Act of Supremacy : The Act of 1534 that declared the sovereign to be the head of the Church of England.

Act of Union : The Act of 1707 that declared the union of England and Wales and Scotland as a single kingdom under the name of Great Britain.

All England Club : A tennis club in Wimbledon, London, on whose courts the annual lawn tennis championships are held. (full name : All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club).

Anfield Road : The home football ground in Liverpool of Liverpool F.C.

Archbishop of Canterbury : The title of the religious head of the Church of England. His official title is Primate of All England.

Arsenal : A popular football club with a stadium at Highbury, and nicknamed the Gunners. Formerly based near a government arsenal in south London, closed in 1966.

Arthur : see King Arthur

Austen, Jane : The novels of Jane Austen (1775- 1817) are remarkable for the way in which the characters are described, either in country houses or in the city of Bath. Her novels remain realistic portraits of the period : 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Sense and Sensibility', 'Northanger Abbey', 'Mansfield Park', 'Emma', 'Persuasion' ...

backbencher : an MP who does not hold any special office and who sits in on the back benches in the House of Commons. See front benches.

Baker Street : A street in central London. It was at number 221B Baker Street that the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes lived.

bank holiday : an official public holiday (on a day other than Saturday or Sunday) when all banks, post offices, as well as most factories, offices and shops are closed, like : New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day (the first Monday in May) ...

Bard of Avon : A nickname for William Shakespeare who was born and is buried in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Battle of Britain : from August to October 1940, the prolonged bombing of Southern England by the German Luftwaffe, and the successful resistance of the RAF Fighter Command, which put an end to the German of invading Britain. See Churchill.

BBC : The British Broadcasting Corporation is one of the two main radio and television companies in Britain, under government control since 1927, but free to manage its own policy and decide the contents of its programmes on Radio 1, Radio 2, radio 3, Radio 4, and on BBC 1, BBC 2, and BBC WorldService.

Beatles (the) : One of Britain's most influential pop groups, first performing in 1959 in Liverpool. The group included Paul McCartney (1942-), John Lennon (1940-1980), George Harrison (1943-) and Ringo Starr -real name Richard Starkey (1940-). At first the group performed music influenced by American rock n' roll and rhythm-and-blues. Lennon and McCartney's songs soon contributed to the distinctive Mersey sound. Their records were consistently top of the pop music charts in the mid-60's their first great success being 'Please Please Me' in 1962. The Beatles broke up in 1971. John Lennon then wrote and recorded songs in America with his wife Yoko Ono. Lennon was murdered in New York in 1980.

Ben Nevis : The highest mountain in Great Britain, in western Scotland. Its height is 1,343 metres.

Big Ben : The clock in the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, London, famous for its accurate time-keeping and for its use as a broadcast signal by the BBC. The name refers to the bell of the clock, nicknamed after Benjamin Hall, Chief Commissioner of Works when it was made in 1856.

Blair, Tony : The present-day Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party.

Blyton, Enyd : (1896-1968) was a highly popular writer of children's books, such as Noddy and Big Ears, the Famous Five or the Secret Seven.

Boat Race : The traditional annual rowing race between two teams from Oxford University and Cambridge University, held on a section of the river Thames in London, in March or April. The length of the race is 7.2 km.

bookmaker : A man whose business is to accepts bets, especially on horse and dog races, and to pay out the winnings. (also called a 'bookie').

Branson, Richard : (born 1950) A successful music promoter and record company director who has become a millionaire through his commercial expertise. He set up his record company in 1970, in 1984 he launched his owned transatlantic airline under the same name, Virgin. In 1986 he broke the transatlantic record for the fastest crossing by a power boat. He has also launched 'Tidy up Britain' campaigns, is a competitor to Coca-Cola and Pepsi and has recently set up his own telephone company.

British Board of Film Censors : A body set up in 1912 to grant an appropriate certificate to cinema films. The Board currently places films in one of four main categories : 'U certificate' (suitable for everyone, including children), 'PG' (parental guidance, some scenes unsuitable for children), '15' and '18'.

British Empire : A term formerly used for Great Britain and its overseas dominions and colonial possessions, today replaced by the Commonwealth. The British Empire was at its greatest about 1920, when it included about 25% of the world's population and more than a quarter of the world's land territory.

British Isles : The frequently used name for England, Wales, Scotland, and the whole of Ireland. Compare Great Britain and United Kingdom.

Buckingham Palace : The official London residence of the sovereign. The palace was built in 1703 by the Duke of Buckingham.

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