England’s 1966 World Cup win, the Beatles performing live and the building of Stonehenge are the top historical moments we wish we’d witnessed, a poll has revealed.
Responses from 2,000 adults – of which 83 per cent claimed to be interested in history – show the 25 events Brits pine to have been present for.
Entertainment milestones include the historic ’66 football feat, the Fab Four on stage between 1963 and 1966 and Queen’s 1985 Live Aid performance.
Other sought after moments are the first women being allowed to vote in 1918, watching the RMS Titanic depart from Southampton in 1912 and the first ever performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Globe in 1595.
When it comes to landmarks, 16 per cent would have liked to visit the Roman Baths between 60 and 70 CE, while 12 per cent wish they could have seen the building of Hadrian’s Wall.
The study was commissioned by London Museum Docklands, ahead of a new exhibition on mudlarking, a pastime that involves searching the foreshore of a river for interesting objects from the past.
Kate Sumnall, curator of the exhibition, said: ‘The study underlines the nation’s fascination with history and desire to understand what life was like in the past.
‘The artefacts discovered while mudlarking provide an important glimpse into the everyday lives of people who lived and work here throughout history.’
Entertainment milestones included the historic ’66 football feat, the Fab Four on stage between 1963 and 1966 and Queen’s 1985 Live Aid performance
The Queen’s Coronation comes in at number five on a list of 25 historic events favoured by Brits
A poll of 2,000 adults has revealed the 25 events they wish they could have been present for, with 83 per cent claiming to be interested in history
The study also revealed the historical figures people would most like to meet, with Winston Churchill (28 per cent) coming top and Shakespeare (27 per cent) Florence Nightingale (23 per cent) also featuring.
The Victorian era is the period people would most like to experience if they could go back in time (15 per cent), followed by the Roman (14 per cent) and 20th century (14 per cent).
It also emerged 62 per cent enjoy learning about the past more now than they did as a child, and 32 per cent even have a history-based hobby, like looking into ancestry (50 per cent), collecting antiques (29 per cent) and coins (29 per cent).
Meanwhile, 82 per cent enjoy learning about history local to where they live.
Favourite ways to learn about the past were revealed as watching documentaries or films (51 per cent), visiting museums (41 per cent) and reading books (35 per cent).
Almost nine in 10 (87 per cent) think learning about history is important for understanding the present and 84 per cent enjoy visiting historical sites.
And 57 per cent of those polled, via OnePoll, think they have a good understanding of the British past.
Jason Sandy, an avid mudlark, whose finds in the Thames are among those appearing in the exhibition, said: ‘Every object found is like a time portal to a different part of British history.
British pop group The Beatles on stage at the London Palladium in 1963 – a moment many wish they could have witnessed
Live Aid Concert at Wembley Stadium in London, 1985. Queen at Live Aid comes in at number four on the list
Titanic leaves Southampton, England on her maiden voyage on April 10, 1912
‘You never know what you’re going to find – that’s the thrill of mudlarking.
‘That’s what gets you out of bed at five in the morning to search the dark, cold foreshore because you find these incredible artefacts that transport you back in time.
‘The Thames churns things up and spits them out on the foreshore as the tide recedes – you can find an array of things from an ancient Roman artefact to a simple McDonald’s toy.
‘It’s 2000 years of history that the river brings together to tell stories about London’s history.’
The finds of another keen mudlark, Monika Buttling-Smith, will also be on display at the London Museum Docklands exhibition.
She said: ‘Mudlarking in the River Thames is like being given the chance to try a glorious lucky dip – you never know what might turn up.
‘Our anaerobic mud contains no oxygen, so items don’t decay and are perfectly preserved.
Mudlarking from River Thames with Monika Buttling-Smith
‘I’ve extracted Tudor leather shoes that look like they were lost yesterday, worn at the heel, perhaps, but still serviceable.
‘On other larks, I have discovered wrought iron hammers and caulking irons that were used to repair sea-going ships.
‘They haven’t rusted in three hundred years since they were lost to the Thames.’
Discussing a recent find, a medieval jetton, Monika added: ‘When I first saw it, just a tiny sliver of gold-coloured metal was eroding from the mud.
‘It only took one swipe with my tool to lift it out and it was in my hand. It’s made of copper, but it shines like gold.
‘I rinsed it in the Thames and it was absolutely beautiful – looked like it was made yesterday, but it was minted in Nuremburg, Germany, over five hundred years ago.
‘History right in my hand.’