I was in England as a child, 0-5 in south-east London (which I hardly remember) and 5-8 between Oxford and Abingdon, which I remembered reasonably well after we went to New Zealand. My stereotypes were similar to some of those expressed here: countryside, the Thames, traction engines etc.

Then I came back to it in 1976, realized after about 3 months that anywhere I could afford to get to had to be a saner option, and have not been for a moment tempted to move back.

Revised "essence of England" after having to live in it at the bottom of the heap: smug selfishness, toadying pig-ignorant servility, public filth, brutal arrogance of power from anyone with any uniform or even the most trivial official status, working class turkeys clamouring for an early Christmas and reading the Express to find the ideal recipe for the stuffing to be shoved up their bums.