Fictional and legendary figures, Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood are being honoured as Icons of England, rubbing shoulders with the English Bobby, The Archers and the Monty Python team in a new line-up voted for by the public and selected by a panel of experts. Their iconic status was confirmed 1 August as ICONS – A Portrait of England – announced its third wave of national icons.
In all, 20 new Icons of England are unveiled in the list as the ICONS’ – A Portrait of England collection grows ever bigger and richer in content. The latest announcement brings the total number of official Icons of England in the ICONS collection to 53 - all given star treatment with themed in-depth features, quizzes, video clips and interviews on the site. In addition, there are now approximately 600 icons nominations, which continue to attract votes and comments from the public. Nominations are growing all the time.
"It's about time Sherlock Holmes was recognised as an Icon of England, because he has been underestimated by people in England until now. The first Sherlock Holmes story was published in 1887, but really it has been people overseas who have seen him as an icon, people in America, Japan and China, in particular. They have read about him in books and seen him on TV. Sherlock Holmes is part of our English literary heritage and represents all that is great in this country. He epitomizes the English gentleman,” said Jennifer Riley, Director of the Sherlock Holmes Museum.
350,000 votes counted so far
The project, which launched in January, has definitely caught the public imagination. Funded initially by Culture Online, part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, ICONS has attracted more than 350,000 votes for the nation’s favourite icons and more than half a million people have visited the site.
“ICONS has huge potential. Usually only huge sporting events like the World Cup or the Olympics generate this kind of passion,” said Jerry Doyle, Managing Director of ICONS. “Choosing the things that most represent England has really got the nation’s creative juices going. People get very fired up and inspired. Judging by the debate on the site, everyone is very keen to argue for their nominations too. People love ICONS because it is populist as well as ‘posh’.
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“Where else would you see nominations like Betty’s Tea Room in Harrogate, Blackpool trams and the stiff upper lip, jostling for position alongside the Teletubbies, Durham Cathedral, the Carry On films and the Tate Modern? We get lots of positive feedback from teachers, too, who say it provides a great spark for learning.”
Sports lovers can meanwhile rejoice in the fact that, despite the scrum, Rugby made the list this time. The new ICONS’ list also features a typical rugby fan’s favourite tipple – the Pint. Neither are an appreciation of fair play off the pitch – and, examples of good language – forgotten, with the inclusion of the Magna Carta and the Oxford English Dictionary as official icons.
Fish and chips is the national dish
Gourmets may sneer, but love ‘em or hate ‘em, Fish and Chips is indisputably a national dish and it’s here to stay. The iconic status of England’s favourite take-away supper is also confirmed in today’s announcement.
Apart from the Mini motor car, a fond icon of the ‘60s for many, the rest of the list has a particularly traditional feel this time with Icons of England like Oxbridge, the Tower of London, the White Cliffs of Dover and the Bowler Hat beating other nominations. The natural beauty of the countryside is not forgotten – the humble Hedge, the Parish Church, the Oak Tree and the Lake District all make it into the list of Icons of England.
In June, it was announced that ‘Foxhunting and the Ban’ would also be included in the list, with 25,000 people voting for foxhunting and 12,000 voting against. “Coupling foxhunting and the ban seemed the fairest way of reflecting both sides of the argument,” said Jerry Doyle.
The ICONS project encourages people to explore, enjoy and celebrate the UK's cultural treasures online and also in the real world. ICONS is working with Visit Britain to explore ways of using the ICONS site to attract tourists eager to find out what makes England tick. Unexpectedly it has also been a place that many ex-pats, in Australia or other far-flung parts, ‘come home to’.
The ICONS coalition of support round the country embraces a wide range of national cultural, sporting and heritage bodies, as well as charity partners. It includes the National Trust, The British Library, the Black Cultural Archives, the Museum of Rugby, the Football Association, English Heritage, MENCAP, Visit Britain, the V&A Museum of Childhood, the British Museum, Age Concern, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, the Muslim Council for Great Britain and several national and city museums in London, Birmingham, Gateshead, Brighton & Hove and Manchester.
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