Though England has a lively cultural life, its characteristic pursuits are of a more popular kind.

The exploitation of leisure is increasingly the concern of commerce: holiday camps, foreign holiday package tours, gambling of many kinds from bingo to horse-race betting, and the transformation of the traditional English pub by trendy interior decoration.

The English weekend is the occasion for countryside trips and for outdoor activities from fishing to mountaineering.

England gave to the world the sports of cricket, association football and rugby football, but team and spectator sports tend to be giving way to more individualistic activities.

Despite persistent commercial tempting to do something else, the English remain a stay-at-home people.

Domestic comforts, epitomized in the cosy charm of cottages and gardens and the pervasive ritual of afternoon tea, continue to figure prominently in the character of English life.