Portal:England

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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 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...)

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Manchester skyscrapers and a Bee Network tram

Manchester is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of over 589,000 in 2024. It borders the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the city of Salford to the west. The two cities and the surrounding towns form one of the United Kingdom's most populous conurbations, the Greater Manchester Built-up Area, which has a population of 2.87 million.

The history of Manchester began with the civilian settlement associated with the Roman fort of Mamucium or Mancunium, established around AD 79 on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell. Historically part of Lancashire, areas of Cheshire south of the River Mersey were incorporated into Manchester in the 20th century. Throughout the Middle Ages Manchester remained a manorial township, but began to expand significantly with a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution, which resulted in it becoming the world's first industrialised city. Manchester attained city status in 1853. The Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894, creating the Port of Manchester and linking the city to the Irish Sea, 36 miles (58 km) to the west. Its fortune declined after the Second World War, owing to deindustrialisation, and the 1996 Manchester bombing led to extensive investment and regeneration. (Full article...)

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Everton Football Club (/ˈɛvərtən/) is a professional association football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

Founded in 1878, the club was a founding member of the Football League in 1888, and was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, one of just three clubs to have been a founding member of both leagues. Everton are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in England, having won fifteen major trophies: nine football league titles, five FA Cups and one European Cup Winners' Cup. Everton won their first League Championship during the 1890–91 season. After winning four more League championships and two FA Cups, the club experienced a post-Second World War lull until a revival in the 1960s. A period of sustained success came in the mid-1980s, when Everton won a further two League championships, one FA Cup, and the 1985 European Cup Winners' Cup. The club's most recent major trophy was the 1995 FA Cup. (Full article...)

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

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

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Samuel Cowan (10 May 1901 – 4 October 1964) was an English football player and manager. A relative latecomer to the sport, Cowan did not play football until he was 17 and was 22 by the time he turned professional. He made his league debut for Doncaster Rovers in 1923, and signed for First Division Manchester City the following season.

Cowan played centre half for Manchester City for 11 seasons, captaining the team in the early to mid-1930s. Alongside David Silva and Vincent Kompany, he is the only other player to have represented Manchester City in three FA Cup finals, as a runner-up in 1926 and 1933, and as a winner in 1934. Internationally, he gained three England caps between 1926 and 1931. In total he played 407 times for Manchester City, putting him 12th in terms of all-time appearances. In 1935, he transferred to Bradford City, and subsequently moved to Mossley as player-manager. (Full article...)

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Did you know?

The Westminster Assembly

... that the 1643 Westminster Assembly, which was appointed by the Parliament of England to restructure the Church of England, produced the Westminster Confession, the foundation of the Presbyterian Church?
... that Declaration of Sports was a 1617 declaration of James I of England listing archery and dancing as permissible on Sundays and that Puritans in Parliament had it publicly burned in 1643?
... that Jemmy Button was a Yaghan from Tierra del Fuego who was bought for a mother-of-pearl button in 1830 and taken on HMS Beagle to meet the King and Queen of England?

In the news

26 February 2026 – 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election: Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer wins the constituency of Gorton and Denton in Greater Manchester, England, in the party's first by-election win. (The New York Times) (The Washington Post)
8 February 2026 – Super Bowl LX: In American football, the Seattle Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots, 29–13, to win their second Super Bowl, and their first in 12 years. Seahawks running back (RB) Kenneth Walker III is awarded MVP, the first RB to receive the award in 28 years. (ABC News) (NFL)
6 February 2026 – Ipswich serial murders: English serial killer Steven Wright, who killed five women in 2006, receives another life sentence after he admitted to murdering a 17-year-old girl in 1999. (Reuters via CTV News)
4 February 2026 – 2024 Elbit Systems burglary: The Woolwich Crown Court finds three out of six members of Palestine Action not guilty of aggravated robbery relating to a raid on a building owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems in Bristol, England, United Kingdom, while charges on criminal damage and violent disorder received partial or no verdicts. Five are released on bail. (BBC News)
4 February 2026 – 2025 North Sea ship collision: A cargo ship captain is sentenced to six years in prison for gross negligence after his ship collided with an oil tanker in the North Sea off the coast of East Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK, in 2025, killing one person. (BBC News)
3 February 2026 – Epstein files, Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein: The Metropolitan Police of Greater London, UK, launches an investigation into House of Lords peer Peter Mandelson following allegations of misconduct in public office. (BBC News)

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England... is a nation of shopkeepers

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— Napoleon

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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

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