket played everywhere, timeless cattle and sheep, the ferns, trees, rivers and dramatic rocks, the Bakewell Puddings, Blue John rocks from the mines (do not confuse these with the puddings), ancient Well Dressing and Clypping Celebrations to the modern - water sports, paragliding, arts festivals, massive conservation and environmental projects. The Peak is rightly in the heart of England, as it has within it a whole tasty slice of England, both ancient and modern, wrapped up in wonderful, majestic countryside and served on a Denby plate with a nice cup of tea.” Tim Fttzhigham, the comedian The Peak District
Red Telephone Box
“It’s a much loved, internationally recognized, British icon,” David Lammy MP, Culture Minister
“Since
the introduction of the standardised kiosk 85 years ago, phone boxes
have been part of the national landscape and have been given public
recognition through the Icons of England collection.” Siân Wynn-Jones,
BT Heritage Collection Manager
“By preserving the national
kiosk phone box collection at Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings,
Connected Earth has safeguarded the much loved designs of Giles Gilbert
Scott for future generations to enjoy.” Alex Newson, BT Connected Earth
Curator
Red telephone box
Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding
“I
am an American and when I think of England I think of the QUEEN first
off and then of a ROAST OF BEEF!” Bruce Plunham from USA (on ICONS site)
“It's an icon of Britain to the French who refer to us Brits as 'les rostbifs'.” Taxus. from Medway (on ICONS site)
“Roast
Beef and Yorkshire Pudding is like the a song without words - you can’t
have one without the other - they go hand in hand and are synonymous
with British cooking.” Celebrity chef, Antony Worrall Thompson
"Roast
beef is definitely an icon of England: roast beef and Yorkshire
pudding." John Absalom of Absalom and Tribe Ltd.,Smithfield.
Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding
The Robin
“The
RSPB is delighted that the robin has been chosen as an Icon of England
as it is one of Britain's most popular birds. With its bright red
breast and dumpy shape, the robin is a familiar garden bird and was
officially adopted as Britain's National Bird in 1960 so its selection
by ICONS seems wholly deserving! Garden birds need our help all year
round with feeding and water and the Icons of England initiative helps
raise the importance of this even further." Farrah Stevens, RSPB garden
birds project manager
The Robin
Rolls-Royce
“The
Rolls-Royce was an icon from the moment it was first launched. It was
the best car in the world, both quieter and more powerful than any
other – an overnight advance in car technology. Driving an original
Silver Ghost is like driving no other car. You’re high up, you feel
very secure, and it’s just miles quieter than any other car of its
era.” Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, President of the Federation of British
Historic Vehicle Clubs, and owner of the National Motor Museum
The Rose
'ICONS
is a fabulous, interactive modern way to learn. It doesn't surprise me
at all that the rose has been selected an Icon of England, because when
I travel the country meeting gardeners and non-gardeners alike, the
rose always seems to be one flower that is overwhelmingly and
universally adored. There are so many different varieties available
these days- climbers, shrub, ground cover and old fashioned ones, that
there's bound to be one that will work in your garden.” Joe Swift,
Presenter, BBC Gardeners’ World
Sgt Pepper Album
“The
reason why people feel it is so iconic is because it was created at a
time when the Beatles were at the height of their power.” Sir Peter
Blake, designer of Sgt Pepper album
“The Beatles are icons. The
album sleeve is an icon. It will never be matched. Sgt. Pepper was not
just another record. Compared to their first album Please Please Me
that was recorded in one night, this was a work of genius. The
innovative approach to album sleeve design that The Beatles had
instigated was taken up another notch.. More time went into the design
and thought of the cover than previous albums: they spent months in the
studio creating a masterpiece. The album cover stands on its own as a
work of art. They introduced the idea of the concept album, and how
many times has it been copied or mimicked? David Bedford, British
Beatles Fan Club
Sgt. Pepper
Stiff upper lip
“I
think "stiff upper lip" is very English. It's a story of an Englishman
who loses his leg at a battle and saying:"Oh, God, I've lost my leg".
It's also Elton John remembering the days when Princess Diana died
(with whom he had been close friends): "I couldn't afford to be
emotional". Being "emotional " would have been non - stiff- upper-lip,
and, thus, non-English.” Alecia Jioeva (on ICONS site)
Stiff upper lip
The Thames
“
When I took to the water last September, despite all the hullabloo
associated with a film crew, and a schedule and a film to make, the
Thames proved to be just about the pleasantest place I could ever want
to be. The sun shone. The trees glistened. The water lapped at
manicured banks. It was magic, silent and homely. We were truly
privileged. It unfolds like a beautiful story and is a remarkable
undulating snake of pure pleasure.” Griff Rhys Jones, who re-enacted
Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat for television with Rory McGrath
and Dara O’Brien on the Thames
“ Not many people ever see the
little puddle up near Cirencester that is the start of the mighty River
Thames, but from that innocent beginning she runs through many
beautiful marshes and towns like Oxford, Henley and Windsor before
hitting the majestic sweep of Richmond Bridge and on up to London.
With the flowing of the Thames flows English history, as so many
national events are bound up with it. It’s a true Icon of England.
London without the Thames would be like a Victoria Sponge without the
jam, like a ham sandwich without the ham, like a cup of tea with no
water, in short it would not be London.” Tim Fttzhigham, the comedian
who sailed 160 miles up the Thames for Comic Relief in 2003.
The Tube Map
"Designed
in 1931 by electrical engineer, Harry Beck, the London Underground Map
is pure genius. Across the world, all the major transport systems now
follow his idea and 75 years after he first designed it, it's
impossible to see how it could be improved upon." David Worthington -
Consultant Design Curator, London's Transport Museum
“The tube
map was intially rejected by london transport,but it is an iconic
symbol of london the world over.many other cities have based their
transport maps on it.” Fiona Drennan, from Cardiff (on ICONS site)
“It's
so very British, all nice neat lines, completely disregarding any
geographical relavance what so ever! You only ever make the mistake
once of walking between stations because you don't think it will be
that far! The design of the underground map has influenced interior
desgin for years, and the number of underground nuts never ceases to
amaze me! And how many other icons are used by over 4 million people on
a daily basis!” Mark Bidwell, from Rushden (on ICONS site)
The V Sign
“The
V Sign in both its meanings - the Churchillian victory sign and,
reversed, defiance. They are both at the heart of English nature. It's
bloody-mindedness in adversity, a refusal to give in, a sign that was
given to us by Churchill in the blitz, and when reversed, was aimed at
the skies. A quintissential English Icon. My alter ego David Archer
would approve too!” Timothy Bentinck, who plays David, in The Archers
The V-sign
Westminster Abbey
"I
am delighted, but hardly surprised by the announcement. Westminster
Abbey is the epitome of our nation's historic faith and identity. Both
come together in the centuries-old coronation rite in which our
liberties are entwined." Sir Roy Strong
"I'm standing here
looking at the Victoria Tower and Hawksmoor’s towers behind me – that
speaks of the coming together of faith at the heart of government and
British society. I’m thrilled that Westminster Abbey is recognised as
an icon – it certainly is for people all over the world. And rightly
so." Canon Wright, sub-dean of Westminster Abbey
Wimbledon
“Wimbledon
is the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. As a tennis
player your dream is to play there. The history and beauty and the
all-important Centre Court is what makes it so special. Your mind runs
through all the greats who have played on the hallow ground. May
Wimbledon always stay the same – it is one of my Icons of England.”
Greg Rusedski, England tennis player
“We are delighted to have
been selected as an Icon of England. As a truly international event
with worldwide appeal, Wimbledon has always valued its tradition and
English heritage, both of which have played such an important part in
The Championships’ history for well over 100 years. It is no
coincidence that the transformation of the grounds, which has taken
place over the past decade, continues apace with the improvements to
Centre Court set amid the timeless elegance and charm of tennis in an
English country garden. “ Ian Ritchie, Chief Executive of the All
England Club
Winnie-the-Pooh
“I
welcome ICONS website because it encourages debate about culture and
heritage. Winnie-the-Pooh has occupied a special place in the hearts of
readers for over 80 years, not only in England, but around the world.
‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ and ‘The House at Pooh Corner’ have been translated
into over 30 languages. I believe Pooh can be regarded as an English
icon because the books embody values and attitudes to life that the
English hold dear: subtle humour, cheerful (but not reckless) optimism
and nostalgia for the simple life (the books contain some surprisingly
profound and helpful views, and some adults find in them the perfect
antidote to stress). A.A.Milne and E.H.Shepard created a safe, warm and
funny world that children could relate to, whatever their nationality,
and Pooh’s appeal to adults is similarly global. Perhaps for
non-English readers, Pooh represents something that they value about
the English in general?” Sue Parish, Head of Editorial at Egmont
Publishing, publisher of A.A.Milne’s ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ and ‘House at
Pooh.
