The Ages of English

Through invasion, invention and global expansion, English has developed into the second language of the world. This gallery will take you on a journey from an eighth century heroic epic to a notebook from the Industrial Revolution, charting the developments of the English language through images and audio. Alternatively, take a bawdy romp through the Ages of English Timeline.

The Anglo Saxon invasions 449AD	The Viking Raids Begin - 787AD	The Norman Conquest 1066	The Resurgence of English 1200 - 1400
The Invention of the Printing Press 1476	The Renaissance 1500 - 1650	The Colonisation of the New World 1600s	The Industrial Revolution 1760 - 1830

Find out more