British Icons

The Union Jack

In 1603, Scotland and England were united for the first time under a common monarch, King James I. To represent this union a new flag was created, a combination of the English flag of Saint George – a red cross – and the Saint Andrew’s Cross of Scotland – a white saltire (diagonal cross) on a blue background. And thus the Union Jack was born, and for better or worse it’s been the symbol of the United Kingdom ever since.

Heathrow Airport

For those who live nearby the constant roar from overhead is a constant reminder of its omnipotence. For passengers, the filth, delays and lost luggage are a constant reminder of the incompetence. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to London Heathrow, a British icon and the world’s busiest, and probably worst, airport.

Heathrow Airport is the first experience many visitors have of the UK, and on the whole it’s rarely a good one. A sprawling micro-city of concrete and chaos, it was once, along with British Airways, a byword for glamour in a time when air travel was reserved for the rich and famous. Today airports in Beijing, Bangkok and Budapest eclipse Heathrow for efficiency, comfort and cleanliness

Wetherspoon’s Pubs

Pubs have long been central to the British way of life, providing a focal point for socialising in the UK. And while many individual public houses have their own parochial charms, only Wetherspoon’s pubs are zeitgeist - being both representative and symptomatic of the credit-crunched UK today.

Wetherspoon pubs are famed for their cheap booze and food, and eclectic clientele. Targeting the lower income brackets of society, it is hardly surprising, though morally questionable, that Wetherspoon’s pubs are often situated somewhere amidst clutches of social security offices, job centres and betting shops.

Princess Diana

‘I'd like to be a queen in people's hearts but I don't see myself being queen of this country.' - Princess Diana

As the wife of the heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales, Princess Diana was always going to be famous, of course; but it took a troubled life and a tragic death to truly make her an icon.

Lady Diana was born into the aristocracy, and had a model upper class girls upbringing: skiing, finishing school, no educational achievements (despite attending very good schools she failed all her O levels), then a job as a nanny while decorously waiting to snag a husband. And what a husband: the future King of England. The match received royal approval: she was posh, protestant and was (or at least looked like) a virgin.

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes was, of course, the fictional creation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, yet the character is so enduring and vital, and has taken on such a life of its own, that plenty of people find it hard to credit that the man never existed.

The ‘consulting detective' first appeared in the 1887, in an issue of the Strand magazine. In all, he appeared in four novels and sixty six short stories, written over a period of more than thirty years. Every tale follows basically the same formula; in a masterly display of intellectual bravura Holmes solves a case (usually a murder) through the application of sharp observation and deductive reasoning - all narrated by the admiring sidekick, the everyman figure Doctor Watson, who is sometimes called upon to do a bit of donkey work.

Routemaster Bus

Like the Mini, the Routemaster bus is rather an unexpected vehicular British icon. After all, the double decker is boxy, sluggish and old fashioned, and rather cramped to ride in. But its years of service, distinctive bright red colour scheme and ubiquity have endeared it to the nation, and particularly to Londoners; it's become as much a symbol of the city as Nelson's Column.

Harrod's

Harrod's in upmarket Knightsbridge is Britain's most famous department store, with an illustrious 150-year history and an enviable reputation for fine produce and luxury goods. On a good day it draws 300 000 customers, many of them tourists come to drink in a little glamour.

But Harrod's began life humbly in 1834, as Charles Henry Harrod's grocery store in Stepney. Charles moved the store to its present location in 1851 to take advantage of the passing trade from the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park

Brown Icons

Love it or hate it, as the company slogan goes, Marmite is undeniably part of the UK’s heritage and one of British icons. But British Francophobes will be sickened to learn that the name of the world famous yeast spread that divides the UK when it comes to breakfast time, originally came in from the small earthenware pot it was served in - a French casserole dish called a marmite.

Sunday Roast

The British are so enamoured of their traditional Sunday lunches that the French, their old enemy, made an insult out of it – they call Brits 'les rosbif' – literally, roast beef. The components of the dish haven’t changed since medieval times, when it was served by the squire to his serfs as a reward for the week’s work. The hearty Sunday lunch consists of a joint of roast beef, roast vegetables, and Yorkshire puddings (a kind of light, fluffy dumpling), all slathered with gravy and spiced up with horseradish sauce.

Red Telephone Box

Red telephone box was originally designed in 1926 and though it was not initially embraced by people it has slowly become a British Icon that was familiar sight throughout the country.

Manchester United

Topping the premiership for the third season in a row, Manchester United have become the quintessential successful modern football team, flag-bearers for the world’s greatest football league and popular British icon to boot. Right now they are on top of the world, football wise: they’ve won the league 18 times, equalling Liverpool’s record, have won 11 FA cups, more than anyone else, and have won the European Cup three times. They are the richest and most supported team of any sport in the world, and stars such as Ronaldo and Rooney are some of the most recognised faces on the planet.

The Mini Cooper

The Mini Cooper was recently voted the second most influential car of the 20th century which is some achievement for a boxy two door that handles like a go-kart – and great testament to its enduring charm and iconic design.

The Mini began life in 1957, when the head of the British Motor Corporation, Leonard Lord, grew peeved at the presence of so many cheap German cars on British roads: he was quoted as saying God damn these bloody awful bubble cars. We must drive them off the road by designing a proper miniature car.