A unique and beautifully illustrated survey of the arts in Britain from the Celts to the present day - the companion volume to The Story of Britain. In this comprehensive history, Roy Strong describes the growth and development of painting, poetry, music, architecture, literature and all related subjects which gave British intellectual life its unique character.Pursuing a narrative form the from the Celts to the present day, Sir Roy highlights the political, social and economic forces that have driven the course of the arts. In addition he has inserted cameos of people such as Cardinal Wolsey in Tudor England and Kenneth Clark in the 20th century whose taste and influence have reached beyond their individual lives. The book is magnificently illustrated with well over three hundred pictures chosen by the author to complement the text.