June 21, 2018

In 2018, London’s famed Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is celebrating the 250th anniversary of its founding in 1768. The RA operates an art school and organizes exhibitions of fine arts. The academy campus recently completed an expansion and thorough modernization, melding new architecture and technology with the existing 1660′s structure, the palatial Burlington House and surrounding Burlington Gardens. King George III founded the RA as an association of artists and architects, and Sir Joshua Reynolds, a great portrait painter, was the academy’s first president.

London’s Royal Academy of Arts is celebrating the 250th anniversary of its founding in 1768. Credit: © Alex Segre, Shutterstock

The RA expansion includes new indoor and outdoor galleries and free art displays. The additions include space for more art courses, debates, lectures, and workshops, and larger studios for students in the RA Schools. For students and visitors alike, the RA has increased the exhibition and performance areas and opened new cafés and a large newsstand.

RA anniversary events include a special “Great Spectacle” exhibition detailing the 250-year history of the Summer Exhibition, an annual display of new notable works of contemporary art—or, as the RA describes it, “art made now.” A special installation of 250 flags is spilling out of the RA and into London’s West End this summer, and notable exhibits in 2018 include displays from artist Chris Orr’s “The Miserable Lives of Fabulous Artists;” a feature on the art of Oceania that recalls Captain James Cook’s 1768 voyage of discovery to the South Pacific Ocean; and a special exhibition of the works of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele marking the 100th anniversary of their deaths in 1918.

Beyond London, RA 250 events will be held in museums throughout the United Kingdom, including special exhibits at the Holburne Museum in Bath, the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol, the Manchester Art Gallery, the Turner Contemporary in Margate, the Newport Museum and Art Gallery in Wales, and the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh.

March 20, 2018

This past Saturday, March 17, the Irish men’s national Rugby Union team celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by defeating the English team 24-15 at Twickenham Stadium in London, England. The win gave Ireland the Six Nations Championship title and the nation’s third ever Grand Slam (an undefeated tournament). Ireland last achieved Grand Slams in 1948 and 2009. The Six Nations is an annual tournament that also includes the national rugby teams of France, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. The popular rough-and-tumble tournament is one of the biggest outside the Rugby World Cup (last won by New Zealand in 2015). The United Kingdom’s National Westminster Bank (NatWest) sponsored the 2018 tournament, which was officially called the NatWest 6 Nations.

Tadhg Furlong of Ireland charges upfield during the NatWest Six Nations match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium on March 17, 2018, in London, England. Ireland defeated England 24-15. Credit: © David Rogers, The RFU Collection/Getty Images

Led by hulking “man of the match” Tadhg Furlong and halfbacks Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton, Ireland dominated the snowy pitch from the off (offset), scoring its first try (akin to a touchdown in American football) just five minutes into the game. A second try and 2-point conversion gave Ireland a solid 14-0 lead, but sloppy play opened the door for England’s Elliot Daly, who scored a try at the 31-minute mark. (The conversion failed.) The English momentum stopped there as Ireland center Jacob Stockdale scored his seventh try of the tournament, a Six Nations record. Ireland took a commanding 21-5 lead into halftime.

A penalty kick added three points to Ireland’s lead, but Daly scored again for England (again the conversion failed) to make it 24-10. Ireland’s solid green defense then repeatedly stuffed the home white attempts to score before allowing a relatively meaningless try on the final play of the match (the 80th minute) for a final score of 24-15.

Ireland dominated this year’s Six Nations, routing England, Italy, and Scotland, and grinding out tough wins against France and Wales. The Irish squad advanced to World Rugby’s number two ranking, behind only New Zealand’s powerful All Blacks, a team Ireland will face in November ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup. England held the number two spot prior to this year’s Six Nations Championship. The team dropped to number three, just ahead of the Wallabies of Australia. An improving Scotland team is now ranked fifth in the world.

The Six Nations tournament began as a competition among the British “Home Nations” of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in 1883. The 1910 addition of France made it a Five Nations Championship. France bowed out of the tournament in 1932, and the tournament halted altogether during World War II (1939-1945). But the competition returned—with France included—in 1947. Since the modern Six Nations format began in 2000 (now including Italy), England has won the tournament six times. France is second with five championships. Wales and Ireland have four Six Nations titles each, and Italy and Scotland have yet to win.

Within the Six Nations tournament, other team awards—aside from the championship and Grand Slam—include the Triple Crown, which goes to any Home Nation team that defeats the other three in a given year. The worst team in the tournament “wins” the Wooden Spoon each year. Individual nations also swap annual trophies. The Calcutta Cup goes to the winner of the England-Scotland match. Scotland and Ireland play for the Centenary Quaich (a quaich «kwaykh» is a ceremonial drinking cup), and Ireland competes with England for the Millennium Cup. France and Italy play each year for the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy.

January 17, 2018

Yesterday, January 16, a new United States Embassy opened in the Nine Elms area of Wandsworth, a borough of central London, England. The flashy, chunky, ice cube of a building is an architectural wonder, and a security-first but environmentally friendly construction. The decision to move the U.S. Embassy to a new London location was made in the waning months of the presidency of George W. Bush in 2008. Construction of the new embassy began in 2013, and tinkering continued right up to the morning it opened.

This artist’s rendering of the new U.S. Embassy shows the building under a somewhat-typical rainy London sky. Credit: KieranTimberlake, U.S. Embassy London

The new 12-story embassy, designed by Philadelphia-based architectural firm  KieranTimberlake, has nearly twice the floor space as the old one. The building is powered by renewable energy and maximizes the use of natural light as well as natural wind currents through cross ventilation. Solar panels line the embassy’s glass roof, absorbing both sunshine and rainwater for irrigation and flushing.

The building’s trademark façade uses laminated glazing with an outer layer of pressurized ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a highly durable plastic. The transparent exterior ensures a uniform distribution of light while screening excessive solar glare and heat. The windows are clearly visible to birds, however, greatly reducing accidental flying collisions. The façade is also self-cleaning and limits downdrafts on the outside, effectively reducing wind in the adjacent plaza and sidewalks.

Like castles of old, the embassy has stone walls and is protected by a moat. Other security measures include bollards (posts to block vehicles) camouflaged by plants, blast-proof walls and ceilings, a 100-foot (30-meter) open perimeter, and a garrison of armed security personnel.

The new U.S. Embassy earned the highest platinum certification by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the most widely used green building rating system in the world. It was also rated outstanding by the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), the world’s longest established method of assessing, certifying, and rating building sustainability.

The building’s $1-billion dollar price tag was paid for by the sale of the previous embassy—located across the River Thames on Grosvenor Square in the Mayfair district—and other U.S. properties in London. The U.S. Embassy had been on Grosvenor Square (in more than one location) since future president John Adams became the first U.S. minister to the Court of St. James in 1785. Interestingly, four other future presidents—James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, and James Buchanan—all served as London ministers prior to occupying the White House. In 1893, Delaware Senator Thomas F. Bayard was the first to hold the rank of ambassador to the United Kingdom.

The Bureau of Overseas Building Operations (OBO)—did you know there was one?—directs the foreign building program for the Department of State and the U.S. government community serving abroad. Other recent OBO projects have included new embassies in N’Djamena, Chad; Nouakchott, Mauritania; and Oslo, Norway. New embassies will soon go up in Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Paraguay, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Uganda.

March 22, 2017

On Saturday, March 18, the Irish men’s national Rugby Union team defeated the English team 13-9 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The win was satisfying for Ireland and the majority of the 51,700 fans in attendance, but it was England that still came out on top, winning its second-straight Six Nations Championship title. The Six Nations is an annual tournament that also includes the national rugby teams of France, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. The popular rough-and-tumble tournament is one of the biggest outside the Rugby World Cup (last won by New Zealand—in England—in 2015). The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has sponsored the tournament—officially called the RBS 6 Nations—since 2003.

On March 18, 2017, England’s Anthony Watson (in white) and Jared Payne of Ireland compete for a high ball during Ireland’s 13-9 victory at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Credit: © Shaun Botterill, Getty Images

Ireland controlled the first half of Saturday’s match. The Irish players kept the ball in their hands 74 percent of the time, clamped down on England’s bruising offense, and scored the day’s only try (akin to a touchdown in American football) en route to a 10-3 halftime lead. Ireland held on during a grinding second half to secure the 13-9 win and second place in the tournament. Irish forward Peter O’Mahony—a last-minute starter because of an injury—won the man of the match award as the game’s outstanding player.

It was England, however, that dominated this year’s Six Nations, barely missing the so-called Grand Slam (an undefeated tournament). If Ireland had not happily stepped in the way, England would have won its second-straight Grand Slam, a difficult feat last accomplished by France in 1997 and 1998. Back then, it was only the Five Nations tournament (Italy joined the fray in 2000), so England’s back-to-back Grand Slam titles would have been the first in the modern Six Nations era. Alas, it was not to be. Saturday’s defeat also prevented England from setting a new record with its 19^th consecutive Test match victory. Test matches represent the highest level of international rugby competition. England instead remained tied with New Zealand’s powerful All Blacks for the all-time record of 18 straight Test wins.

The Six Nations tournament began as a competition among the British “Home Nations” of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in 1883. The 1910 addition of France made it a Five Nations Championship. France bowed out of the tournament in 1932, and the tournament halted altogether during World War II (1939-1945). But the competition returned—with France included—in 1947. Since the modern Six Nations format began in 2000, England has now won the tournament six times. France is second with five championships. Wales has four Six Nations titles, and Ireland has three. Scotland and Italy have yet to win the Six Nations.

Within the Six Nations tournament, other team awards—aside from the championship and Grand Slam—include the Triple Crown, which goes to any Home Nation team that defeats the other three in a given year. The worst team in the tournament “wins” the Wooden Spoon each year. Individual nations also swap annual trophies. The Calcutta Cup goes to the winner of the England-Scotland match. Scotland and Ireland play for the Centenary Quaich (a quaich «kwaykh» is a ceremonial drinking cup), while Ireland competes with England for the Millennium Cup. France and Italy play each year for the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy.

September 2, 2016

Today, September 2, is the 350^th anniversary of the start of the Great Fire of London, a disaster that burned much of England’s capital city in 1666. The fire burned for four full days, torching some 436 acres (176 hectares) of the City of London, including 13,200 houses and 89 churches—among them St. Paul’s Cathedral (which was later rebuilt). The fire was a catastrophe at the time, leaving 80 percent of the city’s population homeless. But the fire also rid the city of many overcrowded wooden buildings that had been a breeding-ground for disease (see Great Plague). New buildings of brick and stone replaced London’s wooden houses and set the framework for the modern capital we know today.

From August 30 through September 4, 2016, a variety of events are marking the anniversary of London’s Great Fire, including exhibitions of scorched artifacts and commemorative sculptures and artworks, walking tours and storytelling, outdoor concerts and an opera, and even a bake-off at the site of the bakery where the fire started 350 years ago.

This painting depicts the Great Fire of London, which destroyed much of the city in September 1666. The fire began near London Bridge, at left. The Tower of London, at right, survived the fire. The original St. Paul’s Cathedral, center, engulfed in flames, did not. Credit: The Great Fire of London in 1666, oil on panel, Dutch School (17th century); Museum of London (Bridgeman Images)

Early on Sunday morning, Sept. 2, 1666, a fire began near the oven of the king’s baker, Thomas Farriner, who lived on Pudding Lane near London Bridge. Farriner escaped his house with his family (without the maid, who died), but the fire soon spread and engulfed nearby houses. London houses in the 1600′s were built mainly of wood and they crowded so tightly over the narrow streets that the upper stories almost touched. At that time too, every home had open fires and candles, and it was not unusual for a fire to consume groups of streets, or even entire districts. Farriner’s fire—or rather the Great Fire—spread rapidly, devouring timber buildings and jumping from street to street, district to district. There was no effective firefighting system at the time, and a strong wind from the east fanned the flames through houses made abnormally dry by a long, hot summer.

Eventually, King Charles II personally supervised demolition operations to make an open strip that the fire could not cross, and, when the wind fell, the danger of the fire spreading farther was over. Writer Samuel Pepys described the Great Fire vividly in his Diary. Pepys, who lived near Farriner’s bakery, hired a boat and watched the conflagration from the River Thames. Official records list the fire’s death toll at only six, but the city’s population at the time was a “best guess,” with many poor people unaccounted for, and only charred remains recognizable as human were counted. A melted piece of pottery found near Farriner’s bakery showed that temperatures there surpassed 2,200 °F (1,250 °C).

Architect Sir Christopher Wren designed the new St. Paul’s Cathedral as well as the Monument to the Great Fire of London near the former site of Farriner’s bakery.

August 8, 2013

The discovery of charred remains from two Neolithic longhouses that likely served as “Halls of the Dead” for ancient Britons nearly 6,000 years ago have been reported by archaeologists in the United Kingdom. The wooden remains were uncovered within two barrows (earthen mounds) excavated at Dorstone Hill, near Hereford, by archaeologists from the University of Manchester and the Hereford Council. The longhouses were used by Neolithic people to house the bodies of high-status people. Archaeologists believe that such structures were revered because ancient Europeans believed that the household was as significant to the dead as it was to the living.

Ancient people in what is now the United Kingdom and Ireland constructed barrows from about 4000 B.C. until the start of Saxon rule, about A.D. 450 to 500. The oldest barrows date to the early Neolithic period, when the ancient Britons were starting to settle into small communities. The barrows at Dorstone Hill predate the construction of the massive complex at Stonehenge by about 1,000 years.

Upright stones surround a large barrow at West Kennet, in southern England. A barrow is a mound of earth, stone, or both built over an ancient burial place. Remains of barrows appear in many parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland. (© Alan King, Alamy Images)

Archaeologists discovered the two barrows at Dorstone Hill while surveying a field where ancient flint artifacts were found over many years. While excavating the two barrows, which are 230 feet (70 meters) and 98 feet (30 meters) in length, they discovered unusually well-preserved remains of the wooden longhouses. Much of the detail of the two longhouses could be seen from the pattern of charred timbers and stakes as well as postholes visible as patches of darkened earth. The remains revealed a pair of long buildings with aisles and internal partitions framed by upright posts that held up a wooden or thatch roof. Hard chunks of burnt clay scattered about indicated the walls of the longhouses were covered with a mud daub.

At the end of the smaller barrow, darkened earth showed a pattern of large upright posts surrounding a long trough that would have been lined with wooden planks. This structure was likely used as mortuary chamber, where the bodies of 30 to 70 people were held. The dead were usually buried in such chambers long after all the flesh had rotted away.

Archaeologists believe the longhouses were deliberately burned down after some time and the ashes were used to construct the earthen barrows. The halls were most likely burned after some critical event occurred, such as when the head of an important family died. But no human remains have been preserved in the acidic soils of Dorstone Hill. The barrow would have served as a reminder to future generations that an important person was buried at this location. The archaeologists found several fine flint blades buried in the barrows suggesting that people occasionally returned to the site to leave offerings for the dead.

Additional World Book articles:

• Arthur, King
• Celts
• Celtic art
• Druids
• England (History)

Feb. 6, 2012

The diamond jubilee celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s 60 years on the throne began with gun salutes around the United Kingdom, including a 41-gun salute in London’s Hyde Park and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London. Elizabeth ascended to the British throne on the death of her father, George VI, on Feb. 6, 1952. Queen Elizabeth is the head of state of the United Kingdom as well as 16 other countries, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, wave to a joyous crowd in London during the queen's Golden Jubilee, which marked the 50th anniversary of her reign. AP/Wide World

Elizabeth will be 86 years old on April 21. Her mother, Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, lived to be 101.

Queen Elizabeth II has reined longer than any other British monarch with the exception of her great-great-grandmother, Victoria, who ruled for 63 years, from 1837 to 1901. Victoria’s diamond jubilee was officially celebrated on June 22, 1897.  At the time, the British Empire was near its zenith, covering some 13 million square miles (33.7 million square kilometers), almost a quarter of Earth’s total land area. Victoria ruled over one-fifth of the world’s population.

Victoria was queen of the United Kingdom for 63 years. During her reign, often called the Victorian Age, the United Kingdom built a huge empire and became the world's richest country. Bridgeman/Art Resource

Additional World Book articles

• Kings and queens of  the United Kingdom
• Philip, Prince
• United Kingdom, history of (The Victorian Age–1840’s-about 1900)
• The Queen Mother: Creator of the Modern Monarchy (a special report)