Floella, Baroness Benjamin: ‘66 years ago, this new world felt alien and harsh, but I grew to love the English's eccentricities and peculiarities'

Will I meet the Queen when I get to England? That was the question on my mind when I arrived in Southampton on September 2, 1960, from Trinidad aged 10. At school, I had been taught everything about England — its poets, writers, politicians and its sprawling history — so I was full of excitement. The steam train from Southampton pulled in at the majestic London Waterloo station, where thousands of Caribbeans — now known as the Windrush Generation — arrived full of hope and expectation before dispersing across England, working in the NHS, on the railways and in factories.

Little did I know that, 62 years later, as a baroness, I would be in charge of establishing the magnificent National Windrush Monument. It stands mere yards from platform 19 where I first stepped off the train in my prettiest frock clutching my little suitcase or ‘grip’ as we called it. I was finally in the land I had loved from afar… England!

That train journey to London did not disappoint, as we sped by green fields dotted with cows and sheep, alongside farmhouses and villages marked by elegant church spires, before the vast, grey, smoky skyline of the capital came into view. We had been told the streets of London were paved with gold and the autumn leaves that covered the ground lived up to that image. However, soon trees stood naked, like skeletons exposing every limb in the freezing fog.

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When I saw snow for the first time, I fell in love with it. Later, the spring blossom took my breath away and the smell of freshly cut grass in the summer was intoxicating. I am always amused by the way the English continue to sit in the rain when having a picnic in summer. Marmie, my mum, used to joke that the English constantly talked about the weather because there was simply so much of it.

Another puzzle is the unique way the English say ‘sorry’ when they have nothing to apologise for or dutifully take their place in the queue. These days, of course, I find myself absorbing these quirks. What I really love, however, is the great divide as to whether clotted cream or jam goes first on scones or the debate over putting the milk in the cup before the tea (a cup of tea is always offered in a crisis). For the record, I’m cream first and I adore the tradition of scrumptious afternoon tea, especially at The Ritz. I often imagine owning my own teashop overlooking a village green, where cricket is being played.

One of my favourite books, England their England by A. G. Macdonell, famously takes half a chapter to describe a single cricket stroke. It sums up the English beautifully — their humour and sense of irony. My husband, who is half Lancastrian and half Yorkshireman, playfully describes himself as ‘mixed race’. In a way, that’s true, and I adore the way those who live in that region of the country embrace me in their own down-to-earth special way.

Social history tells many stories and not all are good; but, in this confusing, chaotic and changing world, the English are still the most stoic, decent and charitable people and it makes me so proud and happy when I receive messages of love and affection from my ‘Play School Babies’!

Sixty-six years ago, this new world felt alien and harsh. It was a struggle to adapt, but I gradually got used to England and the English and grew to love all their eccentricities and peculiarities. Now, I embrace what I hope is the very best of Englishness. Oh, and I did meet the late Queen… several times.

Floella, Baroness Benjamin is a Trinidadian-British actress, author, television presenter and Liberal Democrat peer, best known for the BBC children’s programme, ‘Play School’

For what being English means to Tom Parker Bowles, click here

For what being English means to Sir John Major, click here

This feature originally appeared in the June 10, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe