THE WIDER VIEW: Shame of the public buildings which did not fly the St George's Day flag (including the BBC and the House of Commons)
It was the day English national pride was celebrated, free from the shackles of political correctness. The flag of St George flew joyfully across the land – from the grandest public buildings to the most modest family home – in a simple yet stirring display of patriotism.
Backed by a Mail on Sunday campaign, the red cross of England’s patron saint was reclaimed from the extremists as an unthreatening symbol of national esteem.
Some of those who embraced St George’s Day on Thursday may come as a surprise.
Councils that once had a ‘loony Left’ reputation, including Islington and Sheffield, proudly flew the flag, while prominent institutions, such as the BBC and Parliament, chose to ignore the festivities backed so widely by the public.
Royal Albert Hall: A bare flagpole at the Last Night of the Proms venue
New Scotland Yard: The Met Police, which flew the Union Flag, puts policy before national pride
BBC White City: Four flagpoles outside the Corporation's west London HQ - but there's no space for St George. Instead, the fly flags for (from left) independent company Red Bee, two Olympic symbols, and their own logo
Houses of Parliament: 'We can fly only one flag' said one civil service Sir Humphrey, 'and the Union Flag takes precedence'
Buckingham Palace: Protocol allows only a Union Flag, or the Royal Standard if the Queen is in residence
Bank of England: They say: 'Despite our name, weare the central bank for the whole UK, so we fly the Union Flag'
St Paul's Cathedral: 'This is Sir Christopher Wren's fault - he specified a dome, but no flagpoles'
Hackney Town Hall: It flew the Union Flag, its own coat of arms and the Olympic 2012 banner
And the patriots who did...
Birmingham Council House: A day of celebrations included music, food and crafts
Islington Town Hall, London: Once a bastion of the Loony Left, it now wants April 23 as a bank holiday
Black cab: You don't need a flagpole to show you patriotism - as this unknown taxi driver proved while driving through the streets of the capital
Bradford Town Hall: Plane flies flags over the city, a year after festivities were cancelled
Downing Street: 'Everyone should celebrate this country's proud history', said a spokesman
Chalfont St Peter, Bucks: 'All the town's shopkeepers have joined forces to hang flags up for the past five years' said optician Oliver Samson
Sheffield Town Hall: David Blunkett's former stronghold threw itself into the spirit
Mail on Sunday: We proudly flew the flag from the highest flagpole at our London HQ
St Dominic's School: This Catholic primary school in Camden, North London, was bedecked in flags and balloons to mark the patron saint's day
Plymouth Hole, Devon: The beauty spot is inextricably linked with great Englishman Sir Francis Drake
Ho Ho Chinese Restaurant, Bucks: Owner Kenny Poon is from Hong Kong but he is a proud patriot
Archbishop of York: Dr John Sentamu, who sees St George as a symbol of British unity, hosted a party at Bishopthorpe Palace
MoD, Whitehall: Clearly happy to defend our traditions, too
Home Office: A rare example of Jacqui Smith's department getting it right
Churchill Arms: Decorations at this pub in Notting Hill, London, would do our wartime leader proud
Boris Johnson: The London Mayor said: 'At last the country is getting excited about St George's Day without embarrassment'
Newham Town Hall: The multicultural London borough gave free bunting for parties
Lambeth Palace: The flag flies at the Archbishop of Canterbury's London residence
Thaxted Morris Men, Essex: Dancer Peter Brewster said of the 98-year-old group: 'We thought it was time to go out and make a noise. We are English and we are proud'
Nottingham Council House: The city handed out 1,000 St George's flags during its three-day celebration, culminating in a grand parade through the streets
Haringey Town Hall, London: In another former 'loony Left' council, mayor Alan Dobbie was 'delighted' to fly the flag
Google: Even the Americans got in on the act. The internet search engine showed St George and the dragon in a scene from Romeo and Juliet, because April 23 is also Shakespeare's birthday
This Morning, ITV: The set of the London studios is decked with bunting for Fern Britton and Phillip Schofield, who even sent a 'Happy St George's Day' message to his 150,000 followers on the Twitter website
Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem: St George - aka Mark Shelton - arrives at the Nottingham pub said to be England's oldest
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