The House of England cottage is open every Sunday from 12:00 Noon to 4:00 PM. Learn about the history and traditions of England.

The Merrie England Singers:
“The Merrie England Singers” is a group of members of the House of England, who love to sing and meet for rehearsals whenever they are planning an event, or are asked to perform.  At Christmastime they perform at retirement homes, and they are asked to sing for a variety of events in the San Diego area during the year.  They also offer comedy skits, which are a lot of fun for the members to do, and fun to watch.

Whist Club:
The Whist Club consists of a group of memberswho enjoy playing cards.  They meet once a month in the House of England, usually on the first Friday of the month in the evening.

Lawn Program:
The members of the House of England organize the annual lawn program on the last Sunday in April.  In England this is the ” St. George Day”.

The entertainment is done by a Brass Band playing popular melodies, the Merrie England Singers, The Morris Dancers having a jolly good time. 

Food:
Foods for this event are sausage rolls, bangers, shepherds pie (baked potatoes with a meat filling), scones, cucumber sandwiches, meat pies, crumpets and English tea.

The Ethnic Food Fair and the December Holidays will feature the same menu as the lawn program, plus in December they will serve hot apple cider.

The House of England opens their cottage to receive school children as well as university professors. During their visit, they will participate in interesting discussions about history, maps, and different cultural traditions. For example, England's role in originating common law, women's rights, gun control, and health care. Many presenters come in costumes such as a Metropolitan police, a Pearly King or in a Beefeater uniform.

The Flag of the Union Jack, what does it mean?
The Union Jack is combination (union) of the flags of St. George, St. Andrew and St. Patrick. The flag of St. George is white with a red cross.  The flag of St. Andrew is blue with a white diagonal cross and the flag of St. Patrick is white with a red diagonal cross.

In 1603 King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England and united England and Scotland under a new flag.  It combined the Cross of St. Andrew with the Cross of St.George, which the Navy referred to as the Union Jack.  King George III updated the design when he added the Cross of St. Patrick.

Picture source: Wikipedia

Famous Landmarks in London:
Buckingham Palace, a three hundred years old castle, which is the residence and the official place from which the Queen conducts her business.

St. Paul’s Cathedral, it is a magnificent structure with a huge dome that dominates the skyline of London.  It was built between in 1675 – 1708, after the big fire of London in 1666 destroyed the previous cathedral.

Big Ben, is a clock tower in Parliament Square.  Its thirteen-ton main bell strikes every hour and can be heard for miles over London.  At night the clock is illuminated and creates a striking view.

Westminster Abbey, is a classic Gothic structure which dates back to the 11th century.  It has been the scene of royal coronations, marriages and burials for the British Royalty.

Famous People of England:
When we speak of famous people of England, the name” William Shakespeare” comes to mind when we look at cultural history.  He lived from 1564 to 1616, and takes the rank of the greatest writer the English language has ever known.  Tragedies, comedies, poems and sonnets, Shakespeare’s talent encompassed all.   He had a unique talent of describing the profound aspect of human nature.

We are always in need of new members. Everything we do is English but you don't have to be English or of English descent to join. If you are interested in the culture and history of England, The House of England is a great organization to join. We need people enthusiastic about getting involved such as hosting our cottage and participating in our events and programs.

For more information, contact us at 619-449-0265 or 619-435-3631.

Land Area: 129,720 sq km                                
Population:  51,000,000
Capital City: London                                        
Language:  English (official). Perhaps England's greatest cultural export has been the English language, the current lingua franca of the international community. There are astonishing regional variations in accents, and it is not unusual to find those in southern England claiming to need an interpreter to communicate with anyone living north of Oxford.
Religion:  Church of England, Catholic, Methodist, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Hindu.
Form of Government (UK): constitutional monarchy
Currency: pound sterling (£)
Country Dialing Code: 44
Economy (UK):The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the quintet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades, the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with less than 2% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance.
Export (UK): manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco

Source: Lonely Planet - England ;
The World Factbook - United Kingdom