Category: Culture

It was the Labour politician Harold Wilson (1916-95) who had the idea of a ‘university of the air’ back in 1963. This was in the fledgling days of television and when he became Prime Minister, he saw the idea through to its establishment as The Open University (‘the O.U.’) in 1969. It began distance teaching in 1971, offering just four courses to 25,000 students. Anyone could apply as there were no entrance qualifications. There were tuition fees, but these were subsidised.

TV programmes on course topics were shown on the BBC, but these were only a tiny fraction of the coursework. However, they were good publicity and this collaboration with the BBC has gone on to produce some excellent quality films, such as the Blue Planet series.

Today, there are 175,000 students per year on hundreds of courses covering all sorts of subjects. It is the UK’s largest university and more than two million students since 1971 have been very thankful for Harold Wilson’s brainwave, as they might not otherwise have had the opportunity to gain their further education and have their minds and life choices opened up.

(Image: pixabay.com)

Grammar schools in Britain have a history stretching back to the 7th century, with churches and universities incorporating schools to teach the all-important Latin and the classics. Following a long period when grammar schools were mainly funded by tuition fees but also offered free places via scholarships, the Education Act of 1944 established 1,200 grammar schools entirely funded by the state. However, there remained 179 other grammar schools still charging fees.

In the decades that followed, the world of high-class education was opened up to students from all backgrounds who passed the ’11-plus’, an I.Q. test. Latin was still taught and students were streamed according to ability. Sports such as cricket and hockey were played and high achievement was expected both in the sporting arena and academically, with most students moving on to the top universities.

In 1976, the state-funded grammar schools were heavily encouraged to convert to non-selective ‘comprehensives’. Margaret Thatcher halted this when she became Prime Minister in 1979 and managed to save ninety-four grammar schools. Some areas, such as Kent and Lincolnshire, still have a grammar school system today, with their own admission tests. These schools are in extremely high demand.

(Image: Clint Budd at Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

Fish and chips is a traditional British takeaway meal consisting of fish deep-fried in batter and potato cut into strips and deep-fried as well. In fact, the combination of these two foods is British, but they were introduced separately to this country by European immigrants. It is said that fish fried in flour, or in flour plus water, was a Jewish dish, while the potato recipe was Huguenot.

Britain’s large fishing industry supplied the fish and ‘fish’n’chips’ became established as a seaside treat in the 1860s. Its popularity grew and by the 1930s there were over 35,000 shops all over the country, selling fish and chips to take away. They would be cooked to order and wrapped in paper, with salt and vinegar on request. A ‘chippy’ is the slang term for a fish and chip shop.

Today, there are fewer chippies and considerably more takeaways offering other types of food, but ‘fish’n’chips’ remains a British classic and you can still see customers queuing for their regular culinary treat each week. Inevitably, a vegan version was introduced in 2018 in London.

(Image: LearningLark at Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

The Eton Boating Song was first performed either in 1863 or 1865 ~ sources differ ~ for Eton College’s annual Open Day, known as the ‘Fourth of June’, even though it does not often occur on that date. The boys row towards picnicking visitors, then stand up, raise their oars vertically, remove their straw hats and shake flowers into the river ~ unless they have already capsized, that is!

The tune is very catchy and stirring, and it has been known for alternative lyrics to be written for various communal gatherings. The original lyrics, which begin with “Jolly boating weather”, were written by an Eton master and poet, William Johnson Cory (1823-92) and the music was composed by Captain Algernon Drummond (1844-1932). It has eight stanzas but only four are generally sung.

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As an island nation, many Britons feel an affinity for the sea. The Sea Cadets is an organisation for 10- to 18-year-olds which teaches a variety of water-based skills. It is mainly funded by the Royal Navy but also by donations, subscriptions and fund-raising.

Experiencing the teamwork and knowledge of a Sea Cadet group can give these youngsters a terrific boost to their self-confidence and help them mature into considerate, community-minded people.

There are four hundred Sea Cadet units around the country, each of them run by adult volunteers. Uniforms are free. More information can be found on the Sea Cadet website.

(Image: UK Parliament at Flickr.com / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)