Â鶹ԼÅÄ

Ah! Shakespeare! Of course we can’t mention Coventry and Warwickshire without doffing our caps to the Bard himself. Many of today’s euphemisms, cliches and sayings were at the very least first written down by William Shakespeare - although he is credited with inventing most of them.

‘England’s national poet’s’ surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. Although there has always been speculation as to how much of the work he wrote himself, it cannot be denied that the English language would be a much duller place without his input.

Shakespeare (courtesy of the RSC)

But did you know the county is more literary than just producing England’s most famous playwright? Writer George Eliot, nee Mary Ann Evans, was born in Arbury, Warwickshire in 1819. Writer of several poems, essays and novels, her most famous work is ‘Middlemarch’. George is credited with being extremely socially conscious and as sharp in pointing out the hypocrisy of the country squires.

With its rolling farmlands and relaxed pace of life, leafy Warwickshire was also the inspiration for JRR Tolkien’s Hobbiton and the Shire. OK, it’s on a technicality - Sarehole (The village Tolkien lived in as a child) has now been swallowed by Birmingham - but in the 1890s it belonged to Warwickshire.

World War One poet Rupert Brooke was from Rugby and Elizabethan poet Michael Drayton hailed from Hartshill, near Atherstone. Known as Shakespeare’s County, it’s a wonder it isn’t known as English Language’s County.

Made in England

Made in England is a joint partnership between Â鶹ԼÅÄ English Regions and Arts Council England to bring audiences and artists together in unique collaborations to provide excitingÌýnew cultural experiences.

Made in England is a project dedicated to exploring how England – the place and the people - is expressed through creative and artistic forms.

Think about the Lake District - dramatic and elegant, the lush greens and icy blues depicting an unspoilt England. William Wordsworth was so inspired by the landscape he wrote poems, sonnets and ballads dedicated to it.

Non-traditional art is just as important to recognise - graffiti on the streets, estates built in the Sixties, and even regional accents. Does this architecture, history and culture inspire you to think of all things English?

If you’re bursting with enthusiasm at the thought of creating something - why don’t you see how you can get involved? Visit the main Made in England site to find out how you can get your creative juices flowing.