Eccentricity may seem a strange addition to our list of national institutions, but as the source of much richness in our culture and a trait we hold dear it merits its place.
Some things we find admirable non-Brits think highly eccentric, not least in our cuisine: Americans are horrified by Steak and Kidney Pudding , and by bitter being served ‘warm’ (it’s so you can actually taste it guys); and the French abhor ‘la chose qui bouge’ – jelly - and mint sauce with lamb.
But eccentricity is surely individual by definition, and only those who deny they are eccentric qualify – someone who affects outlandish garb and tells you they are eccentric is not, they are just gits. One would have similar concerns about societies and clubs advertising the quirkiness of their members: few things promise tediousness more certainly than the words: “I’m mad.”
True eccentrics live by their own rules: Quentin Crisp is a recent example, his attitude to domestic cleanliness more interesting than his clothing or occasional lack of it. The 5th Duke of Portland’s creation of a vast network of underground rooms beneath his house at Welbeck Abbey was partly to escape from a world where he felt uncomfortable. The 2nd Baron Rokeby in the 18th century was unusual in his advocacy of bathing in a smellier age than ours; but he too went overboard, spending most of his day in the sea, his pool, or the bath. In the same era William Beckford qualifies not for the idiocy of his ill-conceived building projects (The Millennium Dome anyone?) at Fonthill but for his insistence on dinner being continually prepared for 12 when he had no guests.
Our acceptance of such oddities (rather than locking the people up) perhaps demonstrates our tolerance. But more positively eccentricity is sometimes allied to creativity – thus Lord Byron taking a bear as a pet at university when he found dogs were banned. It is a British intellectual tradition to question accepted norms: we have won 1.9 Nobel Prizes for every million inhabitants; France 0.9. So maybe there is even something Darwinian about eccentricity – survival of the daftest.
More British Institutions
Afternoon Tea
Allotments
April Fools Day
Big Ben
Binge Drinking
Black Cabs
Bonfire Night
British Sense of Humour
Brown Windsor Soup
Burns Night
Cadburys
Castles
Changing the Guard
City of London
Coronation Street
Cowes Week
Cricket
Crufts
Dad’s Army
E-Type Jag
Eccentricity
English Country Garden
Fish and Chips
Fish Fingers
Fox Hunting
Full English Breakfast
Gin and Tonic
Glastonbury
Glorious Goodwood
Grand National
Grouse Shooting
Harrods
Highland Games
Hogmanay
James Bond
John Bull
King Arthur
Land Rover
Lloyds of London
London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally
Marks and Spencer
Monty Python
Morecambe and Wise
Old School Tie
Oxbridge
Panto
Picnics
Pimms
Point-to-Point
Punch and Judy
Queueing
Real Ale
Red Arrows
Red Telephone Boxes
Remembrance Poppies
Robin Hood
Rolls Royce
Royal Ascot
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Savile Row Suits
School Discos
School Sports Day
Seaside Piers
Speakers’ Corner
Stag Nights
Stiff Upper Lip
Strawberries and Cream
Street Markets
Summer Festivals
Sunday Roasts
The Archers
The BBC
The Beano
The Boat Race
The Brass Band
The British Bobby
The Bulldog
The Church of England
The Cup Final
The Curry House
The English Rose
The Garden Shed
The Honours System
The Kilt
The Last Night at the Proms
The London Bus
The Mini
The National Trust
The NHS
The Oak
The Pub
The Queen’s Speech
The Rolling Stones
The Royal Christmas Message
The Spitfire
The V Sign
The Village Fete
The Weather
Travelling Fairs
Trooping the Colour
Village Greens
Wedgwood
Wellington Boots
Wimbledon
Wine Gums
Yeomen of the Guard
Brit Quote: |
|
On this day: |