20 Facts You Didn't Know About Britain

You may live in the country, but it certainly doesn’t mean you know everything about it! Here are 20 weird and wonderful facts about Great Britain that you don’t really need to know, but probably want to...! Modern Facts 1. Tea has always been the nation’s favourite drink, so much that 165 million cups of tea are drunk every day 2. British people eat twice as many baked beans than any other European citizen - I wonder if most of those asked were students! 3. Five million sausages are eaten every day in the UK 4. 11% of people don’t wash their hands after using the loo, so maybe take some hand sanitising gel when shaking hands with a large group of people! 5. 430,000 gallons of shampoo go missing from hotels every year thanks to British people wanting freebies 6. 8% of men do not clean their teeth in the morning, whilst the most fillings and missing teeth belong to the people of Sheffield 7. The most popular domestic holiday destination for British people is Blackpool 8. 64% of women find clothes shopping to be depressing and 10% of women have cried in changing rooms 9. Around the country, woodlice have a variety of different local names. These include: cheesy bug, gramersows, chisel bobs, timberpigs, peaballs, chuggie pigs, granny greys and parson pigs 10. Adders are the only venomous snakes in the UK and because they are protected, it is illegal to attack them if they attack you. Historical facts 11. Britain’s oldest house is at the Neolithic site of Star Carr in Yorkshire, dating back to around 10,000 years ago 12. Due to the uncleanliness of the water at the time, babies in 14th century Herefordshire were baptised in cider 13. The oldest living tree in Britain, is in Manthorpe, Lincolnshire, and is 1000 years old and so big that 39 people can sit inside it! 14. Whilst most people believe Pocahontas is just a Disney film, she was a real chieftain’s daughter who came to England and died in Gravesend in Kent where a statue is now placed for her 15. Bideford in Devon is the location of the last ever witch hanging in Britain, which took place in 1684. Silly Laws Still in Place 16. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp upside down 17. It is legal to murder a Scotsman in York, but only if he is carrying a bow inside the city walls 18. It is illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day throughout the country 19. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament 20. In London, it is illegal to hail a taxi if you have the plague See the latest postings in London Student Accommodation in London Written by Zoë Richardson

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