Portal:England

The England portal

Flag of England	Royal Standard of England

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 otherwise 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...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Featured article - show another

This is a Featured article, which represents some of the best content on English Wikipedia..

The main tunnel entrance of the Ramsgate Tunnels
at the official reopening in 2014

The Tunnel Railway (also known as the Ramsgate Cliff Railway, the Ramsgate Tunnel Railway, the Ramsgate Underground Railway and the World Scenic Railway) was a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge underground railway in Ramsgate, Kent, England. Following the restructuring of railway lines in Ramsgate in 1926, the section of line between Broadstairs and Ramsgate Harbour including a tunnel to the seafront at Ramsgate was abandoned. The narrow-gauge Tunnel Railway was opened within the disused tunnel in 1936 to connect tourist attractions and shops near Ramsgate harbour with the new railway main line at Dumpton Park.

Except for its two stations—one at each end of the tunnel—the line ran entirely underground. The line was built in less than three months, and on its completion in 1936 was one of the shortest independent railway lines in the country. It was open for only three years before being converted to a major air-raid shelter during World War II. After the war's end, it was not included in the 1948 nationalisation of British railways but remained in private hands. (Full article...)

List of Featured articles

Selected article - show another

Brunel by the launching chains of the SS Great Eastern, by Robert Howlett, 1857

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (/ˈɪzəmbɑːrd ˈkɪŋdəm bruːˈnɛl/ IZZ-əm-bard KING-dəm broo-NELL; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history", "one of the 19th-century engineering giants", and "one of the greatest figures of the Industrial Revolution, [who] changed the face of the English landscape with his groundbreaking designs and ingenious constructions". Brunel built dockyards, the Great Western Railway (GWR), a series of steamships including the first purpose-built transatlantic steamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering.

Though Brunel's projects were not always successful, they often contained innovative solutions to long-standing engineering problems. During his career, Brunel achieved many engineering firsts, including assisting his father in the building of the first tunnel under a navigable river (the River Thames) and the development of the SS Great Britain, the first propeller-driven, ocean-going iron ship, which, when launched in 1843, was the largest ship ever built. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

General images

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

Image 1Stinking Bishop cheese (from Culture of England)
Image 2The Billingsgate Fish Market in London in the early 19th century (from History of England)
Image 3England 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 4Christopher Lee (seen here as Dracula in 1958) starred in many of Hammer's British horror films. (from Culture of England)
Image 5Anglo-Saxon king with his Witan. Biblical scene in the Old English Hexateuch (11th century) (from History of England)
Image 6Frontispiece 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 7Portrait 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 8Durham Cathedral, dating from 1093 (from Culture of England)
Image 9Stonehenge, erected in several stages from c.3000–2500 BC (from History of England)
Image 10Canterbury Cathedral nave, 1377 (from History of England)
Image 11Chester, c. 1880 (from History of England)
Image 12Remains of Hadrian's Wall (from History of England)
Image 13The Spanish Armada and English ships in August 1588, (unknown, 16th-century, English School) (from History of England)
Image 14The White Tower of the Tower of London, built in 1078 (from History of England)
Image 15King Alfred the Great statue in Winchester, Hampshire. The 9th-century English king encouraged education in his kingdom. (from Culture of England)
Image 16Canterbury 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 17Interior of Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford (from Culture of England)
Image 18The Fairy Ring by William Holmes Sullivan, c.1908 (from Culture of England)
Image 19Flatford Mill ('Scene on a Navigable River') by John Constable, c. 1816 (from Culture of England)
Image 20Artefacts from Bush Barrow at Stonehenge. Wessex culture, Early Bronze Age, c. 1900 BC (from History of England)
Image 21A pint of real ale (from Culture of England)
Image 22Sir 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 23Dover Castle, 12th–13th century (from History of England)
Image 24The Procession Picture, c. 1600, showing Elizabeth I borne along by her courtiers (from History of England)
Image 25Josiah Wedgwood was a leading entrepreneur in the Industrial Revolution. (from Culture of England)
Image 26King Henry VIII (from History of England)
Image 27The Battersea Shield (detail), 350 BC. (from History of England)
Image 28England in 878 (from History of England)
Image 29Silbury Hill, c. 2400 BC (from History of England)
Image 30King'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 31The Alfred Jewel, late 9th century (from History of England)
Image 32King James I of England (from History of England)
Image 33Depiction of the Battle of Hastings (1066) on the Bayeux Tapestry (from History of England)
Image 34King 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 35Countries where English is natively spoken or has official status (from Culture of England)
Image 36Procession of characters from Shakespeare's plays (from Culture of England)
Image 37Edward Elgar is one of England's most celebrated classical composers. (from Culture of England)
Image 38Bronze coins of Cunobelin, called "King of the Britons" by Suetonius. 1–42 AD. (from History of England)
Image 39Folio 27r from the Lindisfarne Gospels, c. 720 AD (from History of England)
Image 40The Great Fire London, 1666. (from History of England)
Image 41The 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 42Elizabeth I (from History of England)
Image 43Anglo-Saxon helmet from the Sutton Hoo ship burial, 625 AD (replica) (from History of England)
Image 44Geoffrey Chaucer, c. 1340s–1400, author of The Canterbury Tales (from History of England)
Image 45Durham Cathedral. The Norman cathedral was built 1093–1133 (from History of England)
Image 46The Lady Chapel of Wells Cathedral (from Culture of England)
Image 47The Mob Quad of Merton College, University of Oxford, 13th–14th century (from History of England)
Image 48The Ruthwell Cross, 8th century AD (from History of England)
Image 49The wizard Merlin features as a character in many works of fiction, including the BBC series Merlin. (from Culture of England)
Image 50First English Civil War at the Battle of Marston Moor, 1644 (from History of England)
Image 51Alfred 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 52Portrait of Edward VI, c. 1550 (from History of England)
Image 53Tomb of Richard I of England and Isabella of Angoulême (from History of England)
Image 54Sir Francis Drake's voyage 1585–86 (from History of England)
Image 55King Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649 (from History of England)
Image 56Francis 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 57Gold torc from Snettisham, 70 BC (from History of England)
Image 58National performing arts are held annually at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as The Proms during the summer. (from Culture of England)
Image 59One of only four surviving exemplifications of the 1215 text, Cotton MS. Augustus II. 106, property of the British Library (from History of England)
Image 60The epic poem Beowulf, set in 6th century Scandinavia, composed c. 700–1000 AD. (from History of England)
Image 61The Lindisfarne Gospels (from Culture of England)
Image 62Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol played a major role in reviving the "spirit" of Christmas and seasonal goodwill. (from Culture of England)
Image 63Kingdoms and tribes in Britain, c. AD 600 (from History of England)
Image 64View of the ramparts of the hillfort of Maiden Castle (450 BC), as they look today (from History of England)
Image 65Whitehall by Francis Dodd (1920) displaying the Palace of Westminster (from Culture of England)
Image 66The Royal College of Music is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, established by royal charter in 1882. (from Culture of England)
Image 67Victory in Europe Day celebrations in London, 8 May 1945 (from History of England)
Image 68Remains of the Roman baths at Bath, England. (from History of England)
Image 69Maps of territory held by Royalists (red) and Parliamentarians (green) during the English Civil War (1642–1645) (from History of England)
Image 70The 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 71The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork yet found^[update]. It consists of almost 4,600 items and metal fragments. (from Culture of England)
Image 72The English landscape garden at Stourhead, described as a 'living work of art' when first opened in the 1750s (from Culture of England)
Image 73First played in 1877, the Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. (from Culture of England)
Image 74William 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 75King Charles II (from History of England)
Image 76Jack 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 77A traditional Punch and Judy booth, at Swanage, Dorset, England (from Culture of England)
Image 78Morris dancing (from Culture of England)
Image 79Shoulder clasp from Sutton Hoo, 625 AD (from History of England)

Good article - show another

This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

The Severn Estuary (Welsh: Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England (from North Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire) and South Wales (from Cardiff, Newport to Monmouthshire). Its very high tidal range, approximately 50 feet (15 m), creates valuable intertidal habitats and has led to the area being at the centre of discussions in the UK regarding renewable tidal energy. (Full article...)

List of Good articles

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?

More selections

In the news

1 November 2025 – 2025 Cambridgeshire train stabbing: Eleven people are injured, including nine in life-threatening conditions, in a mass stabbing attack on a London North Eastern Railway passenger train in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. Two suspects are arrested. (Sky News)
28 October 2025 – Crime in London: One person is killed and two others, including a 14-year-old, are injured in a mass stabbing in London, England. A 22-year-old Afghan national is arrested. (Sky News)
24 October 2025 – Murders of Albert Alfonso and Paul Longworth: A court in London, United Kingdom, sentences a Colombian man to life in prison for the murder and dismemberment of two men in London in July 2024. The man also pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of child pornography. (AP)
24 October 2025 –: A manhunt is launched for Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, whose sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl sparked anti-immigration protests in Epping, Essex, England, after he was accidentally released from prison. (BBC News)
13 October 2025 – Tipping points in the climate system, Environmental issues with coral reefs: Scientists at the University of Exeter in England report large-scale die-off of coral reefs, the first major tipping point in large changes in the climate system. (The Guardian) (Nature)

Read more...

Selected featured content

Articles:

Lists:

Read more...

Selected quotes

“

I have seen much to hate here, much to forgive. But in a world where England is finished and dead, I do not wish to live.

”

— Alice Duer Miller

More selections • Read more...

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

Things you can do

Things you can do.

Please visit the English Wikipedians' notice board and help to write new England-related articles, and expand and improve existing ones.
Visit Wikipedia:WikiProject England/Assessment, and help out by assessing unrated English articles.
Add the Project Banner to English articles around Wikipedia.
Check for announcements and open tasks for ways to improve English related articles.
Help nominate and select new content for the England portal.
Requested articles: Charterhouse Lane • Renewable energy in England • Ealing Village
Expand: Dorothy Boyd • David Troughton

Related Portals

East Midlands	London	North East England	North West England	South East England	South West England	West Midlands	Yorkshire and the Humber
East Midlands	London	North East	North West	South East	South West	West Midlands	Yorkshire and the Humber
Derbyshire	London transport		Cheshire Cumbria Greater Manchester Lancashire	Berkshire East Sussex Hampshire Kent Oxfordshire Surrey West Sussex	Cornwall Devon Somerset	Staffordshire	Yorkshire