This year’s Christmas stamp issue, released on November 3, features stained-glass nativity scenes from town and village churches around England.
The nativity was a popular subject in stained-glass art from the 13th century onwards, often focusing on the relationship between the Virgin Mary and the new-born Jesus.
Each of the stamps shows a detail of a window from an Anglican church, showcasing the extraordinary craftmanship of the artists working in this highly specialised genre, and encompassing a range of styles, techniques and eras.
Royal Mail issued a set of six stamps entitled Brilliant Bugs on October 1, to celebrate the enormous diversity of pollinating insects in the UK.
The stamps feature six significant pollinators, exploring a range that includes not only bees and butterflies but other species which are often overlooked.
The planet’s five million insect species contribute to the ecosystem in varied ways, including recycling dead and decaying matter.
Royal Mail issued a set of eight stamps on September 3 to mark the 100thbirthday of Rupert Bear, Britain’s longest continually running comic strip.
The anthropomorphic bear’s fantasy adventures with his young friends in the idyllic village of Nutwood first appeared in the Daily Express newspaper on November 8, 1920, and quickly became a children’s favourite.
Initially the stories were written by Herbert Tourtel and illustrated by his wife Mary.
Royal Mail released a set of stamps and a miniature sheeton August 18on the theme of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.
Although hailed as a celebration of ‘Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’sSherlock Holmes’, the issue was entitled simply Sherlock, and the six counter sheet stamps depict characters and scenes from the BBC television series, Sherlock.
Each stamp portrays a character and reproduces scenes from an episode of the series, which wasaired from 2010-17 and features modern interpretations of the mysteries, written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, with a more irreverent tone and the inclusion of 21stcentury technology.
A set of stamps issued on July 30 celebrates the 150th anniversary of the completion of the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster, the world-famous home of the Houses of Parliament.
Six counter-sheet stamps offer spectacular views of the exterior of the building and the parliamentary chambers, while a miniature sheet of four focuses on some of the spectacular interior architecture that is less often seen.
Founded by King Edward the Confessor, and still a royal palace although no longer a residence, the Palace of Westminster has been at the centre of English (later British) political life since the 11th century, and the permanent home of Parliament since the 16th century.
The latest in Royal Mail’s ongoing Music Giants series, issued on July 9, celebrates Queen, one of Britain’s most successful rock bands.
Eight counter-sheet stamps illustrate the covers of a selection of their most popular albums, in their golden age from 1974-91.
The accompanying Queen Live miniature sheet of five stamps features four photographic images of live performances, one focusing on each band member, and one promotional group shot.
A set of eight stamps entitled Roman Britain, issued on June 18, celebrated ancient buildings and artefacts which survive today as a reminder of the occupation.
Much of mainland Great Britain was a province of the Roman Empire for almost 400 years, from the invasion of 43 AD to the withdrawal of troops in 410 AD.
At its greatest extent, the province of Britannia comprised all of England and Wales, and parts of southern Scotland.
On May 28, Royal Mail issued a set of stamps celebrating the 60th anniversary of the soap opera Coronation Street, the world’s longest-running television drama series.
Eight counter sheet stamps feature pairs of the show’s best-loved characters, from the early years to the present day, with each photographic image complemented by a quote capturing the essence of their relationship.
A miniature sheet of four stamps focuses on barmaids who have worked at the Rovers Return pub, the hub of the community.
Royal Mail is celebrating The Romantic Poets with a set of 10 stamps issued on April 7, the 250th anniversary of the birth of William Wordsworth.
Romanticism is the name given to the cultural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, taking comfort in nature during a time of political and industrial revolution.
The Romantic poets cherished lakes and mountains, birdsong and flowers, rainbows and starry skies, as beautiful constants in times of stress and change.
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