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The United Kingdom

593 bytes added, 01:10, 8 July 2022
/* Pavilion Layout http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/walt_disney_world/theme_parks/epcot/united_kingdom/ */
The next major change in the United Kingdom pavilion came on October 1, 1999, when Harry Ramsden Fish & Chips House opened<ref name= "intercot"/>. The new dining location was a counter service restaurant which (as its name suggested) specialized in fish and chips. Since the millennium, there have been two major alternations to the pavilion. In the early 2000’s, Pringle of Scotland was renamed the Sportsman Shoppe. Then in 2006, Harry Ramsden Fish & Chips House was renamed Yorkshire County Fish Shop <Ref> http://www.florida-project.com/images/guidemaps/ep/epcot-guidemap-2006-october-04.jpg </ref> <ref> http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/harry-ramsdens-epcot.94956/page-2 </ref>.
 
On August 25, 2019, Disney announced that the United Kingdom pavilion would be receiving a new Mary Poppins themed expansion <ref name="magic"> https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/united-kingdom/news/25aug2019-disney-confirms-mary-poppins-neighborhood-and-attraction-coming-to-epcots-world-showcase.htm </ref>. As part of this new area, guests will travel down Cherry Tree Lane, where they will enter the home of the Banks family and the attraction will begin <"ref name="magic"/>.
 
On July 15, 2020, Disney announced that the construction of the Mary Poppins attraction, intended as an expansion of the United Kingdom pavilion, would be delayed <ref> https://attractionsmagazine.com/mary-poppins-attraction-spaceship-earth-update-postponed-epcot/ </ref>
 
===Unbuilt Attractions===
Although the pavilion was not home to an attraction, the original plans for the United Kingdom called for an attraction to eventually be constructed. The July 1975 edition of Eyes and Ears noted that there was room for expansion behind the pavilion, describing a corresponding piece of concept art:
Although nothing would come of these earlier plans, in the late 1980s/early 1990s, Imagineers created designs for a new area in the United Kingdom called The Enchanted Forest. This area would have housed topiaries of scenes from Mary Poppins, Robin Hood, <ref name= "UKMARY"> http://www.omniluxe.net/wyw/ukef02conceptsA-M.jpg </ref> Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh <ref name= "UKALICE"/>. While inside The Enchanted Forest guests would also have meet and greet opportunities. Although not an attraction per say, The Enchanted Forest would also have included the "Door-Knob Tunnel" <ref name= "UKALICE"> http://www.omniluxe.net/wyw/ukef03conceptsN-AA.jpg </ref>, "Cheshire Cat Maze" <ref name= "UKALICE"/>, and "Prince John's Castle Interactive Play Area". Finally, the area would have also housed facades of the English Parliament and Big Ben. The end of the area would be Mousterpiece Theatre, where entertainment would be found <ref name= "UKALICE"/>.
 
On August 25, 2019, Disney announced that the United Kingdom pavilion would be receiving a new Mary Poppins themed expansion <ref name="magic"> https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/united-kingdom/news/25aug2019-disney-confirms-mary-poppins-neighborhood-and-attraction-coming-to-epcots-world-showcase.htm </ref>. As part of this new area, guests will travel down Cherry Tree Lane, where they will enter the home of the Banks family and the attraction will begin "ref name="magic"/>.
==Pavilion Layout <ref name= "Jack"> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/walt_disney_world/theme_parks/epcot/united_kingdom/ </ref> ==
[[Image:UKpavilion.jpg|400px|thumb|A look down a street in the United Kingdom pavilion. Photo by Jeff Kays]]
In order to show guests as much of the United Kingdom as possible, Imagineers made sure that each structure in the United Kingdom pavilion represented a different era. The From World Showcase Promenade, guests travel down High Street, to center of the pavilion which is known as Britannia Square. Modeled after the different town squares found in the UK, Britannia Square is where guests can find various shops and dining establishments, including the [[Rose & Crown]]. The Rose & Crown serves as both a restaurant and a pub, where guests can get a traditional British meal. Britannia Square is surrounded by the pavilion's four main streets Tudor Lane on the Promenade side, Lower Regency on the southwest, Upper Regency on the northeast and Britanna Lane, which connects Upper and Lower Regency on the paivlion's backside.
Across from the Rose & Crown, guests can visit The Tea Caddy. This shop was inspired by the childhood home of Anne Hathaway (William Shakespeare’s wife). Inside, guests can purchase teas, coffees, and hot chocolates made by Twinnings. Across from The Tea Caddy, guests can find another shop, The Queen’s Table. The store features Elizabethan architecture typical of the 1600s, and inside guests can buy tea, tea sets, and dinnerware. Behind the Queen’s Table is an English garden which features various “homes” that look out into the foliage. These homes were inspired by the houses in Disney’s Marry Poppins, and guests can often find meet and greet characters such as Alice (from Alice in Wonderland) and Marry Poppins here.
The back of the United Kingdom pavilion is themed to look like the residential section of a town set in the 1800s. This area is known as Tudor Land Lane and is home to the Lords and Ladies shop. This boutique sells clothes and fragrances for both men and women. Another section of the town, “Upper Regency” is home to various houses with late Georgian architecture. Within the houses, is the pavilion’s Kidcot station, where Winnie the Pooh sometimes makes appearances. The houses themselves look out into a replica of Hyde Park which features a hedge maze based on the Somerleyton Hall Maze.
The final section of the United Kingdom pavilion features a city gate, inspired by the gates built during the middle ages. After passing through, guests can enter the Toy Soldiers shop. As its name would suggest, the store specializes in English games and toys. Another store, The Crown and Crest can be found nearby. The Crown and Crest is based on Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford Manor, and inside (besides just purchasing British merchandise) guests can look up their families’ coat of arms. Nearby, a castle called the Hampton Court Palace can be found. The palace is typical of one built during the late dark ages, and inside guests can visit the Sportsman’s Shoppe, which sells various British sporting merchandise.