Sports in Britain

     Sport plays an important part in many British people’s lives. Most towns, cities and villages have their own sports centres, cricket clubs and football clubs, and many big firms have their own sports facilities. Sport is also considered important in children’s education, for developing important qualities such as team spirit and as a way of keeping physically fit.

     Many secondary schools in Britain have a gym, playing fields and some have a swimming pool. Most school children spend about half a day a week playing games. In the past boys learned football, or cricket, while girls played hockey or netball. Now this is changing and children have more choice. Many schools offer other sports such as badminton, tennis, boxing, judo and rugby.

     Apart from practising a sport, British people also like watching sporting events live, or staying at home and watching them on TV.

     For sports in which people want to participate, Britain offers facilities for almost every sport and leisure activity. Around the coasts and lakes there are opportunities for swimming, surfing, sailing and water-skiing; in the mountainous regions there is skiing, climbing, and hiking; rivers are very good for fishing; while pony-trekking, riding and walking are very popular. 

     Source: Excursion, an old Italian book. 

The Spanish Armada

England and Spain had been at war for several years when in 1588 a mighty fleet sailed from Spain to conquer England. On that occasion the Island was saved by her ships and brave seamen.

The Spanish Armada, which was composed of 130 ships, sailed up the Channel to meet the English fleet which was waiting at Plymouth.

The English ships were as numerous as the Spanish galleons but the former were smaller than the latter and therefore they could steer more rapidly to escape the enemy’s fire. Moreover, the English were led by Lord Howard of Effingham and by many famous seamen such as Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins. 

The two fleets fought against one another for nine days but in the end the Spaniards had to take shelter in Calais. There they were attacked by six English ships loaded with gun powder and sent to drift among the enemy fleet. The final battle was fought off Gravelines where most Spanish ships were destroyed by the English and the others were driven away by a strong south-west wind. Spain was no longer a sea power. 

The English at Home

The English don’t like to live in busy city streets. They dislike blocks of flats which are all alike and have no individuality. They prefer to buy or to rent a small house on the outskirts, away from the noise and the traffic of the town centre.

The typical suburban house is a two-storey building with six rooms and two gardens: a front garden full of flowers and a back garden with fruit-trees and vegetables.

Instead of a number each house has a pretty name which distinguishes it from the house next door: “May Flowers”, “Red Roses”, “The Cottage”, and the like.

The first thing an Englishman does with his house is to surround it with a fence or a hedge in order “to shut out the neighbours” and to preserve his privacy and freedom. Freedom, in fact, for an Englishman means above all the right to live his private life, a private life into which he refuses to admit any but his closest friends.

Behind the closed door of his “castle” the Englishman enjoys being alone with his family, looking after his pets, reading his favourite newspaper, smoking his pipe, or spending a quiet evening sitting in front of the television set.

In summer, when the weather is nice and sunny, he likes to spend his spare time in the garden, watering the flowers, cutting the hedge or mowing the lawn. He loves flowers, and gardening is one of his favourite hobbies.

Sometimes he has tea in the garden with his wife, while his children play on the grass with their pets. Pets live in the house and are considered members of the family. English people are very fond of animals, and you can hardly find any English family who does not have a dog, a goldfish, a bird or even a pony as a pet. 

Source: R. Colle – I. Vay, L’esame di inglese, Lattes, an old Italian book 1974. 

Horatio Nelson

     One of the first things a stranger can admire in Trafalgar Square is a high column with the statue of Horatio Nelson on top of it.

     Horatio Nelson was one of the greatest admirals of the British Royal Navy. He became a sailor at the age of twelve. Because of the courage and ability he had shown on several occasions he was appointed admiral when he was very young.

     During the occupation of Corsica he lost his right eye and in another battle his right arm was injured. On that occasion he was so brave that he continued to direct the military operations while his arm was amputated.

     He fought many battles against Napoleon and at Trafalgar he was fatally wounded just when victory was sure. 

     Although he was suffering great pain he had enough strength to direct the final stages of the battle. When he knew that the enemy fleet had been destroyed he said: “Now I am satisfied, thank God I have done my duty” and shortly after he died. 

London. A simple summary for pupils

The most unforeseeable city

London is the capital of England and the Great Britain (United Kingdom). The name London comes from the Latin londinium, given by the Romans who founded a fortified town in the first century A. D.

London is one of the most important financial centres in the world. It’s a cosmopolitan metropolis, where people coming from every part of the globe, form a melting-pot of cultures. It’s the most visited city in the world. London Chinatown is the largest in Europe.

The Thames is the river which flows through London and is the symbol of the city.

London past

The great fire is 1666 destroyed London, that was built again thanks to sir Christopher Wren. During the second world war the bombs of German destroyed the city, that was rebuilt in the post war-period by its inhabitants.

The most important attractions and monuments of London

Big Ben is the famous clock tower on the north side of the Palace of Westminster.

The Houses of Parliament is the palace of the British government with the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

Victoria Tower, built in 1858, is the tower where parliament is gathered in sessions.

The Tower Bridge is a suspensions bridge over the river Thames. Is an example of Victorian gothic architecture and is the symbol of the city.

The Tower of London is a historic castle founded in the end of 1066 as part of the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror.

The British Museum is one of the major attractive for many people. There are collections of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Chinese art. Here we find the Rosetta’s Stone.

Buckingham Palace built between 1701 and 1705, is the residence of the royal family from 1837 (during the Victorian age).

Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London.

Natural History Museum keeps the wonders of natural history with five major departments (zoology, entomology, paleontology, anthropology, botany and mineralogy). Here we can find the skeleton of Lucy, one of the rests of the oldest human in the history of mankind.

Piccadilly Circus is the most known square in London. The statue of the archer Eros is placed in the centre of the square.

Royal Air Force Museum is a largest museum with the exhibition of military planes (English, American, German and Italian) from the beginning of aviation history till today.

The National Gallery is the most important art gallery in the world with a lot of paintings, including the most important collection of Italian paintings, outside Italy.

Science Museum shows the history and the discoveries in natural science, industry, technology and medicine. We (visitors) can do experiments.

Trafalgar Square it’s the main square of London. It’s very popular with tourists.

St. Paul’s Cathedral is the mother of Anglican church built by the architect Christopher Wren.

Westminster Abbey is the burial place of British sovereigns. It’s one of the most meaningful buildings of London, with an exceptional variety of architectural styles.

Westminster Cathedral is the most important catholic church of the reign. It was built using red bricks.

The London Eye is the new symbol of London, built to celebrate the new millennium. It’s a gigantic wheel offers the most exciting view of the city.

Hyde Park is the largest park of London where Londoners go to relax, walks, sport, picnic or simply idle about.

Green Park in old times was the favourite place of the duellists.

Kensington Gardens are famous for the Italian gardens, for the statue of Peter Pan and for ducks and squirrels.

St. James’s Park. Today it’s considered the most beautiful park. In the past, Henry VIII reclaimed the marshes and transformed them into a hunting reserve.

Richmond Park is the largest and wooded town park of all Great Britain. It was a hunting reserve during the time of king Charles I (1637). 

Regent’s Park is a wide greed area for free time, where people can do canoeing in the lake, practice sports, watch concerts or walk in a rose garden. 

A short history of Britain

700 BC

The Celts came to the British Isles from Europe about 2,700 years ago. They lived in tribes and became known as Britons. They lived in round houses grouped in small villages, but then they built towns that became trading centres.

55 BC

Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 BC. But Emperor Claudius conquered it and made Britain part of the Roman Empire a hundred years later. The. Romans built important towns such as London, Bath and York. They also built long straight roads. Latin, the Roman language, is the basis of many English words today.

c. 400 AD

The Anglo-Saxons came from Germany across the see and began to settle in Britain. They were farmers and lived in small villages along the banks of the rivers. One of their kings was King Alfred (871-899).

789 AD

Between 789 and 899 the Vikings came in wooden ships from Scandinavia. They attacked the north and east coasts of Britain, settling in many areas. They made Jorvick (York) their capital. Their greatest Saxon adversary was King Alfred.

1066 AD

In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, defeated the Saxons at the battle of Hastings and was crowned King William I. The English did not want a Norman king and there were many revolts. King William gave land to French barons to build their castles. In 1086 the King sent officials to ask questions and write information in a book called the Domesday Book. It was the first census!

11^th – 15^th century

During the Middle Ages a series of ten different kings and their barons ruled England. They were rich and powerful, while most people who lived in the country were very poor. Towns like Bristol and Norwich grew up as trading centres. Many monasteries were built. The universities of Oxford and Cambridge were started. The Plague killed about one third of e population (1347-50).

1485 – 1603 The Tudors

From 1485 until 1603 the kings and queens of England came from the Tudor family. Henry VIII had six wives, and created the Cjurch of England because he wanted to divorce his first wife. One of his daughters, Elizabeth I was a great queen. Her reign was a time of progress and discovery. Raleigh brought tobacco and new foods, such as turkey and potatoes, from the Americas and Shakespeare wrote plays for the theatre. When the Spanish sent an Armada to attack Britain, Sir Francis Drake beat them.

1603 – 1714 The Stuarts

From 1613 to 1714 the Stuarts of Scotland ruled Britain. They brought great changes and in 1707 England, Wales and Scotland became one country called Great Britain. James I was king when Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605. His son Charles I was king in 1642 when a Civil War began between the king’s supporters (the Cavaliers) and Parliament (the Roundheads, led by Oliver Cromwell). Charles was beheaded in 1649, and England then became a republic for eleven years. In 1666 there was a terrible fire in London which destroyed 80 per cent of its buildings.

The Georgians – 1714 to 1837

In the Georgian period the four king who ruled Britain were all called George. British prime ministers became more powerful while the king became less important. Britain was at war for about one third of the period. Most of the wars were against France. At Trafalgar, Lord Nelson sank most of Napoleon’s ships and Napoleon’s soldiers were beaten by Wellington at Waterloo.

Life changed with the start of the Industrial Revolution. Before, most work was done by hand. But during this period, the invention of new machines transformed Britain into the leading industrialized country in the world.

Victorian Times – 1837 to 1901

In 1837 the eighteen-year-old Queen Victoria came to the throne. During her 64-year reign she built up an enormous empire that included Australia, India Canada and many African nations. It was a time of emigration from Britain and many Scots and Irish people went to America.

Britain became very rich, but not all the British lived a happy life. Hours of work were long and workers had very poor living and working conditions – many young children and women had to work in coal mines and factories.

Many schools were built. In 1870 Parliament insisted that every child must go to school from the age of five to thirteen, and that parents must pay a little of the cost. Classes of 60-80 children had one teacher and the lessons were usually religion, reading, writing and arithmetic.

Present day

In our century Britain has seen many events. First there was World War I. Then came the Great Depression in the 1930s. This was a bad time, when there was high unemployment. Many families were poor, and there was rationing, even of bread and potatoes. World War II began in 1939 and went on until 1945.  Britain fought as a member of the Allied Forces.

Since 1945 there have been a lot of changes including the introduction of important social reforms, a decline in industry, the loss of the colonies, and Britain’s transformation into a multi-racial society,  as people came from countries such as India Pakistan, the West Indies, etc.

Many immigrants are now British citizens with second and third generation families, often with their own religions and cultures.

Britain is also a trading partner of European nations. In 1971 it became a member of the EEC. The Channel Tunnel has been built to help trade with other members of the EC, now known as the EU (from 1973 to 2016 Brexit). 

Source: Excursion, an old Italian book. 

About the U.K.

Geography

Great Britain is a big island in western Europe. The Atlantic Ocean borders Britain to the west, and the North Sea borders it to the east. The Channel divides Britain from the Continent, while the Irish Sea divides it from lreland.

The British landscape is very varied. In Scotland there are high mountains like Ben Nevis, and in Wales there is Snowdonia. The Pennines, a range mountains, go all the way down the middle of England. There are also famous lakes in the north of England. Along the south coast are long sandy beaches.

Politics

The United Kingdom consists of the island of Great Britain (England in the south, Wales in the west and Scotland in the north) and Northern Ireland — the northern part of Ireland. The UK is a country with a constitutional monarchy — a parliamentary democracy and a Queen.

Facts about the UK (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales)

Official name: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Capital City: London.

Population: over 60 million.

Flag: Union Jack.

Size: 244,000 sq km.

Money: The official money is the pound sterling. £1 = 100p (pence).

The head of Queen Elizabeth appears on the notes and coins.

Language The official language is English. In Wales around 30,000 people speak only Welsh. In Scotland about 350 people speak only Gaelic.

Major business cities: London, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow.

Member of... UN, EU (from 1973 to 2016 Brexit), NATO, Commonwealth, G7, Council of Europe.

Some things Britain is famous for: tea, marmalade, beer, fish and chips, clothes, weather, tartan, the Queen.

Hobbies: DIY, sport, gardening, pets, TV, collecting things, fishing.

Sports: cricket, football, golf, rugby.

Source: Excursion, an old Italian book. 

British Sports

     Soccer (football) is Britain’s most popular team game. There are about 129 professional clubs in Britain and the season lasts from August to May. Football matches are usually on Saturday afternoons and the highlight is the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in London in May.

     Rugby is also very popular and is played in two versions: Rugby Union with fifteen amateur players per side, and Rugby League with thirteen-a-side professional teams. The season starts in September and you can watch matches every Saturday during the winter.

     Cricket is often considered the English national sport and is difficult to understanding. It is played with a bat and ball with two teams of eleven players. A match can last up to five days. The season starts in April and people love watching games on village greens and County grounds. The main international competitors are: the West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa and India.

     Tennis is also a popular sport. The world's top tennis players come to Wimbledon (in London) every year in the last week of June and the first week of July for the Lawn Tennis Championships.

     Motor-racing is very popular. Britain’s motor racing championship for Formula One cars, is the British Grand Prix, held in July every year at Silverstone racing circuit.

     Golf is a very old game and St Andrews in Scotland is the oldest Course in the world. The most important annual golf tournament in Britain is the British Open Golf Championship. It takes place in July and is for professional and amateur players, and is on a different course every year.

     Rowing s a very popular sport and is about 500 different schools, colleges and rowing clubs Every year there are about 250 regattas in England — the most traditional is the 6.8 km long Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race held at the end of March on the River Thames in London. Another AP important event is the Henley Royal Regatta in July.

     Equestrian events can be seen all year round and many people love ‘a day at the races’. The most famous events are the Derby (in June at Epsom), the Grand National that takes place each spring (March or April) at Aintree, and Ascot (June) famous for its hats! The main showjumping events are the Royal International Horse Show in July, and the Horse of the Year Show in October. Both are at Wembley, in London. 

     Source: Excursion, an old Italian book.