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THE NATIONAL FLOWER.

The national flower of England is the rose. No wonder so many people voted it a national icon.

It all started during the time of the Wars of the Roses - civil wars (1455-1485) between the royal house of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the royal house of York (whose emblem was a white rose).

At the end of the war the two roses were combined in the Tudor rose. The idea belonged to Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch and the father of Henry VIII. Henry was a Lancastrian, but he fell in love with Elizabeth of York, married her - and united the two houses. Looking for a symbol of this union, he chose a red rose with a white rose in it.

During the Tudor period, hundreds of inns were named the Rose - to show loyalty to the royal family. There are still many pubs and hotels all over the country named after this flower.

In 1871, the newly formed Rugby Football Union selected an England team to play the

first ever international match against Scotland. The committee chose a red rose as the team's badge. Although England lost the match, held in Edinburgh, the country's rugby teams have worn red roses ever since.

DID YOU KNOW?

Every country in the United Kingdom has its own national flower.

The national flower of Scotland is a wild plant - a thistle. The Welsh emblem is a vegetable or a flower - a leek or a daffodil. And the national flower of Northern Ireland is another wild flower-a shamrock.

FISH AND CHIPS

It all started about 150 years ago, when women in poor English families had to go out to work in factories. There was no time to shop and cook so they bought fast food in the street, on the way back from work. The most popular was fried fish with a piece of bread.

Then the first chips came from France. The 'chipped' potatoes, as they were called in those days, were also sold in the street. But at first, no one thought of selling fish and chips together.

The idea to sell fish and chips together first came to a Londoner Joseph Malin. In I860, he opened a fish-and-chip shop in Cleveland Street in London's East End.

Soon there were fish'n'chip shops everywhere in working-class areas. They used to put your fish and chips in an old newspaper — with a lot of salt and vinegar on top.

Today, fish and chips are a still very popular in Britain but they come in clean white paper bags!

You can buy your fish and chips 'open' so you can eat them as you walk home, or you can buy them 'wrapped' to keep them warm until you get home.

More than 250 million portions are eaten in the country every year.

THE V-SIGN

Nobody knows for sure where the V-sign came from but many English

People have chosen it as a national icon. During World War II it was used to mean victory, and it was used again by hippies in the 1960s and 1940s to mean peace.

As the symbol of peace, it has become universal, while the 'V for Victory' will forever be associated with the wartime prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill.

THE OAK TREE

The oak has always been seen as the national tree of England. Its great height, age and strength made it the king of the English forest, and a symbol of endurance.

The tree was also sacred to the Druids and the Anglo-Saxons, and it sheltered an English king, Charles II, when he was on the run from his enemies.

During the English Civil War, King Charles II
fought againstOliver Cromwell. One battle took place at Worsester in 1651. Charles and his men were defeated and had to escape. As night fell they lost their way and were forced to take shelter at Boscombel House in Shropshire. At Boskombel, Charles borrowed clothes from a caretaker and disguised himself. He cut his hair short and blackened his face with soot. Then Charles set off north. Several times he was nearly discovered and was forced to return to he house. By now Cromwell's men were hot on the trail and Charles was told it would be safer to hide in the nearby woods. Charles hid in a huge oak tree and watched as armed soldiers searched the woods below.

That night Charles crept back to the house. Two days later he left and after many more adventures, escaped to France.

If you visit Boscobel House, you can still see an old oak tree in the grounds. But the tree in which Charles hid died long ago.

HADRIAN'S WALL

Hadrian's Wall is an ancient wall across England from Carlisle in the east to Newcastle in the west. The Roman Emperor Hadrian wanted to protect Roman Britain from attacks by Scottish tribes. So he told his soldiers to build a wall. It took them nearly six years to complete it

The Roman soldiers guarded the wall, which was 117 kilometres long and 4 metres high. Now there are only ruins left of Hadrian's Wall. But still, Hadrian's Wall is the most popular tourist attraction in northern England and a World Heritage Site.

WIMBLEDON

Wimbledon is the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. Every tennis player's dream is to play there.

At Wimbledon,the games are played on grass and the players must wear all white. As well as being asports event, Wimbledon is also a typically social occasion, and it's traditional to eat strawberries and cream there.

The first tennis competition was held at Wimbledon in 1877!

THE ANGEL OF THE NORTH

The Angel of the North is a very large metal sculpture of an angel with its wings held wide open. It stands very close to the A 1 road at Gateshead, in northeast England. It's the country's largest sculpture: it is 20 metres high and its wings are 54 metres wide. It was created by the sculptor Anthony Gormley.

The Angel of the North can be clearly seen by people who are travelling through the area by car or train. It's one of the most viewed pieces of art in the world - about 90,000 people see it every day!

The Angel will soon have a rival, ten miles away beside the Al - the Goddess of the North. It will be completed in 2008.