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Wimbledon School Of Art

Wimbledon School of Art

Wimbledon School of Art is an art school based in the British capital of London, albeit some way adrift of the city centre. Its degrees are validated by the University of Surrey and the school is held in fine international regard in both its teaching and research.

Notable Alumni

- Tony Cragg, 1988 Turner Prize winner
- Peter Doig, 1994 Turner Prize nominee
- Raymond Briggs, author
- Nik Borrow, bird artist
- James Acheson, triple-Oscar-winning costume designer
- Richard Hudson, set designer
- Charles Knode, costume designer for Braveheart

External links

- [http://www.wimbledon.ac.uk Wimbledon School of Art] Category:Art schools in the United Kingdom

Art school

Art school is a colloquial term for any educational institution (whether secondary, post-secondary/undergraduate, or graduate/postgraduate) with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially graphic design, illustration, painting, photography, and sculpture. They are distinguished from larger institutions which may also offer majors or degrees in the visual arts, but only as one part of a broad-based range of programs (such as the liberal arts and sciences). If accredited as a college, most art schools grant a Bachelor of Fine Arts, or a Fine Art B.A. in the United Kingdom, and perhaps other degrees.

Art schools in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, an indefinite number of such institutions exist, differing in size, number and administration. Perhaps those generally felt most applicable to the definition of 'art school', however, are the autonomous Colleges or Schools of Art offering courses across both further and higher education boundaries, of which there are approximately eighteen, under the banner of [http://www.ukadia.ac.uk United Kingdom Art & Design Institutions Association]. Others, whose existence ties in indelibly with that of larger, non-discipline-specific universities (such as the Slade School of Art) exist. Most art schools of either orientation are equipped to offer opportunities spanning from post-16 to postgraduate level. The range of colleges span from predominantly further education establishments to research-led specialist institutes; the Royal College of Art with its degree-awarding arm and singular focus on postgraduate awards being a most singular exception. Since the 1970s, degrees have replaced diplomas as the top-tier qualification in the field. In the case of wholly freestanding institutions, degree validation agreements in liasion with a university have long been the custom for B.A. (Hons) level upwards. There has been a general trend for all-encompassing Universities to offer programs in the visual arts, and formerly independent art schools have merged with polytechnics and universities to offer such degrees. A few art schools have taken on university status themselves; both London's Royal College of Art and the University of the Arts maintain their specialist focus and offer degrees under their own banner. Most specialist institutions in the United Kingdom can trace their histories back to the 19th century or beyond, not unusually as Government Schools of Design / Art.

External links

- [http://modernsculpture.com/artschools.htm A list of art schools and programs worldwide]
- [http://www.ukadia.ac.uk United Kingdom Arts and Design Institutions Association]
- [http://www.kunsthochschule.org/Kunsthochschulen.htm Art Academies in Germany]
- Category:School types

London

London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. As Europe's richest city, London produces 17% of the UK's GDP, and is one of the world's major business and financial centres. The capital of the former global empire, London is a leader in culture, communications, politics, finance, entertainment and the arts and has considerable influence worldwide. arts]] arts] London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7,500,000 and a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million. London's population includes an extremely diverse range of peoples, cultures, and religions, making it one of the most cosmopolitan, vibrant and energetic cities on earth. A resident of London is referred to as a Londoner. Over 300 languages are spoken in London, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. Initially it was a Roman city and known as Londinium and then as Lunnainn, Llundain and Londain in the Scottish, Welsh and Irish languages respectively. London is known by these names in other languages. London is the home of many global organisations, institutions and companies, and as such retains its leading role in global affairs. A city where cutting-edge meets tradition, London is a major tourist destination and transport hub. It has a great number of important buildings and iconic landmarks, including world-famous museums, theatres, concert halls, galleries, airports, sports stadia and palaces. London is one of the world's major global cities (along with New York City, Tokyo and Paris).

Defining London

Today, "London" usually refers to the conurbation known as Greater London, which is divided into thirty-two London Boroughs and the City of London and forms the London region of England. Historically, "London" referred to the square mile of the City of London at the conurbation's heart, from which the city grew. Between 1889 and 1965 it referred to the former County of London which covered the area now known as Inner London. There are other definitions of "London" which cover varying areas, such as the London postal district; the area covered by the telephone area code 020; the area accessible by public transport using a Transport for London Travelcard; the area delimited by the M25 orbital motorway; the Metropolitan Police district; and the London commuter belt. The coordinates of the centre of London (traditionally considered to be Charing Cross, near the junction of Trafalgar Square, the Strand, Whitehall and the Mall) are approximately . The Romans marked the centre of Londinium with the London Stone in the City.

Geography and climate

London Stone, with Green Park and St. James's Park to its right]] Greater London covers an area of 609 square miles (1,579 km²). London is a port on the Thames, a navigable river. The river has had a major influence on the development of the city. London was founded on the north bank of the Thames and there was only a single bridge, London Bridge, for many centuries. As a result, the main focus of the city was on the north side of the Thames. When more bridges were built in the 18th century, the city expanded in all directions as the mostly flat or gently rolling countryside around the Thames floodplain presented no obstacle to growth. There are some hills in London, examples being Parliament Hill and Primrose Hill, but these provided fine prospects of the city centre without significantly affecting the directions of the spread of the city and London is therefore roughly circular. The Thames was once a much broader, shallower river than it is today. It has been extensively embanked, and many of its London tributaries now flow underground. The Thames is a tidal river, and London is vulnerable to flooding. The threat has increased over time due to a slow but continuous rise in high water level and the slow 'tilting' of Britain (up in the north and down in the south) caused by post-glacial rebound. The Thames Barrier was constructed across the Thames at Woolwich in the 1970s to deal with this threat, but in early-2005 it was suggested that a ten-mile-long barrier further downstream might be required to deal with the flood risk in the future [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4162905.stm]. London has a temperate climate, with warm but seldom hot summers, cool but rarely severe winters, and regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year. Summer temperatures rarely rise much above 33°C (91°F), though higher temperatures have become more common recently. The highest temperature ever recorded in London was 38.1°C (100.6°F), measured at Kew Gardens during the European Heat Wave of 2003. Heavy snowfalls are almost unknown. In recent winters, snow has rarely settled to more than an inch (25 mm). London's average annual precipitation of less than 24 inches (600 mm) is lower than that of Rome or Sydney. London's large built-up area creates a microclimate, with heat stored by the city's buildings: sometimes temperatures are 5°C (9°F) warmer in the city than in the surrounding areas.

History

microclimate bombings of London]] The name London is commonly thought to have come from the Latin name Londinium, as London was founded by the Romans during their reign over the land, around 43AD – although there is some slight evidence of pre-Roman settlement. The [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/timelines/england/rom_roman_invasion.shtml BBC History website], however, claims that the name Londinium is actually "Celtic, not Latin, and may originally have referred to a previous farmstead on the site"; the root is 'Lond' meaning 'wild' (i.e. overgrown or forested) place. This fortified Roman settlement was the capital of the province of Britannia. According to findings displayed in London Museum, the initial language of London was Latin with much Greek spoken due to the presence of Greek speaking Roman soldiers and businessmen. Another suggestion for where the name of the city comes from could be that of the mythical leader, King Lud. It was said that Lud laid out the first set of roads in the city. His statue can be seen hidden at the church of St Dunstan's In The West, Fleet Street. Around AD 61 the Iceni tribe of Celts lead by Queen Boudica stormed London and took the city from the Romans. The Celts burnt the relatively new Roman town to the ground, and archaeological digs have revealed a layer of red ash beneath the City of London, which is believed to be the burnt remains of the old Roman town. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Londinium was abandoned and a Saxon town named Lundenwic was established approximately one mile to the west in what is now Aldwych, in the 7th century. The old Roman city was then reoccupied during the late-9th or early-10th century. Westminster was once a distinct town, and has been the seat of the English royal court and government since the mediæval era. Eventually, Westminster and London grew together and formed the basis of London, becoming England's largest – though not capital – city (Winchester was the capital city of England until the 12th century). London has grown steadily over centuries, surrounding and making suburbs of neighbouring villages and towns, farmland, countryside, meadows and woodlands, spreading in every direction. From the 16th to the early-20th century, London flourished as the capital of the British Empire. In 1666, the Great Fire of London swept through and destroyed a large part of the City of London. Rebuilding took over 10 years, but London's growth accelerated in the 18th century, and, by the early-19th century, it was the largest city in the world. London's local government system struggled to cope with this rapid growth, especially in providing the city with adequate infrastructure. In 1855 the Metropolitan Board of Works was created to provide London with infrastructure to cope with its growth. In 1889 the MBW was abolished, and the County of London was created which was administered by the London County Council, the first elected London-wide administrative body. Probably the most significant changes to London in the last 100 years were as a result of the Blitz and other bombing by the German Luftwaffe that took place during World War II. The bombing killed over 30,000 Londoners and flattened large tracts of housing and other buildings across London. The rebuilding during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was characterised by a wide range of architectural styles and has resulted in a lack of unity in architecture that has become part of London's character. Until their 1997 ceasefire, London was regularly a target for IRA bombers seeking to pressurise the British government into negotiations with Sinn Féin on Northern Ireland. On 7 July 2005, there was a series of coordinated bomb attacks by Islamic extremist suicide bombers on three underground stations and a bus. The explosions came less than 24 hours after London was awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics and as the G-8 summit was underway in Gleneagles, Scotland. A series of explosions also took place on 21 July 2005; however, in the latter incident, there were no fatalities.

Modern London

2005 Today Greater London comprises the City of London and the 32 London boroughs (including the City of Westminster). 12 of these boroughs are defined as Inner London, the remaining 20 defined as Outer London. The dominant centre of activity in London is the City of Westminster (including the West End) which is the main cultural, entertainment and shopping district, the location of most of London's major corporate headquarters outside of the financial services sector, and the centre of the UK's national government. The City of London (also known as the "Square Mile") is at the centre of international finance, and is Europe’s main business centre. The headquarters of more than 100 of Europe’s 500 largest companies are all in London. The London foreign exchange market is the largest in the world, with an average daily turnover of $504 billion, more than the New York and Tokyo exchanges combined. While very busy during the working week, most parts of the City tend to be quiet at weekends, since it is primarily a non-residential area. London is one of the most visited cities on earth. Tourist attractions are located mainly in Central London, comprising the historic City of London; the West End with its many cinemas, bars, clubs, theatres, shops and restaurants; the City of Westminster with Westminster Abbey, the Royal palaces of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House etc., the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea with its museums (the Science Museum, Natural History Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum) and Hyde Park. Other important tourist attractions include St Paul's Cathedral, the National Gallery; the South Bank and Bankside areas of Southwark with the Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern; London Bridge, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and the Tate Britain on the Embankment; and the British Museum in Bloomsbury. There are many other places of interest across the city.

Culture

:Main article: Culture of London. London is an international centre of culture in all its forms - music, theatre, arts, museums, festivals and much more.

London Districts

See also: Inner London, Outer London.

Central London

City of London

Outer London]] The City of London is the principal financial district of the United Kingdom, and is one of the most important in the world. It is governed by the Corporation of London, an ancient body headed by the Lord Mayor of London. The City also has its own police force, the City of London police. Once dominated by the dome of St Paul's Cathedral, it is now home to many skyscrapers, including Tower 42 (formerly, and popularly still, known as the NatWest Tower) and 30 St Mary Axe (popularly known as the "Gherkin", built in 2003). The City has only a small (c. 7,000) resident population, but a daytime working population of more than 300,000. Its primacy as the chief financial district has been directly challenged in recent years by Canary Wharf in East London.

The West End

Canary Wharf.]] The West End is the most popular shopping and entertainment district in London. Trafalgar Square is the most prominent landmark. Oxford Street is one of the best-known shopping streets in the world. Running from Charing Cross Road in the east to Marble Arch in the west, via Oxford Circus where it crosses Regent Street, it is home to many large department stores and shops (Selfridges, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer). Tottenham Court Road runs north from the eastern end of Oxford Street towards the north of the city centre, and is best known for its plethora of hi-fi, computer and electronics stores. West of the City, Covent Garden is home to the Avenue of Stars, London's version of Hollywood's Walk of Fame. South of Oxford Street's eastern end is Soho, a network of small streets crowded with restaurants, pubs, clubs, smaller shops and boutiques, and theatres and cinemas, as well as media companies and film, advertising and post-production companies. Soho is also well known for its very lively club and bar scene, the notorious sex industry and as the major "gay quarter" of the city. Piccadilly is an elegant thoroughfare running from Piccadilly Circus in the east to Hyde Park Corner in the west. It is adjacent to Mayfair, and Green Park. Regent Street and Bond Street are important thoroughfares.

East London

East London saw much of London's early industrial development and much of it now is being extensively redeveloped as part of the Thames Gateway. It was also key to London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics, and is now scheduled to undergo extensive regeneration in the run-up to the games. This is the second time in modern history that East London has seen large-scale rebuilding: it took the full force of the Blitz in World War Two, with post-war reconstruction leaving a legacy of bleak housing estates and tower blocks in several areas.

The East End

tower block The East End of London is closest to the original Port of London, and tended for that reason to be the area of the city where immigrants arriving into the port would settle first. Successive waves of immigrants include the French, the Huguenots, Belgians, Jews, Gujaratis, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and many other groups. The East End extends from the eastern side of the City of London and includes areas such as Whitechapel, Mile End, Bethnal Green, Hackney, Bow, Millwall and Poplar. The area has many places of interest including many of London's markets, (for example Columbia Road Flower Market, Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane Market, Petticoat Lane Market), and several museums, including the Geffrye Museum and the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green.

Docklands

Bethnal Green]] The London Docklands, on the Isle of Dogs along the Thames in the East End, has developed enormously since the early-1980s. For a period in the early-1980s, many warehouse buildings in Wapping had been occupied and used as artists studios and low-cost loft living spaces. This inevitably drew the attention of property developers who gradually (and then not so gradually) moved in to take over. The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was set up in 1981 to accelerate the process, and the first phases of major development started to reshape the area, culminating in Canary Wharf, whose best-known feature is the 1 Canada Square office tower (which is often incorrectly called "Canary Wharf"), which has been the UK's tallest skyscraper since 1991. A massive-scale development within the last three or four years has added a great many more skyscrapers, and many large businesses (investment banks, law firms, etc.) have moved in. A new headquarters for HSBC and Barclays as well as the European headquarters of Citigroup, have now been completed, and are in use. Attracted by this growth, restaurants, bars and nightclubs have opened, there are three interconnected shopping malls beneath the Canary Wharf structure, and a cinema complex has opened in the area. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) serves the area, connecting to the London Underground at Bank, Shadwell, Canning Town and Stratford stations. There has also been a great deal of gentrification and residential development in the area: North of the Thames around Limehouse Basin and toward Wapping, as well as south of the Thames in Rotherhithe where former wharfs and the old docks have been converted into high-priced loft apartments for a community of bankers, software developers and others working in the financial service industries in and around Docklands. Further east in the London Borough of Newham are London City Airport and the ExCeL Exhibition Centre.

West London

West London includes many of the traditionally fashionable and expensive residential areas such as Notting Hill, made better known in 1999 by a film of the same name starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Within the district is the famous antique market at Portobello Road. Kensington and Chelsea are the most expensive places to live in the country. The area is also famous for the Kings Road, a distinguished and attractive shopping street and thoroughfare. Further to the west, at White City, near Shepherd's Bush, is the principal operating centre for the BBC, while in the extreme west, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, lies Heathrow Airport. Considered more south-west than West London on account of its being the only London borough to straddle the River Thames, Richmond upon Thames includes the attractive riverside districts of Richmond and Twickenham. This corner of London is home to Richmond Park, London's largest, and Twickenham, the home of English rugby union.

North London

North London includes suburbs such as Hampstead and Highgate, which retain a village atmosphere. North London is more hilly than the south, and many of the hills give excellent views across the city. Large parks include Hampstead Heath, which includes Parliament Hill, noted for its fine views over the city, and the Hampstead bathing ponds; and Alexandra Park, site of Alexandra Palace. Many areas have significant minority populations including Stamford Hill, home to a significant community of Orthodox Jews, the Green Lanes area of Harringay and the Finsbury Park area have large Turkish and Greek communities. Islington is considered one of the more affluent areas in London, due to large scale gentrification, although it is in fact one of the most deprived boroughs in the country; it is also home to Arsenal football club. North London's other world-famous football team, Tottenham Hotspur, play in nearby Tottenham.

South London

South London contains such diverse districts as Wimbledon (famous as the home of the major tennis Wimbledon Championships), Bermondsey, and Dulwich. Redevelopment of the Elephant and Castle, a road intersection and district close to the centre, is due to start in 2006. Greenwich is on the banks of the Thames where the river broadens into a wide meandering reach of muddy water. It is an historic neighbourhood and boasts a fine park and the Royal Greenwich Observatory. It is also has a popular market. Brixton, Camberwell and Peckham are home to many families (and their descendants) who immigrated to London from the West Indies during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, sometimes known as Afro-Caribbeans.

Demographics

Afro-Caribbeans London had about 860,000 people in 1801 (in comparison, Paris had about 670,000 in 1802), and the population of Edo (modern-day Tokyo, Japan), at the time the largest city in the world, has been estimated at 1 million to 1.25 million people. London was the most populous city in the world from 1825 until 1925, when it was overtaken by New York. Residents of London are known as Londoners. The city and the 32 boroughs (some 1,579 km² or 610 square miles) had an estimated 7,421,228 inhabitants in 2004, making London the most populous city in Europe alongside Moscow. Subsequent reviews suggested that the returns were understated, and that the population on Census Day was closer to 7.29 million. The official estimate of London's population in mid-2003 is 7,387,900 [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Expodata/Spreadsheets/D8561.xls] In the 2001 census, 76% of these seven million people classed their ethnic group as white (classified as British White, Irish White or "Other White" in the 2001 census), 10% as Indian, Bangladeshi or Pakistani, 5% as black African, 5% as black Caribbean, 3% as mixed race and 1% as Chinese. The largest religious groupings are Christian (58.2%) and No Religion (15.8%). 21.8% of inhabitants were born outside the European Union. The Irish are the largest foreign-born group in London (numbering approximately 200,000). European Union] Unlike many other countries, the UK does not provide national metropolitan area population figures based on commuter percentages and economic influence. This is left up to each individual city to define. This has created much confusion when comparing London's true metropolitan area region with others around the world. It is helped even less by confusion of the term "Greater London" with the political entity of the City of London, which is often confused with the metropolitan area. Without a specific national reference to London's metropolitan area, many different sources provide alternate definitions. One widely regarded definition describes the London metropolitan area (6,267 square miles, 16,043 km²) with a population of 13,945,000 — larger than the combined populations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. (External references: [http://www.demographia.com/dm-lonarea.htm], [http://www.lbwf.gov.uk/demography/census/london/london_boroughs_census2001.pdf]) If this definition is followed, then London is the largest metropolitan area of Europe, along with Moscow (whose metropolitan area has somewhere around 14 million people), and above Paris (11.5 million people in the metropolitan area in 2004). In 2004, the Greater London Authority defined a metropolitan region centred on London with a population of 18 million. This region extends to cover the commuter belt, and much of South East England and East of England, for example including the cities of Brighton and Oxford. (External references:[http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/sds/london_plan/lon_plan_all.pdf],[http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/sds/london_plan/lon_plan_1.pdf],[http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/sds/draft_london_plan/dlp_ch1.pdf])

Government

Greater London Authority meets here]] Greater London is divided into the 32 London boroughs and the City of London. The boroughs are the most important unit of local government in London, and are responsible for running most local services in their respective areas. The City of London is run not by a conventional local authority, but by the historical Corporation of London. The Greater London Authority (GLA) is the London-wide body responsible for co-ordinating the boroughs, strategic planning, and running some London-wide services such as policing, the fire service and transport. The GLA consists of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. The mayor is elected by the Supplementary Vote system while the assembly is elected by the Additional Member System. The incumbent Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, was elected as an independent candidate in the 2000 election. Despite opposition from all the main political parties and the press, his popularity with Londoners has remained high. Livingstone was expelled from the Labour Party when he opposed the official Labour candidate Frank Dobson in the 2000 Mayoral election. Readmitted by that party in 2004, he was re-elected as Mayor as an official Labour candidate in the election later that year. The GLA was created in 2000 as a replacement body for the former Greater London Council (GLC) which was created in 1965 and abolished in 1986 after political disputes between the GLC (then led by Ken Livingstone) and the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher. Previous London wide administrative bodies were the Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) from 1855 to 1889; the London County Council (LCC) from 1889 to 1965; and the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1965 to 1986. When the GLC was abolished, most of its functions were devolved to the London boroughs, while others were taken over by joint-boards or other unelected bodies. The boroughs thus enjoyed "unitary status" and a degree of autonomy when the GLC was abolished, and although losing some powers which have been repatriated to the GLA they still retain many areas they did not control under the GLC. London is represented in Parliament by 74 MPs. For a list of London constituencies see List of Parliamentary constituencies in Greater London. The territorial police force for the 32 London boroughs is the Metropolitan Police Service, more commonly referred to as the Metropolitan Police, or simply "the Met". The City of London has its own police force, the City of London Police. Health services in London are managed by the national government via the National Health Service (NHS). Greater London is divided into five Strategic Health Authorities [http://www.nhs.uk/england/authoritiestrusts/sha/MapSearch.aspx?rg=Y21].

Transport and infrastructure

For main article see Transport and infrastructure in London Transport and infrastructure in London Transport is one of the four areas of policy administered by the Mayor of London, but the mayor's financial control is limited. The executive agency which runs London's transport system is Transport for London (TfL). The public transport network is one of the most extensive in the world, but faces congestion and reliability issues. The network is one of the most complex transit systems in the world with just over 1 billion journeys used every year on the underground alone. London is most famous for its AEC Routemaster buses which have been in service in the capital since 1956. Routemasters will be phased out of service from TfL's main bus routes, with the last routemaster service being operated on the 9 December 2005 on Route 159. Two 'heritage' routes are planned for service to maintain Routemasters on London's streets. 2005]] The networks for transport in London include: Underground (commonly known as the tube); Bus; River Services; Docklands Light Railway (DLR); Croydon Tramlink; National Rail; Thameslink. As of mid-2005, in preparation for the 2012 London Olympic Games a total of £7 billion ($12 billion) will be spent on refurbishment and expansion of city links, mainly on the London Underground. Although the main reason for this is because of the increased traffic flow that will be caused by the 2012 Olympics, the work would still be completed if London had not won the games. By 2013 a new service called Crossrail is due to be opened. Also in planning is the Cross River Tram (CRT). It will depart in the south suburbs, cross the River Thames, through to the City of London (the financial district), and continue its journey to the northern suburbs. It is speculated that it will be the world's longest tram. The main Olympic arenas will be sited close to Stratford International station, which is currently being constructed as part of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. The new high-speed line, due to open in 2007, will be used by the regular 'Olympic Javelin' service with a journey time of 7 minutes between Stratford and St Pancras. This service was a key part of the Olympic bid and will provide access from northern areas of the UK via King's Cross and Euston.
Education
Main Article: Education in London London is home to a diverse number of universities, colleges and schools, and is a leading centre of research and development. This includes prominemnt universities such as Imperial College, London and the London School of Economics

Media

The British media is concentrated in London and is sometimes accused of having a "London bias". All the major television networks are headquartered in London including the BBC, which remains one of the world's most influential media organisations. Partly to counter complaints about London bias, the BBC announced in June 2004 that some departments (BBC Sport, CBBC, Cbeebies, BBC Three and BBC Radio Five Live) are to be relocated to Manchester. Other major networks include ITV, Channel 4, Five and BSkyB - all based in London. Like the BBC, these produce some programmes elsewhere in the UK, but London is their main production centre. There is a huge choice of radio stations available in London. Local city-wide stations include music-based stations such as Capital FM, Heart 106.2 and Kiss 100 and popular news/talk stations include BBC London, LBC 97.3 and LBC News 1152. The London newspaper market is dominated by national newspapers, all of which are edited in London. Until the 1970s, most of the national newspapers were concentrated in Fleet Street, but in the 1980s they relocated to new premises with automated printing works. Most of these are in East London, most famously the News International plant at Wapping. The move was resisted strongly by the printing trade union SOGAT 82, and strike action at Wapping in 1986 led to violent skirmishes. The last major news agency in Fleet Street, Reuters, moved to Canary Wharf in 2005, but Fleet Street is still commonly used as a collective term for the national press. Regional Editions of most national newspapers are available, including editions for northern England, Scotland and Wales. London has three daily newspaper titles - the popular Evening Standard, plus two free titles, Metro and Standard Lite (published by the Evening Standard) which are distributed every morning at London tube and railway stations. The independent weekly listings guide Time Out Magazine has been providing concert, film, theatre and arts information since 1968. London is at the centre of British film and television production industries, with major studio facilities on the western fringes of the conurbation and a large post-production industry centred in Soho. London is one of the two leading centres of English-language publishing alongside New York. Globally important media companies based in London range from publishing group Pearson, to the information agency Reuters, to the world's number two advertising business WPP Group. There are a vast number of local newspapers in the London area, often covering a small section of the vast city.

Religion

local newspapers When Pope Gregory the Great sent St. Augustine to bring England into the Catholic fold in 597, it was intended that the envoy should become "Archbishop of London", as the city was remembered as the capital of Roman Britain. In the event, the saint received his most hospitable reception in the Kingdom of Kent, and the archiepiscopal see was founded at Canterbury. Nonetheless London has been at the centre of England's religious life for much of its history, and each Archbishop of Canterbury has traditionally spent much of his time in London, where he has an official residence at Lambeth Palace. London's two Anglican bishops are the Bishop of London, whose see is London north of the Thames, and whose throne is in London's grandest church, the baroque St Paul's Cathedral (designed by Sir Christopher Wren), and the Bishop of Southwark, who tends to Anglicans south of the river. Important national and royal ceremonies are divided between St Paul's and Westminster Abbey, a gothic church on the scale of a cathedral. As in the rest of the UK, religious attendance in London is low, and the Church of England has borne the brunt of this decline. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster is generally regarded as the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Other traditional Protestant denominations whose headquarters are in London include the United Reformed Church and the Quakers. Many of London's immigrant groups have established denominations in the city, for example Greek Orthodoxy. In addition various evangelical churches exist. London is the most important centre of Islam in the United Kingdom. Two London boroughs contain the highest proportion of Muslims in the UK: Tower Hamlets and Newham. The London Central Mosque is a well-known landmark on the edge of Regent's Park, and there are many other mosques in the city. London also has the largest Hindu population outside of India. Southall, in West London is home to many Hindus. The Hindu temple at Neasden, Neasden Temple is the largest Hindu temple outside of India and a remarkable example of a modern building in a traditional style. Much of the enormously elaborate and intricate marble sculpture used in the building was carved in India. Over two-thirds of British Jews live in London, which ranks thirteenth in the world as a Jewish population centre [http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/concepts/demography/demtables.html#10].

Sport

British Jews London hosts one of the world's largest mass-participation marathons, the London Marathon, and has hosted the Olympic Games in 1908 and 1948. In July 2005 London was chosen to host the Games in 2012. London will be the first city in the world to host the Summer Olympics three times. The most popular spectator sport in London is football, and London has several of England's leading football clubs. Historically the London clubs have not accumulated as many trophies as those from the North West of England, such as Liverpool and Manchester United, but at present Arsenal (founded at Woolwich Arsenal but moved to Highbury in 1913), and Chelsea (who play in Fulham) are regarded as two of the Premier League's "Big three" alongside Manchester United. In 2003-04 they became the first pair of London clubs to finish first and second in the top flight, with Arsenal winning. In 2004-05 they did so again, this time with Chelsea winning. London clubs are able to charge higher ticket prices than clubs in other parts of the country (particularly for corporate facilities), and this has swung English football's balance of power towards London. Before Chelsea's recent rise in fortunes the two highest profile London clubs were Arsenal and their long-standing North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, both of whom were considered to be members of English football's "Big five" for most of the post-war period. In 2005-06 there are six London clubs in the Premier League: Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea, plus Charlton Athletic, Fulham and West Ham United. There are also five London clubs in the fully professional Football League (the level below the Premiership), namely Brentford, Crystal Palace (who play in South Norwood), Leyton Orient, Millwall and Queens Park Rangers (QPR)—all of whom have previously played in the top division. In a controversial move, Wimbledon left London in 2003 to play in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, changing their name to Milton Keynes Dons; the newly formed AFC Wimbledon inherited most of their support, despite playing at a much lower level in the football pyramid. There are also numerous London clubs playing outside the top four divisions of English football, one or two of which are fully professional and many of which are part-time professional. Wembley Stadium in north-west London is the national football stadium, traditionally the home of the FA Cup Final as well as England national side's home matches. Currently, Wembley is being completely rebuilt, so Cardiff's Millennium Stadium has been the venue for recent FA Cup finals, while England play at various venues around the country. Wembley was one of the venues for the , and the 1996 European Championship, and hosted the final of both tournaments. It also was the venue for the European Cup final in 1968, 1978 and 1992. As well as football matches, Wembley has hosted many other sporting events, including the Rugby League Challenge Cup final. Rugby Union is also well established in London, especially in the middle-class suburbs to the north and west of the city. The downtown (disambiguation). :"City center" redirects here. For the performing arts venue, see New York City Center. New York City Center, United States, an example of an urban downtown district]] Central business district (CBD) and downtown are terms referring to a commercial heart of a city. Downtown is the usual term in North America. In the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand the term "central business district" is used by geographers and sometimes by others, but the term city centre is much more common in colloquial usage. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, the term is often just shortened to the single word "city" in general conversation among residents of a city, giving rise to the phrase "going to the city". One exception is in London where "the City" specifically refers to the City of London financial district rather than to any other part of central London. Some cities have a mixed use district known as uptown near the downtown area (in Minneapolis, for example, Uptown is a district nearly adjacent to downtown, centered around the Uptown Theater on the intersection of Lagoon St. and Hennepin Ave.) On the other hand, in some cities, like Charlotte, North Carolina, uptown is simply the historic name for the business center. The CBD or downtown is the central district of a city, usually typified by a concentration of retail and commercial buildings. Although applicable to any city, both terms usually refer to larger cities. The term city centre (or center city) is similar to CBD or downtown in that both serve the same purpose for the city, and both are seen by a higher-than-usual urban density as well as the often having the tallest buildings in a city. City centre differs from downtown in that downtown can be geographically located anywhere in a city, while city centre is located near the geographic heart of the city. Examples of a city centre can be found in Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, London, Sydney, and other cities. London effectively has two city centres rolled into one, namely the Roman City of London, and the medieval City of Westminster.

List of typical CBD characteristics

A CBD is likely to have many of the following characteristics:
- It has a distinct land use pattern that can be delimited from the rest of the settlement.
- It is the geographical centre of the settlement.
- It contains the settlement's main public buildings.
- It contains the major retail outlets (though this is becoming less often the case, especially in the United States).
- Similar activities within it are concentrated in certain areas (functional zoning).
- It features vertical zoning.
- It has the greatest concentration and number of pedestrians and traffic in general.
- It is a focal point for transport.
- It contains the greatest proportion of the settlement's offices.
- It has the tallest buildings in the region to maximize land use.
- It has the highest land values of the region.
- It attracts people from outside its sphere of influence to work and spend money inside.
- It is advancing into new areas (assimilation) and/or losing old commercial functions (discard).

List of CBDs and downtowns

discard, Massachusettes]] Massachusettes]]
- In the People's Republic of China
- Beijing Central Business District
- Central and Tsim Sha Tsui in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- Pudong District, Shanghai
- Downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- London's multi-focused city centre including the City of London and the West End
- Montreal's Quartier international
- Dublin City Centre - central area of Greater Dublin Area, including docklands and city core.
- In Australia
- Melbourne central business district, Victoria
- Sydney central business district, New South Wales
- Brisbane central business district, Queensland
- In the United States:
- Downtown Athens, Georgia
- Downtown Anchorage, Alaska
- Downtown Boston, Massachusetts
- Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina
- Chicago Loop, Illinois
- Downtown Honolulu, Hawaii
- Downtown Dallas, Texas
- Downtown Houston, Texas
- Downtown Kansas City, Missouri
- Downtown Los Angeles, California
- San Francisco Financial District, California
- Downtown Manhattan, New York City (the Lower Manhattan CBD)
- Midtown Manhattan, New York City (the largest CBD in the country)
- Downtown Miami, Florida
- Downtown Nashville, Tennessee
- Downtown New Haven, Connecticut
- Central Business District, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Downtown Orlando, Florida
- Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Downtown Phoenix, Arizona
- Downtown Pittsburgh and Oakland (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania
- Downtown Portland, Oregon
- Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah
- Downtown San Jose, California
- Downtown Tampa and Westshore, Tampa, Florida
- Downtown Seattle, Washington
- Downtown Syracuse, New York
- Downtown Youngstown, Ohio
- [http://www.discoverthedistrict.com The District] - Downtown Columbia, Missouri
- In Malaysia
- Daerah Sentral Johor Bahru (Central District of Johor Bahru)
- Golden Triangle of Kuala Lumpur
- Kuala Lumpur City Centre
- In Singapore
- The Central Area:
- Raffles Place, Orchard Road, Shenton Way and Marina Centre, Singapore
- In Hungary
- Downtown of Miskolc (Belváros)
- Category:Cities Category:Neighborhoods Category:Urban studies and planning ja:繁華街

University of Surrey

The University of Surrey (UniS) received its charter on September 9, 1966, and was at that time situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology before gaining university status. Its roots however go back to the Battersea Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1891 to provide further and higher education for London's poorer inhabitants. The original master plan for an institution with 5,000 students has been exceeded, with the number of students now in excess of 10,000. Between 2000 and 2004, the University formed part of the "Federal University of Surrey", along with what was then the University of Surrey Roehampton (USR), formerly the Roehampton Institute of Higher Education. However, in June 2004, the Privy Council granted Roehampton an independent university title, and it became Roehampton University from August 1 2004. This move ended the federal partnership between the two institutions, although collaboration between the two is being maintained.

Campus

The university moved in 1968 to a new 83 acre (0.3 km²) site on Stag Hill in Guildford, Surrey, adjacent to Guildford Cathedral. A further 228 acres (0.9 km²) allocated to the University has remained undeveloped, although development of this site will start in 2005. The new Manor Park campus, to be designed as a car-free village, is adjacent to the Stag Hill campus but on the other side of the A3 trunk road. It will combine residences for students and staff, buildings for research and teaching, and sporting facilities.

Research

A major centre of excellence in technology, science and engineering, The Surrey Research Park is widely regarded as the best of its kind in the UK. Owned and developed by The University of Surrey as a 70 acre (283,000 m²) low density, development close to its campus in Guildford, The Surrey Research Park currently provides a high quality, working environment. Large landscaped areas and water features, provide a serene and tranquil backdrop for over 110 companies engaged in a broad spectrum of research, development and design activities. A3 trunk road

Complete History

The University of Surrey was established on 9 September 1966 with the grant of its Royal Charter but its roots go back to a late nineteenth century concern to provide greater access to further and higher education for the 'poorer inhabitants' of London. The forerunner of the University, the Battersea Polytechnic Institute (founded 1891, first students admitted 1894) began concentrating on science and technology from about 1920 and taught day and evening students for degrees of the University of London. Its academic reputation steadily grew to the point in 1956 where it was one of the first colleges to be designated a 'college of advanced technology'. It was renamed Battersea College of Technology. By the beginning of the sixties the College had virtually outgrown its main building in Battersea Park Road and in 1962 it had already decided to move to Guildford. Shortly afterwards (1963), the Robbins Report proposed that Battersea College, along with the other colleges of advanced technology, should expand and become a university awarding its own degrees. The greenfield site for the University-designate was acquired from Guildford Cathedral, Guildford Borough Council and the Onslow Village Trust in 1965, and the move from Battersea was completed in 1970. Current reminders of the University's origins include the street signs displayed in Union House and the houses in Battersea Court Hall of Residence, which are named after Chairmen of the Governing Body and Principals of the Battersea Polytechnic. A history of Battersea College 1891-1962 was written by Harold Arrowsmith and published in 1966 as Pioneering in Education for the Technologies. A history of the University of Surrey by Roy Douglas, entitled Surrey - The Rise of a Modern University, was published by Surrey University Press Ltd in September 1991 to coincide with the silver jubilee of the University. The silver jubilee was further marked in March 1992 by a Service of Thanksgiving in Guildford Cathedral attended by Her Majesty The Queen. The University of Surrey first validated courses at the Roehampton Institute London in 1980. Following the University's accreditation of Roehampton's taught course provision in 1991, the Institute was granted Taught Degree and Research Degree awarding powers by the Privy Council in 1993 and 1998 respectively. In 1998, as a result of the continuing development in the relationship between the University of Surrey and the Roehampton Institute London, the two institutions decided to form an academic federation. In November 1999, the Privy Council approved the necessary changes to the University's Charter and Statutes and the Roehampton Institute became The University of Surrey Roehampton at the beginning of 2000. Since then Surrey and Roehampton have worked increasingly together as the Federal University of Surrey. Since its foundation, the University of Surrey has fostered links with other educational bodies in the local community and region. For example, in recent years it has validated courses at and subsequently accredited Saint Mary's College - a College of the University of Surrey, Wimbledon School of Art and Farnborough College of Technology. The University currently validates courses at North East Surrey College Of Technology (NESCOT), Conservatoire for Acting & Musical Theatre, Guildford College of Further & Higher Education, King Edward VII Hospital Department of Staff Development, The Nuclear Department at HMS Sultan, St John's Seminary, Southern Theological Education & Training Scheme (STETS), the Pre-Retirement Association and SHL (UK) Ltd. In 1982 the University became the trustee of the building of the Guildford Institute and uses parts of the building for its adult education programme which ensures a University presence in the heart of Guildford. The Assessment and Qualification Alliance (formerly Associated Examining Board) moved from Aldershot to its own headquarter building on the Stag Hill campus in 1985. One of the most significant site developments by the University has been the Surrey Research Park which currently accommodates over 100 companies employing 2,500 staff engaged in research and development activities, many of which relate closely to the work of the University's own Schools. In 1991 the University was granted the Queen's Award for Export Achievement, and in 1997 it was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher & Further Education in recognition of the University's outstanding achievement in satellite engineering and communications, teaching and research by the Centre for Satellite Engineering Research and its associated companies. In 1998 Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) was awarded the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement. This was presented in person by The Queen on her second visit to the University, accompanied by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Duke of Kent, Chancellor of the University. More recently the University has been awarded the 2002 Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher & Further Education, this time for its internationally renowned research and development on optoelectronic devices and ion beam applications. For a university of its size and age, Surrey has one of the highest number of staff who are academicians of the learned societies: 10 Fellows of the Royal Society, 21 Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering, one Fellow of the British Academy and 6 Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences. The University celebrated its 35th anniversary year in May 2002 with a major event in Guildford Cathedral and the gift of the Surrey Scholar sculpture (by Allan Sly FBS), located at the bottom of the town's historic High Street, to the people of Guildford and marking the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen. There are now over 90,000 graduates of the University, working in all parts of the world. 'Understanding the Real World', a visual history of the University, by Christopher Pick, was published to coincide with this anniversary. Recent major developments on the University campus include the Austin Pearce building (1997), the Duke of Kent building (1998), Millennium House, University Court (2000), the Daphne Jackson Building which houses the University's Advanced Technology Institute (2002), and the Surrey Management School (2003). A new residence for postgraduate students - International House - was opened in Autumn 2004. On the 1st July 2005 Prof. Christopher M. Snowden became Surrey’s fourth Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, following a period of overlap with his predecessor Prof. Dowling. Like his predecessors Prof. Dowling and Prof. Kelly, Prof. Snowden is a fellow of the Royal Society. He was appointed in recognition of his pioneering work in the fields of microwave engineering and compound semi conductors.

Trivia

In 2004 the University was ranked by Virgin's Student Guide as the university where students have the highest chance of 'pulling'. [http://www.virginstudent.com/theguide/default.asp?p=158020&a=9] A tabloid paper took this further, claiming that students at this university have the highest chance of having sex in their first month at the university. The University has a radio station, GU2 Radio. The University of Surrey is home to the [http://www.sa-cheer.com Surrey Angels] Cheerleading squad. The Surrey Angels practise at UniSport which is on campus on Tuesdays from 6:15 to 7:30pm (Stunting) and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:00pm (dancing). Led Zeppelin performed their very first gig at the University of Surrey on October 15th, 1968.

External links

- [http://www.surrey.ac.uk/ University of Surrey website]
- [http://www.ussu.co.uk/ University Of Surrey Students Union website]
- [http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/ Roehampton University]
- [http://www.uossnaps.co.uk/ UniS 1970's Photographs]
- [http://portal.surrey.ac.uk/portal/page?_pageid=799,205204&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL Announcement, a year in advance, of Christopher Snowden's appointment]
- [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemsoc ChemSoc][http://union.surrey.ac.uk/chemsoc/ The Chemistry Society at the University of Surrey]
- [http://www.ussu-crew.co.uk/ PA, Lighting and Video hire company run by USSU]
- [http://www.computing.surrey.ac.uk/ Computing Department Homepage]

References

- Understanding the Real World, a visual history of the University of Surrey Surrey, University of Category:Education in Surrey

Peter Doig

Peter Doig (born 1959) is a painter. Doig was born in Edinburgh, but moved with his family to Canada as a child. He went to England in 1979 to study art at the Wimbledon School of Art, St Martin's School of Art - where he became friends with Billy Childish - and later the Chelsea School of Art where he received an M.A. In 2002 he moved to Trinidad and Tobago. Many of Doig's pictures are landscapes, with a number harking back to the snowy scenes of his childhood in Canada. His works are frequently based on found photographs, but are not painted in a photorealist style, Doig instead using the photographs simply as a reference. He is also a photographer, using both his own and others' as reference for his paintings. Doig was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1994. Doig, Peter Doig, Peter

Raymond Briggs

Raymond Briggs (born January 18 1934) is a British illustrator, cartoonist, and author who has achieved critical and popular success among adults and children. He was born in Wimbledon, London, in the home of his parents Ethel and Ernest Briggs, a maid and a milkman. Raymond Briggs pursued cartooning from an early age and, despite his mother's attempts to discourage him from this unprofitable pursuit, he attended the Wimbledon School of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art. After briefly pursuing painting, he became a professional illustrator and soon began working in children's books. His first three major works, Father Christmas, Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (both featuring a curmudgeonly Santa Claus who complains incessantly about the "blooming snow"), and Fungus the Bogeyman, were in the form of comics rather than the typical children's-book format of separate text and illustrations. The Snowman (1978) was almost entirely wordless, and became Briggs' best-known work when it was made into an Oscar nominated animated cartoon that has been shown every year since on British television. Briggs continued to work in a similar format, but with more adult content, in Gentleman Jim, a somber look at the working-class trials of Jim and Hilda Bloggs, closely based on his parents. When the Wind Blows (1982) confronted the trusting, optimistic Bloggs couple with the horror of nuclear war, and was praised in the British House of Commons for its timeliness and originality. This was turned into a two-handed radio play with Peter Sallis in the male lead role. The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (1984) was a scathing denunciation of the Falklands War. However, Briggs continued to produce humor for children, in works such as the Unlucky Wally series and The Bear. His graphic novel Ethel and Ernest, which portrayed his parents' 41-year marriage, won Best Illustrated Book in the 1998 British Book Awards.

Selected bibliography

- 1973: Father Christmas - awarded the Kate Greenaway medal
- 1975: Father Christmas Goes on Holiday
- 1979: Fungus the Bogeyman
- 1978: The Snowman
- 1980: Gentleman Jim
- 1982: When the Wind Blows
- 1984: The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman
- 1987: Unlucky Wally
- 1989: Unlucky Wally 20 Years On
- 1992: The Man
- 1994: The Bear
- 1998: Ethel and Ernest
- 2001: UG

Film and television adaptations

- Ivor the Invisible (2001)
- The Bear (1999)
- Father Christmas (1991)
- When the Wind Blows (1986)
- The Snowman (1982)

References

External links

-
-
- Briggs, Raymond Briggs, Raymond Briggs, Raymond Briggs, Raymond Briggs, Raymond

Nik Borrow

Nik Borrow is a bird artist, ornithological tour leader for Birdquest and an expert in west African birds. He is co-author (with Ron Demey) and sole illustrator of Birds of Western Africa in the Helm Identification Guides series, published by Christopher Helm in 2001, the first guide to feature illustrations of all 1285 West African species. Borrow studied at the Wimbledon School of Art and subsequently taught art for some years before becoming a professional bird artist. Borrow, Nik Borrow, Nik Borrow, Nik

James Acheson

James Acheson is an actor. He was the second actor to portray Jack Deveraux on the NBC soap Days Of Our Lives, a role originated by Joseph Adams. The character would gain its highest popularity with the third actor in the role, Matthew Ashford.

Richard Hudson

Richard Hudson (born 1939; usually known as Dick Hudson) is a British linguist. He has lived in England for most of his life (with three years in New Zealand, 1945-8). He turned into a linguist via Loughborough Grammar School in Leicestershire (1948-58), Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (1958-61) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (PhD, 1961-4). He worked with Michael Halliday as research assistant on two projects at University College London: on the grammar of scientific English with Rodney Huddleston (1964-7), and on Linguistics and English Teaching (1967-70). In 1970, he was appointed lecturer at UCL, where he spent the rest of his working life, mostly in the Department of Phonetics and Linguistics, retiring in 2004. His main research achievement is a general theory of language structure called word grammar, but he has also worked hard to build bridges between academic linguistics and teaching of (and about) language in UK schools.

External links

- [http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/home.htm Richard Hudson]
- [http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/wg.htm Word Grammar] Hudson, Richard Hudson, Richard

Braveheart

Braveheart is an epic American motion picture released in 1995 based on the life of William Wallace, a national hero in Scotland. Mel Gibson played Wallace and also directed the film.

Awards

The film won numerous awards including the 1995 Academy Award for:
- Best Picture
- Direction, Mel Gibson
- Best Cinematography
- Makeup
- Best Effects Nominated:
- Film Editing
- Costume Design

Box Office

Braveheart is 270th in the largest amount grossed from a film (worldwide). In terms of actual figures, Braveheart's total lifetime gross is:
- Domestic: $75,609,945
- Worldwide: $210,409,945 On opening weekend, Braveheart grossed:
- Domestic: 9,938,276

Historical Accuracy

Braveheart is a work of fiction, which draws inspiration from real historical events. However, due to the intense level of detail in costuming, makeup and special effects, audiences may incorrectly assume that the production is intended to be historically accurate. Some of the "inaccuracies" in Braveheart may be motivated by artistic reasons. The anachronistic kilts worn by the Scots make the rebels more visually distinctive, the incomplete armor and missing helmets allow viewers to recognize the actors, and changes to characters and names make the story easier to follow. Modifications to the sequence of events create dramatic juxtapositions, allowing different lines in the story to appear to occur simultaneously. Some noted critiques include: # Braveheart's plot includes an affair between William Wallace and the character Princess Isabelle, based upon Isabella of France. The film implies she is pregnant at the time of Wallace's execution, possibly carrying the future Edward III of England. Historically, the real Isabella was only a child still living in France at this time, she never met Wallace, and furthermore, was never a Princess of Wales, as she was married to Edward II after he became king. Also Edward III of England was born in 1312, seven years after Wallace's death, again no possible way he's Wallace's son. (Note this idea may derive from the play The Wallace by Sydney Goodsir Smith.) # Gibson was critiqued for his portrayal of Isabella's future husband, Edward II of England. Although most historians agree that Edward was a homosexual, many complained that the film presented demeaning stereotypes toward Edward. In the commentary, Mel Gibson explained he didn't intend to show hate towards anyone portrayed in the film (including the English). It also must be recalled that Mel Gibson did not write the screenplay. # The Battle of Stirling Bridge, the first skirmish in the film, was filmed without a bridge. The actual conflict was more of an ambush of the English as they attempted to cross a river. (It is rumoured that Gibson told a Scottish local the bridge was removed as it got in the way, and the local replied "that's what the English found" [http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/battles/stirlingbraveheart.html].) The film also makes no mention of Andrew de Moray, Wallace's companion-in-arms and a major contributor at this battle. Curiously, the fight shown in the film is more like the Battle of Bannockburn 17 years later, with English cavalry charging Scottish schiltrons and being repulsed. # The film creates the impression that William Wallace invented the Scottish schiltrons and handed out pikes just before the battle. This is completely untrue. # Edward I's second wife, Margaret, whom he married in 1299, is absent from the film, although the span of history covered in the production includes this year. This implies his first wife Eleanor of Castile was his only spouse. # The film shows Irish conscripts switching sides and joining Wallace's forces at the Battle of Falkirk. The Irish forces were hired mercenaries who, from all accounts, fought well for Edward I. The Celtic soldiers who did display some rebellious tendencies were the Welsh, who had been conquered about a decade earlier. Edward I intended to use them as the first wave of attack and essentially as schiltron fodder. They did not take kindly to such intentions, even if they did not actually switch sides. # The film implies that Wallace's rebellion took place against a background of a fairly lengthy English occupation of Scotland. Actually, they had only invaded Scotland the year before (1296) and the mass hanging of Scottish nobles which Wallace witnessed as a boy never happened. # Near the end, the film implies that Bannockburn was a spontaneous battle, started by Bruce upon hearing the news of Wallace's execution. In fact, Bruce had already been fighting a guerrilla campaign against the English for 8 years, and the battle occurred nine years after Wallace's death. The Battle of Methven did take place about a year after Wallace's death, and was a major defeat for Bruce. # The sword carried by Gibson is a 16th century Scottish claymore. While a sword which is claimed to have belonged to Wallace (although this is disputed) exists in Scotland, it is significantly simpler. # There is some controversy about whether the jus prima noctis (also known as the droit de seigneur), the supposed right of a Lord to deflower virgins in his territory, actually existed, but it certainly did not exist in either England or Scotland during this period. # Wallace is reputed to have had a wife named Marian Braidfoot (apparently her name was changed to Murron in the film so audiences would not confuse her with Maid Marian from the Robin Hood stories). She was indeed supposedly killed by the English sheriff of Lanark in May 1297, although it appears this was a reprisal by the English since Wallace was already revolting against them. # Wallace's long-standing hatred for the English may not have been because of his wife's death. According to one legend, it arose from the fact that two English soldiers challenged Wallace over some fish he had caught. The argument escalated into a fight, resulting in Wallace killing the soldiers. # The then-future King Robert the Bruce is described as "Earl of Bruce", but actually, his title before becoming king was Comes (count, mormaer or earl) of Carrick. #Braveheart suggests Wallace supported the Bruce claim to the Scottish throne; however, Wallace supported the Balliol claim while Bruce was convinced of his father's rightful succession. # The reality of William Wallace's capture and execution was far worse than shown in the film. # The movie depicts Robert the Bruce's father (who was also named Robert) as a leper. There is no historical record of this though Bruce himself contracted a disease before his death that has sometimes been alleged to be leprosy. # Bruce did not betray Wallace at Falkirk. He did eventually switch sides but that was a few years later and as a result of a dispute with the Comyns (not depicted in the film) who supported the Balliol claim to the throne. The Scottish war effort collapsed a few years later because of the defeat of their French allies by the Flemish at Courtrai in 1302. Wallace was hunted down when the Scots were forced to surrender in 1305. # In his speech before the battle of Stirling Bridge, Mel Gibson's Wallace alludes to a hundred years of tyranny. Ironically, the 13th century was one of the few centuries when Anglo-Scottish relations were relatively peaceful. This changed after the unexpected death of Alexander III in 1288, when Edward I was asked to resolve the dispute over the Scottish crown. Edward used this opportunity to revive English claims of overlordship. # The film depicts Edward I dying at the same time as Wallace was executed. In fact, Wallace's execution took place in 1305, in Westminster, and King Edward died in 1307, two years later, en route to put down a fresh rebellion of the Scots, led by Robert himself. # The real William Wallace was a tall man, believed to have been between 6 feet, 5 inches to 6 feet, 7 inches in height. Mel Gibson stands approximately 5 feet, 10 inches. However, this inaccuracy is humorously alluded to in the film. Gibson, in his commentary to the film, admits many of these historical inaccuracies such as prima nocte quite candidly. For a historical treatment of events see the William Wallace entry.

Miscellaneous

In 1997 a statue of Gibson as "William Wallace" was placed in the car-park of the Wallace Monument near Stirling, Scotland. The statue, which includes the word "Braveheart" on Wallace's shield, was the cause of much controversy and one local resident stated that it was wrong to "desecrate the main memorial to Wallace with a lump of crap". In 1998 the statue was vandalised by someone who smashed the face in with a hammer. After repairs were made, the statue was encased in a cage at night to prevent further vandalism. This has only incited more calls for the statue to be removed as it now appears that the Gibson/Wallace figure is imprisoned; an irony, considering that the statue bears the word "Freedom" on the plinth.

Cast

- Mel Gibson - William Wallace
- Sophie Marceau - Princess Isabelle
- Patrick McGoohan - King Edward I Longshanks
- Catherine McCormack - Murron MacClannough
- Angus MacFadyen - Robert the Bruce
- Brendan Gleeson - Hamish Campbell
- Ian Bannen - Robert the Bruce, Sr.
- Alun Armstrong - Mornay
- Michael Byrne - Smythe
- Liam Carney - Sean
- Bernard Horsfall - Balliol
- Phil Kelly - Farmer
- Sean McGinley - MacClannough
- Gerda Stevenson - Mother MacClannough
- Tam White - MacGregor
- Joe Savino - Chief Assassin
- Ralph Riach -