Wedgewood, Britain

With the thaw, however, things started to happen. For a while we were joined by land to northern Europe and, as the ice melted, homo sapiens came north to explore these ‘new’ lands. It is estimated that the population at this time was no more than 5,000 souls. Hardy visitors indeed. But the ice kept melting (uncovering incidentally what was to become Scotland) and flooded the land-bridge that connected Britain to the continental mainland.

Thus was born the English Channel, and with it, our need to become a sea-faring people. More Europeans came, not always in peace. In the space of a thousand years, the Romans came, bringing their language, their culture and their institutions… later the Vikings… the Jutes… the Angles, who gave us the name of England… the Saxons, who founded a ruling dynasty, and gave their name to many of our counties: Sussex or South Saxons, Essex, or East Saxons… and, finally, the Normans, themselves descended from Vikings or ‘Norsemen’. So, in that crucial millennium (in fact, a period of 1120 years, from 54BC to 1066AD), enriched culturally, commercially and politically, Britain went from isolated, remote, backward landmass to ‘European player’.

The next thousand years were pretty busy, one way or another. Over a period of 300 years, the Norman elite ‘anglicised’ themselves, all the while, of course, speaking French, and, in doing so, adding yet more to the mutli-faceted English language of today, until in 1377 Richard II issued his Coronation speech in English, then the language of the underclasses, the first monarch to do so. Fast forward a few hundred years, often years of conflict not only with the constituent parts of what is now the United Kingdom – conflict which now, happily, is restricted to the football pitch and the rugby field – but also with our European competitors, and Britain was on course to establishing, by the Victorian

era, a truly global empire. At its height, with English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish expatriots emigrating in all directions, forging new lives for themselves, bringing their culture, their language and, not least, their sporting traditions with them, the British Empire was responsible for over half the world’s trade. Not any more. Much has changed.

Conflict & invasion, invention & education, sports & the arts, sea-faring & empire-building … all have contributed to Britain’s fabulous and enduring heritage, both tangible and intangible – castles, palaces, historic houses, museums, galleries, centuries-old inns and taverns, yes – but, also, the rule of law, the rights of the individual, the procedures and protocols of political debate and of government. It’s not just all about history though.

Today Britain boasts a vibrant culture and is continually evolving with contemporary design, art and music providing new inspirations. Cue Wedgewood Britain… with nearly 30 years in the business of corporate events, our preferential access to Britain’s most important, prestigious and exclusive venues, combined with our deep understanding of, and affection for, this heritage, enables us to deliver excellence. Our multi-lingual team of project managers, committed and accountable to your success, will design, operate and deliver your event, according to your expectations and on budget: a success that event participants will talk about for years to come.

We offer an impressive level of creativity: let us provide your corporate guests with a rich and rewarding Great Britain experience, that will refresh and impress even the most seasoned of travellers. We know Wedgewood can offer you the most effective and successful event. We stake our reputation on it. Daily.