Posted By Happy Homemaker UK
It's been hard to put my finger on
but I feel I live on a different timeline in the UK
with history stretched over a bigger canvas
The Victorian era does not feel so long ago here,
as I hear it referred to frequently and see visual reminders daily
(1837 - 1901)
A real turning point in English history was
the Industrial Revolution
which created
a huge migration of people
from the countryside to cities
in search of work
As the pollution was horrendous in London,
wealthy Victorians built houses in the suburbs
It was the age of Darwin, Dickens, Carroll, Beatrix Potter,
Oscar Wilde, French Impressionism, and the construction of Big Ben
The Empire was at its most powerful,
extending across one-fifth of the earth
with almost a quarter of the world's population under the Queen's rule
The culture had an emphasis of all things pretty and nature-related
as Victorians often craved the countryside they left behind
Plant and science exploration exploded
which we still benefit from in our gardens and classrooms
Today, beautiful Victorian buildings and homes remain a visual reminder
of this Golden Age
 |
| Victorian walled gardens enable tender plants to grow better with its warmth and protection |
Juxtaposed,
the United States was in a very different place at that time
with few visual reminders still standing
Andrew Jackson was US President when Queen Victoria was crowned
That seems quite incongruous to me
Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, California Gold Rush, The Wild West, American Civil War,
and Oklahoma was still 'Indian Territory'
Goodness, doesn't that seem like a REALLY long time ago?
Another significant turning point in recent English history was
World War II
with its years of rations, effects of continual bombing, shattered families,
personal sacrifice, and generally changing the way the English lived yet again
Gardens that had been a source of beauty
became an important source of food
All of England was re-purposed for the war efforts
Castles and country estates were turned into hospitals and served other military needs
Today visual reminders include
Brutalist Architecture replacing bombed buildings,
war memorials, museums, red
poppies,
and 'pillboxes' that dot the countryside in southeast England
 |
| WWII Pillboxes were strategically built in case of a German land invasion |
Here's a few significant turning points
in American culture and lifestyle over the past century
The Great Depression, Civil Rights Movement, The Women's Movement,
Vietnam War, the Digital Age, 9/11
America has had smaller bursts of change more frequently in a shorter amount of time
whereas it appears England has big watershed years that last decades
To me, it
feels like 'recent' history began
in the 1960s in the US,
the late 19th century in England
From my observation,
an English era generally lasts the length of a reigning monarch
This year the country celebrates the 60th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign
Although the English can rattle off an impressive list of monarchs of the past centuries,
not so for their Prime Ministers, which seem less significant and almost a 'flash-in-the-pan'
(Churchill, Thatcher and Blair were quite memorable)
Yet with American presidential elections held every four years,
the 'eras' change quite frequently
Think of these past US Presidents and their eras over the last 60 years
while Queen Elizabeth II reigned continuously:
Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, Bush Jr, Obama
Each US president practically represents a shift in thinking, culture, and history
every four years!
( or eight, if re-elected )
See what I mean?
A different timeline
- all photos by me -
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