there are many things that stand out as very british, the union jack, big ben (or is that elizabeth tower now?), the bulldog, the bacon butty, the cup of tea, the underground, fish and chips, the queen, wimbledon, the BBC, a roast dinner, the weather, pubs, strawberries and cream, the beatles, the tower of london, black cabs, red post boxes, crumpets! this could go on and on. however there is one thing that is missing from this brief list and that is the first thing mi abuela (my grandmother) wanted to see and go on the first and only time she came to visit the great british isles.
the london bus
the image of the bus that is famous world-wide is that of the route master. built in 1954, it became a principle icon of london, a big red double-decker with its rear entrance and platform. sadly these have been largely phased out but the majority of the more modern buses still keeping a similar shape and colour. only two heritage routes still using these iconic buses, one being the 9 which runs through the heart of the royal borough of kensington past the royal albert hall, through knightsbridge onto hyde park down pall mall and finishing at trafalgar square, a great ride to have if ever visiting the city of london. this also happens to run past the head office of the white company, which neatly brings me onto…
the little white company have another great give away for little ones of ten lucky readers of HPMcQ, the exclusive lwc london bus. lwc have had a london bus in their range since i can remember, however it has had a rather major make over by the skilled craftsmen and women at bajo. the roof is still the same and is removable, so that the top and lower decks can be accessed. the wooden passengers now have elasticized hips which means they can stand, sit and turn their heads to look out the windows. the finishing of the product is beautiful and instead of being completely painted, the bus is a great mix of natural wood and a coloured stain. which gives a modern contemporary look. trademark details remain such as the signage which say the little white company and the number plates front and back are twc1. it’s equally a home as a decorative piece in a childs room if they are not yet old enough to play with it. what a wonderful christmas gift for the little one in your life.
– rrp £50.00
– h18.5cm x w13cm x l31cm
– made from sustainable birch and beech
– suitable from aged 3 years
– complies to european toy directive
how to enter
all you need to do to win one of these fabulous buses is to use the rafflecopter form below. remember i have ten of these beauties to give away so there will be ten winners!
ding ding, all a board!
the t&c’s
– this competition is open to residents of the UK only aged 18 years or over, except for those associated with the white company or their families.
– the closing date is midnight on the 11th december 2013.
– the winner will be chosen at random by the random winner generator on rafflecopter and notified within 5 working days by email.
– the winner will need to provide us with a postal address for the car to be posted to. the white company will arrange delivery. if the winner does not respond with a postal address within 14 days of contact the giveaway will be re-drawn and the prize re-allocated.
– the winner must have fulfilled the mandatory requirement.
– the prize is not transferable, and there is no monetary alternative.
– HPMcQ is responsible for the first part of the promotion, which is the publication and adjudication of the competition. fulfilment of the prize is the responsibility of the white company.
disclosure: no compensation was received for running this giveaway. i am indeed an employee of the white company, however the blog of HPMcQ is purely personal and not connected to the white company in any way.
Love The White Company and this bus looks awesome. POD would adore it and it comes with “peoples” too – brilliant 🙂
That is so cool! My British icon would be the telephone box, preferably with a punk leaning against it…..
As a Liverpool fan, I have tonsay my favourite British icon are the Liver birds on top of The Liver Building. Also love The Angel of the North.
A black cab!
What a great toy.what child wouldn’t love it
The Great British Pier at the seaside
My British icon would be tower bridge, one of the best in the world
The mini – outstanding and recognised all over the world.
Red post box and old red phone boxes
We love red buses and minis too :o)
It would have to be the big red bus.
London buses are synonomous with the imagery of london but of the UK over all, the union jack!
Big Ben.
big ben
the red phone box 🙂
big ben & red post boxes
The old fashioned red telephone box
My favourite are the guards outside Buckingham palace
I think Beefeaters depict the iconic scene of Britain beautifully.
Lovely gift for my nephew – love White company goodies.
My favourite british icons would be The Beatles
The London bus
My favourite British icon is the London Eye, it’s such an integral part of the London skyline now and so popular with visitors.
When I think British I think Fish and chips but guess that’s not an icon right. I also think about the weather but guess that does not count either! I would say the phone box. LOVE this bus and I know my wee man would get endless hours of fun from it!
John Lennon
The red phone box.
Would have to be the London red bus 🙂
Shakespeare
THE MINI
Big ben!
It has got to be the iconic red post box!
The London Bridge.
Old fashioned phone boxes (especially in the middle of no where in country lanes!)
Do red telephone boxes count? They’re my favourite!
The phone box
The red phone box I think.
Ohh, I was going to write Doc Martins as a brand, but I’ve changed my mind I would have to say Liberty, that’s such an iconic building and business.
Big Ben
the big red london bus
Big Ben, Black Taxi Cabs, old Red phone boxes (still a few about) and the old red routemaster bus!
The old red telephone boxes x
a black cab
The london black cabs (although some are quite colourful now)
i love a good london bus, but the phone box is my favourite British icon.
Red telephone boxes 🙂
I’m rather fond on red pillar boxes
big ben
It’s got to be Gary Barlow, right?
Guess my favorite is Big Ben and black caps.
The tower of london
telephone box, the red ones!
Red phone box … oh and the blue one as well 😉
The Queen
The Pier, sadley ours burnt down but hopefully it will be back up soon. 🙂
Oh wow such a great prize! For me it has to be Big Ben 🙂
There are so many iconic things that are quintessentially British but to me it’s the Union flag. It represents every inch of land and every person in the UK, our past, present and future 🙂
A red phone box
The Queeeeen!
The Queeeeen!
post box phone box big red bus
A old red telephone box 🙂
My favourite British icon? There are so many to choose from. I’ll keep to a wheeled theme, but maybe a little less iconic than the bus: a Land Rover 🙂
Black Cabs 🙂
A pot of tea!
Red Telephone Box
What a great toy.what child wouldn’t love it
Red telephone box!
Red Telephone boxes
Afternoon Tea
Red Post Boxes
It would have to be one of two,either the Red London buses or the Cavern Club in Liverpool
Hopscotch drawn on the pavement with a stone
It’s got to be Big Ben, if nothing else then because it’s my namesake.
Being from the North East I would have to say either the Angel of the North or the Tyne Bridge 😀
Supermarine Spitfire
Red phonebox
the telephone box 🙂
the telephone box 🙂 x
Red telephone box
Big ben
The old Red Telephone Boxes
I love the red London buses 🙂
The red phone boxes
Brilliant wooden toy.
Black Cabs!
Big Ben
has to be big ben 🙂
Big Ben
Big Ben is so iconic! 🙂
Big ben