Land of hope and glory

British Journey on stamps

In 2003 Royal Mail started its British Journey series in Scotland, continued through Northern Ireland and Wales South West England, and ends its travels with ten stunning photographs from across the rest of England.

A sense of the country

The designers, Phelan Barker, viewed thousands of photographs for England, before narrowing their selection down to just ten. The key for the British Journey series is finding images that capture a sense of the country, by exploring the landscape's textures and colors. The images on these stamps all have one thing in common, no sky is ever present.

Soft images

For consistency, James Phelan chose soft images that had been produced in similar ways using a long lens, all with a focal point e.g. a bridge, house, people etc, to give a sense of scale. Even within each small frame, a great feeling of space is achieved, capturing the vivid colors of the landscape, which almost unbelievably, are all created by natural light.

Stunning photographs

The photos take us from the bustling cities, to the desolate and tranquil countryside and the dramatic coastlines of England, capturing the varying beauty of this green and pleasant land: Carding Mill Valley (Shropshire), Beachy Head (Sussex Coast), Brancaster (Norfolk Coast), Derwent edge (Peak District), Robin Hood's Bay (Yorkshire Coast), Buttermere (Lake District), Chipping Campden (Cotswolds), St Boniface Down (Isle of Wight), and Chamberlain Square (Birmingham).

Stamp in detail

Issue: Great Britain, 7 February 2006
Stamp size: 35 x 35 mm
Perforations: 14.5 x 14.5
Design: Phelan Baker Design Consultants
Printing: Gravure by De La Rue Security Print