Culture of the United Kingdom

Part of a series on the
Culture of the United Kingdom
History Georgian period Napoleonic Wars Regency period Victorian period British Empire Edwardian period First World War Interwar period Second World War Post-war period (social history) Brexit
People Historic peoples Celtic Germanic British English Scottish Welsh Northern Irish Cornish Irish Manx Modern ethnicities British identity White British Asian British Black British British Jews British Arabs British Mixed Gypsy or Irish Traveller Other White
Languages English England Scotland Wales Ireland Scots Ulster Scots Scottish Gaelic Welsh Cornish Angloromani British Sign Language
Mythology and Folklore England Scotland Wales Ireland & Northern Ireland
Cuisine English Scottish Welsh Cornish Northern Irish Anglo-Indian and South Asian
Festivals New Year's Day Hogmanay Good Friday Easter Monday May Day Victoria Day Spring Bank Holiday The Twelfth Late Summer Bank Holiday Samhain Christmas Day Boxing Day Saint George's Day Saint Andrew's Day Saint David's Day Saint Patrick's Day VE Day
Religion Christianity No religion Islam Hinduism Judaism Buddhism Modern Paganism
Art English art Scottish art Welsh art Irish art
Literature English literature Scottish literature Literature of Northern Ireland Welsh-language literature Literature in the other languages of Britain British comics
Music and Performing arts British popular music British rock music British pop music Early music of the British Isles Baroque music of the British Isles Early British popular music English folk music Music in Medieval England English art song Music of Scotland Music of Wales Music of Northern Ireland
Media Radio Television Cinema
Sport Football in England Football in Scotland Football in Wales Football in Northern Ireland Cricket in England Cricket in Ireland Cricket in Scotland Cricket in Wales Rugby union Rugby league Ice hockey Gaelic games
Monuments World Heritage Sites Buckingham Palace Palace of Westminster Angel of the North Stonehenge
Symbols Flag Coat of arms National anthem Monarchy Britannia Dieu et mon droit In Defens "God Save the King" Thistle Tudor rose
United Kingdom portal
v t e

The culture of the United Kingdom is influenced by its combined nations' history; its historically Christian religious life, its interaction with the cultures of Europe, the individual cultures of England, Wales and Scotland and the impact of the British Empire. The culture of the United Kingdom may also colloquially be referred to as British culture; Northern Ireland, though not geographically part of Great Britain, may still be considered as having a place within British culture. Although British culture is a distinct entity, the individual cultures of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are diverse. There have been varying degrees of overlap and distinctiveness between these four cultures.^[1]

British literature is particularly esteemed. The modern novel was developed in Britain, and playwrights, poets, and authors are among its most prominent cultural figures.^[2] Britain has also made notable contributions to music, cinema, art, architecture and television. The UK is also the home of the Church of England, the state church and mother church of the Anglican Communion, the third-largest Christian denomination. Britain contains some of the world's oldest universities, has made many contributions to philosophy, science, technology and medicine, and is the birthplace of many prominent scientists and inventions. The Industrial Revolution began in the UK and had a profound effect on socio-economic and cultural conditions around the world.

British culture has been influenced by historical and modern migration, the historical invasions of Great Britain, and the British Empire. As a result of the British Empire, significant British influence can be observed in the language, law, culture and institutions of its former colonies, most of which are members of the Commonwealth of Nations. A subset of these states form the Anglosphere, and are among Britain's closest allies.^[3][4] British colonies and dominions influenced British culture in turn, particularly British cuisine.^[5]

Sport is an important part of British culture, and numerous sports originated in the country including cricket, football, tennis and rugby.^[6] The UK has been described as a "cultural superpower",^[7][8] and London has been described as a world cultural capital.^[9][10] A global opinion poll for the BBC saw the UK ranked the third most positively viewed nation in the world (behind Germany and Canada) in 2013 and 2014.^[11][12]