Page 14 - ELG1911 Nov Issue 467

El•Gazette 467.qxp_El•Gazette 467 23/10/2019 13:10 Page 14

DESTINATION .

Uncovering the treasures of East Anglia

Melanie Butler takes us on a tour of the ‘home of English’, the region of East Anglia

he ancient kingdom of East Anglia runs up along the east coast
of England, from the mouth of the Thames just south of WIKIMEDIA
Colchester, to the Wash estuary which separates the counties
Tof Norfolk and Lincolnshire to the north.
Water has sculpted the flat landscape of this ancient Kingdom of the
East Angles, a Germanic tribe who settled the area. East Anglia is
sometimes called the home of English, because the modern language is
derived from their ancient language, ‘Englisc’. Water not only sculpted
the long sandy coastline, but also the inland natural marshes, drained
long ago, called Fens.
Founded in the 6th century, the kingdom was originally made up of
two ‘tribes’ – the North people (or ‘folk’), who lived in Norfolk, and the
South people, in Suffolk.
To reach East Anglia from London, follow the old Roman Road to
Britain’s oldest town, Colchester. Then head up through ‘Constable
Country’, named after the artist who painted its watery landscape. Over
the Orwell Bridge we find Ipswich, country town of Suffolk and home
to one of the country’s newest universities.
You can also head north-east, past the collection of Anglian treasures
at Sutton Hoo, towards the Suffolk coast, a favourite destination for
fashionable Londoners, Or, travel west, stopping at medieval towns such
as Stowe Market or Lavenham, to the cathedral town of Bury St Replica mask from Sutton Hoo
Edmunds, a jewel in the Suffolk Crown. The town stands close to the
border of Cambridgeshire, the last area to join the Kingdom of the Angles. To the north lies the medieval cathedral town of Ely, and in a straight
In 1209, a new university was founded in the fenlands, Cambridge – line to the east lies Norwich. Said to be the most medieval city in England,
now an international education centre: home to not only the university, it is full of winding cobbled streets, medieval buildings and cathedrals.
but to independent schools, state colleges, and language schools as well Norwich also has two universities, and in 2018 this buzzy student city was
as a hi-tech industry, which has dubbed the area ‘Silicon Fen’. voted “one of the best places to live in the UK” by the Sunday Times.

East Anglia Fact Box

Region: The area is made up of three counties: Norfolk, Suffolk and
Cambridgeshire, although historically much of the county of Essex
was part of the ancient Anglian Kingdom.
Expand your experience Transport: There are two airports in the region: one at Norwich in
and develop new ideas Norfolk; and London Stansted, situated in North Essex just south of
Cambridge and within easy reach of most of the region. There are a
few motorways, but both Norfolk and Cambridge have good rail
with NILE’s expert trainers links with London, and the flat nature of the countryside make it
ideal for cycling. Cambridge has the highest level of cycling in the
UK, with 18 per cent of its inhabitants commuting to work by bike.
Short courses, CELTA, Delta and MA for language
Climate: The climate in East Anglia is dry and mild. Temperatures
teachers and trainers in the UK, overseas and online. average between 1-10 °C in the winter, and between 12–22 °C in
the summer. It is the driest region in Great Britain, with some areas
receiving as little as 700 millilitres of rain a year.
Contact registrar@nile-elt.com

for more informa琀on. Language Schools: There are 20 British Council-accredited
language schools in the region. Sixteen of these are based in
colleges, of which just under half are EL Gazette Centres of
Excellence. A large number of summer school operations also have
centres in Cambridge or in boarding schools in the region. There
are three schools in Norwich, the capital of Norfolk, and one in the
old Suffolk Cathedral town of Bury St Edmunds. There is one
accredited private language school in the Essex town of Colchester.
The highest-ranking accredited centre in the region is NILE
Norwich, which specialises in courses for teachers.
PXHERE

www.nile-elt.com The River Wensum at Norwich

14 November 2019