F

Flavorwire

england

Architecture

‘Downton Abbey’ in Real Life: A Visual Tour of Grand English Great Houses

By Claire Cottrell on

From grand bedrooms and lustworthy libraries suspended in time to a gorgeous great house complete with a walled garden and roaming peacocks, we’ve compiled a selection of images to help you imagine life in the sumptuous turn-of-the-century England of Downton Abbey. Before things changed… Read More

Celebrity

59 Things You Didn’t Know About Virginia Woolf

By Paul Hiebert on

Virginia Woolf — most know the name, but few know the obscure biographical facts behind the name. Today, for example, is the day of her birth. To celebrate the 59 years that Woolf spent observing and writing about our world, we bring you 59 tidbits about her life. So, go ahead! Get better acquainted with one of the 20th century’s most important authors after the jump. … Read More

News

Woman Changes Name to Include Entire Alphabet

By Paul Hiebert on

A 22-year-old mother from South Yorkshire, England, formerly known as plain old Ceejay Epton, has changed her name to Ceejay A Apple B Boat C Cat D Dog E Elephant F Flower G Goat H House I Igloo J Jellyfish K Kite L Lion M Monkey N Nurse O Octopus P Penguin Q Queen R Robot S Sun T Tree U Umbrella V Violin W Whale X X-Ray Y Yo-Yo Z Zebra Terryn Feuji-Sharemi.

“Miss Alphabet,” as she’s been dubbed by the British press to save both time and headaches, said she changed her name to help teach her newly born son the alphabet and “for a bit of a laugh.” We’re sure it won’t seem as funny when she has to break the news to her various credit-card companies and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. … Read More

Sports

First Person: Scenes from England’s World Cup Fever

By Casey Acierno on

In England the World Cup is like the Olympics, the World Series, and the Super Bowl all rolled up into one red and white beer-stained bundle. For the past two weeks, I’ve had the unique pleasure of documenting the England World Cup experience firsthand, from the Spirit-of-’66 enthusiasm before the first match to the hopelessness of today. If England loses to Slovenia, it’ll be the first time they’ve been knocked out in the first round since 1958, a full eight years before they last won the World Cup. … Read More

Web

This is Britain’s Ideal Pet. What’s Ours?

By Stelios Phili on

The Telegraph announced today that the ideal British Pet is, in fact, “49 per cent dog, 35 per cent cat, 9 per cent horse and 7 per cent rabbit.” The traits for this ferocious little beast are based off a 2,000 person survey. The animal is named “Max.” He is energetic, loves walking, and sleeps nearly nine and a half hours per day. The wonders of scientific surveys never cease to impress us.

Flavorpill saw the need to conduct a scientific survey of our own to create the ideal animal of the United States. View our computer-generated depiction after the jump. … Read More

Music

Photo Gallery: London’s 1-2-3-4 Shoreditch Festival

By Stelios Phili on

The 1-2-3-4 Shoreditch Music Festival is no Glastonbury or Reading — it’s a much smaller affair of British indie acts, with a few familiar faces headlining (Patrick Wolf, the Rakes, the Warlocks). Nonetheless, the festival is notable for its 50+ bands and for being a distinctly offbeat event. (Where else could you find a… Read More