The origins of the United Kingdom can be traced back to the reign of Anglo-Saxon king Athelstan, who secured the allegiance of neighbouring Celtic kingdoms in the early 10th century CE and became “the first to rule what previously many kings shared between them,” according to a contemporary chronicle.

During the 1600s, Ireland came under English influence and was legally unified with Great Britain by the Act of Union of 1800. The Republic of Ireland won independence in 1922, but six of Ulster’s nine counties remained under British control as Northern Ireland. Relations between these component states and England have been fraught with contention, outright revolt, and even conflict at times. These tensions began to ease in the late twentieth century, when devolved legislatures were established in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Despite the establishment of a power-sharing assembly following referendums in both Northern Ireland and the Irish republic, relations between Northern Ireland’s unionists (who favour continued British sovereignty over Northern Ireland) and nationalists (who favour unification with the republic of Ireland) remained tense well into the twenty-first century.

The United Kingdom has made substantial contributions to the global economy, particularly in the fields of technology and manufacturing. However, after World War II, the United Kingdom’s most notable exports have been cultural, such as literature, theatre, cinema, television, and popular music, which draw from all regions of the country. The English language, perhaps Britain’s greatest export, is today spoken in every corner of the world as one of the primary worldwide mediums of cultural and economic interchange.

Through the Commonwealth, the United Kingdom maintains ties with sections of its previous empire. It also has historical and cultural ties with the US and is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Furthermore, the United Kingdom joined the European Union in 1973. Many Britons, on the other hand, were occasionally hesitant EU members, clinging to the ideals of Winston Churchill, the great wartime prime minister. Indeed, in a referendum on whether the United Kingdom should stay in the EU in June 2016, 52 percent of British voters voted to leave.

After much wrangling, multiple deadline extensions, months of internal political wrangling, and two changes of prime minister, a deal on “Brexit” (British withdrawal from the EU) was achieved that pleased both the EU and the majority of Parliament. As a result, the United Kingdom became the first country to leave the EU on January 31, 2020.

1. Westminster was London’s most contentious bridge

In the early 1700s, there really wasn’t much choice if you wanted to cross the river. For the previous 600 years, you could opt between crossing at London Bridge, or at Kingston Bridge.

When Westminster Bridge was proposed to in 1664, the Corporation of London, the watermen (who ferried people across the river all day), and other people with vested interests, all opposed it.

One of their arguments was that if the watermen lost their jobs, there’d be fewer readily available seamen for the navy if England went to war.

Their best and final tactic in opposing the bridge was an interest-free loan of £100,000 from the City Corporation to the King. Charles II happily accepted the bribe, and refused permission to build the bridge.

Permission to build a bridge at Westminster finally received Royal Approval on 20 May 1736, when George II was on the throne. The watermen (think of them as thecabbies of their day) got £25,000 compensation, equivalent to £2m today.

2. It was nicknamed the Bridge of Fools

The new bridge at Westminster wasn’t funded in the typical way (with private enterprise and tolls); instead, money was raised via a then-fashionable ‘lottery‘.

Lotteries at the time were subject to abuse and fraud: some even saw them as being immoral, and a threat to society.

This lottery funding led Henry Fielding to dub the new crossing ‘The Bridge of Fools’. The name stuck as the bridge’s construction dragged on much longer than planned.

In the end, the new bridge at Westminster took more than 11 years to complete.

3. Westminster Bridge: artists’ muse

The first Westminster Bridge was designed by young Swiss engineer, Charles Labelye and was rather beautiful.

It has been immortalised in pictures by Canaletto, Samuel Scott, Antonio Jolli and JMW Turner.

It’s also the title of an 1802 William Wordsworth sonnet, Upon Westminster Bridge, although we should note that Bill was writing about what he could see from the bridge, not about the bridge itself.

4. It used to be a bit dodgy

The first Westminster Bridge featured semi-octagonal turrets at intervals along the crossing to provide shelter for pedestrians.

But these cloistered cubby-holes soon became haunts for vagabonds, muggers and prostitutes.

In the end, 12 night watchmen had to be hired to guard travellers as they crossed the river.

5. It’s central London’s oldest surviving road bridge

The bridge that crosses the Thames between Westminster Palace and Lambeth today was designed by engineer Thomas Page. An interesting fellow, responsible for the first Chelsea Bridge among others, Page also put forward an idea for a submerged tube to act as a tunnel between England and France back in 1870.

This version of Westminster Bridge opened in 1862, making it the oldest surviving road bridge across the Thames in central London.

6. It opened on Queen Victoria’s 43rd birthday; but she wasn’t there

Queen Vic was booked to perform the opening ceremony; but when the time came, she was in prolonged mourning for Prince Albert, who’d died the previous December. The rather subdued opening ceremony took place without her.

7. It has the most spans of all London’s Thames bridges

Westminster Bridge is 252m long and 26m wide.

It’s an arch-bridge with seven iron-ribbed elliptical spans; the most spans of any of the Thames bridges.

8. It’s painted green for a reason

Westminster Bridge was painted green in 1970 to match the seats in the House of Commons, the part of the Palace of Westminster closest to the bridge.

Lambeth Bridge, further upstream, is painted red to match the colour scheme in the House of Lords.

9. It includes some very lovely lamps

The ornate, octagonal lanterns are quite beautiful. Grouped in threes, their Gothic design is by Charles Barry, a nod to the architectural style of the palace at the end of the bridge, built around the same time.

Check out the entwined V&A in the centre, for Victoria and Albert.

Refurbished between 2005 and 2007, the lanterns spruced up, repainted, touched up with gold leaf, and treated with ‘verdigris’, a chemical with a greenish-blue pigment, matching the original hue of the lamps.

10. The bridge has starred in both Bond and Doctor Who

Westminster Bridge is used in a couple of Bond films (Spectre, Die Another Day); and in several Doctor Who episodes, including The Dalek Invasion of Earth in 1964.

You can also spot the bridge in Mission Impossible — Rogue Nation, 101 Dalmatians, and Wimbledon.

Perhaps, most famously, an eerily deserted Westminster Bridge kicks off the mounting sense of terror in 2002 British horror film 28 Days Later.

source: londonist.com

Can you fill in the gaps in the sentences?

1. The …… of London were against the building of Westminster Bridge because of …… interests.

2. They even gave an …… loan to the king as a …… .

3. The new bridge was funded by …… .

4. …… wrote a sonnet about the view from the bridge the title of which is ‘Upon Westminster Bridge’.

5. The bridge used to be a …… place because of the …… , ……, and …… prostitutes.

6. It’s painted …… to match the …… .

7. The bridge has starred in several  …… and …… films.

Key

1. watermen, vested

2. interest-free, bribe

3. lottery

4. William Wordsworth

5. dodgy, vagabonds, muggers, prostitutes

6. green, House of Commons

7. Bond, Doctor Who

2. London was called Londonium, Ludenwic, and Ludenburg in the past.

3. French was the official language for about 300 years.

4. The shortest war against England was with Zanzibar in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.

5. There is nowhere in Britain that is more than 74.5 miles from the sea.

6. The first telephone directory published in England contained 25 names.

7. While the Great Fire of London was largely destructive, the casualty rate was just 8.

8. The first hot chocolate store opened in London.

9. There are over 300 languages spoken in British schools.

10. The English drink more tea than any other nation in the world.

11. In the Medieval Times, animals could be put on trial for crimes (and be sentenced to death!)

12. The music of “The Star Spangled Banner” (the American national anthem) was created by an Englishman.

13. “Pygg” used to mean “clay” in olden day English. People kept their coins in clay jars that were called “pygg jars”, which have evolved into what we currently call piggy banks.

14. Buckingham Palace has its own police station.

15. Chickens outnumber humans in England, three to one.

source: ukingdom.co.uk