Sugwash wrote: Let's adopt the banjo as England's national instrument.

Well, there is a history. There were several English companies making banjos in the 19th century - Windsor was just one popular make.

My mother used to play in a banjo band in the early 20th century, playing dance tunes such as Polkas and Jigs, so it wasn't `art' music. I still have some of the sheet music, published by John Alvey Turner (Turner's Banjo Budget series). Titles include The Fusilade Polka for two banjos(by Harry Nicholls) , and the Skipping Rope Dance (another Polka, by Herbert Ellis). And I still have her banjo, though I'm damned if I can play it as well as she did, even late in life. One more thing to practice, I guess :-)