Guy Fawkes becomes English Icon

Posted by
Mike Gerrard
Nov 10, 2006

Children’s favourites Winnie-the-Pooh and Dr Who share centre stage with Sergeant Pepper, the Stiff Upper Lip and the Peak District, as new Icons of England, voted for by the public and selected by a panel of experts. Their iconic status is confirmed today (November 10) as ICONS – A Portrait of England – www.ICONS.org.uk - announces its fourth wave of national icons.

The project, which launched in January, now includes 74 official Icons of England which have been given the star treatment online with themed in-depth features, quizzes, video clips and interviews on the site. Funded initially by Culture Online, part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, ICONS has attracted more than 700 nominations, with people voting and commenting on their favourite icons. More than 800,000 people have visited the site.

Icons on the site already are:

Alice In Wonderland
The Angel of the North
The Archers
Big Ben
Blackpool Tower
The Bobby
Bowler Hat
Brick Lane
Cricket
A Cup of Tea
The Domesday Book
Eden Project
The FA Cup
Fish and chips
Fox-hunting and the Ban
Globe Theatre
Hadrian's Wall
The Hay Wain
Hedges
HMS Victory
Holbein's Henry VIII
Jerusalem
The King James Bible
The Lake District
Lindisfarne Gospels
Magna Carta
The Mini
Miniskirt
Monty Python
Morris Dancing
Notting Hill Carnival
Oak Tree
The Origin Of Species
Oxbridge
The Oxford English Dictionary
Parish Church
The Pint
Pride And Prejudice
The Pub
Punch and Judy
Queen's Head Stamp
Robin Hood
The Routemaster Bus
Rugby
Sherlock Holmes
The Spitfire
SS Empire Windrush
St George's Flag
Stonehenge
Sutton Hoo Helmet
Tower of London
White Cliffs of Dover
York Minster

And the new arrivals as Icons of England today are revealed as:

Winnie-the-Pooh
Westminster Abbey
Stiff upper lip
Narrow-boats on canals
Cheddar
Rolls Royce
English Weather
The Tube Map
The V Sign
The Robin
The Peak District
Ironbridge
Guy Fawkes Night
Dr Who
Sergeant Pepper
The Thames
Red telephone box
The Rose
Wimbledon
Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding
Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management

Celebrities ranging from Michael Palin, Greg Rusedski, Sir Henry Cooper, Dame Ellen McArthur to Griff Rhys Jones have all joined in the ICONS debate about what makes an Icon of England.

"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." Michael Palin

"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

Visit the ICONS website: www.ICONS.org.uk