Armenians in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
There has been sporadic emigration from Armenia
to the UK since the 18th century, with the biggest influx coming after the Second World War
. The majority are based in the major cities of London
and Manchester
. The 2001 UK Census recorded 589 Armenian-born people living in the UK, although there are up to 18,000 ethnic Armenians
including those who are British-born, and of part Armenian
descent, living in the UK.
at the time. The majority were thought to be first-generation immigrants from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Cyprus. They also include Armenians from Ethiopia, India, Egypt, Israel, as well as individuals from other countries.
Manchester
has been home to an Armenian population since 1835, with 30 Armenian businesses thought to have been operating in the city by 1862.
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
to the UK since the 18th century, with the biggest influx coming after the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The majority are based in the major cities of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. The 2001 UK Census recorded 589 Armenian-born people living in the UK, although there are up to 18,000 ethnic Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
including those who are British-born, and of part Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
descent, living in the UK.
History
The first Armenian community in Britain was formed in Manchester in the 19th century. A mixture of textile traders, small manufacturers and retailers, in 1870 they opened the first Armenian church in Britain.Population distribution
According to Vered Amit's Armenians in London: The Management of Social Boundaries, published in 1989, around 10,000 Armenians were living in Greater LondonGreater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
at the time. The majority were thought to be first-generation immigrants from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Cyprus. They also include Armenians from Ethiopia, India, Egypt, Israel, as well as individuals from other countries.
Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
has been home to an Armenian population since 1835, with 30 Armenian businesses thought to have been operating in the city by 1862.
Media
The Tekeyan Cultural Union published "Erebuni" from 1979 to 1996. From 1979 to 1987, it was a bilingual Armenian/English monthly, turning into a biweekly from 1987 to 1996. For a brief period in 1993, it was published solely in English before reverting into a bilingual edition. It ceased publication in 1996.List of notable British Armenians
- Andy SerkisAndy SerkisAndrew Clement G. "Andy" Serkis is an English actor, director and author. He is popularly known for playing Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he earned several award nominations, including the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Two Towers...
, actor, director, and author best known for playing Sméagol/GollumGollumGollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings....
, in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogyThe Lord of the Rings film trilogyThe Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter... - David DickinsonDavid DickinsonDavid Dickinson is an English antiques expert, television presenter and entrepreneur.-Biography:...
, antiques expert and television presenter - Levon ChilingirianLevon ChilingirianLevon Chilingirian OBE is a UK-based violinist. The founder of the Chilingirian Quartet, he is also a professor at the Royal College of Music in London and is musical director of Camerata Nordica, a Swedish chamber orchestra...
OBE, musician# - Ara Darzi, Baron Darzi of Denham KBE, surgeon and first British-Armenian peer
- Calouste GulbenkianCalouste GulbenkianCalouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was an Armenian businessman and philanthropist. He played a major role in making the petroleum reserves of the Middle East available to Western development...
, one of the founders of Royal Dutch ShellRoyal Dutch ShellRoyal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
and oil magnate - Kevork MalikyanKevork MalikyanKevork Malikyan is an English character actor of Armenian descent, perhaps best known for his role as Kazim in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade....
, actor, various TV roles including Mind Your LanguageMind Your LanguageMind Your Language is a British comedy television series, that premiered on ITV in late 1977. Produced by LWT and directed by Stuart Allen, it is set in an adult education college in London and focuses on the English as a Foreign Language class taught by Mr. Jeremy Brown, portrayed by Barry Evans,...
, and films including Indiana Jones and the Last CrusadeIndiana Jones and the Last CrusadeIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third film in the Indiana Jones franchise. Harrison Ford reprises the title role and Sean Connery plays Indiana's father, Henry...
, Flight of the PhoenixFlight of the Phoenix (2004 film)Flight of the Phoenix is a 2004 remake of a 1965 film, both based on the 1964 novel The Flight of the Phoenix, by Elleston Trevor, about a group of people who survive a plane crash in the Gobi Desert and must build a new plane out of the old one to escape. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Tyrese... - Roland ManookianRoland ManookianRoland Manookian is an English actor of Armenian descent, who is most notable for his role as Zebedee, in the 2004 film The Football Factory, and as Craig Rolfe in Rise of the Footsoldier in 2007. He has also appeared in Guy Richie's Rocknrolla and Nick Love's Goodbye Charlie Bright and The Business...
, actor, major role in the Football Factory by Nick LoveNick LoveNick Love is a British film director and writer. Love came to public attention in the UK after making the films The Football Factory, The Business and The Firm. He has two 'Millwall' tattoos, including one on the inside of his bottom lip.Love is well known for collaborating with actor Danny Dyer... - Kev OrkianKev OrkianKev Orkian is a British-Armenian musician, comedian and actor born in London to Armenian parents. He has performed around the world from New York, Los Angeles and Toronto to Dubai, Oman and Australia...
, musician, comedian, actor - Alexander RaphaelAlexander RaphaelAlexander Raphael was the first British-Armenian to serve in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was returned as a Liberal MP from the Irish constituency of County Carlow, at a by-election in June 1835. However the election was challenged on petition and he was unseated on 19 August 1835...
, first person of Armenian descent to become a member of the House of CommonsBritish House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members... - Dikran TahtaDikran TahtaDikran "Dick" Tahta was a British-Armenian mathematician, teacher and author.-Biography:Dikran Tahta is a descendant of Ottoman Armenian family who settled in Manchester after the First World War...
, mathematician and teacher - Robert IstepanianRobert IstepanianRobert S. H. Istepanian is a Professor of Data Communications at Kingston University London and a visiting Professor in the Division of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at St George's, University of London...
, professor of Data Communication at Kingston UniversityKingston UniversityKingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
See also
- Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom
- List of Armenian-Iranians
- List of Armenian-Russians
- List of Armenian-French people
- List of Armenians
- Armenian diasporaArmenian diasporaThe Armenian diaspora refers to the Armenian communities outside the Republic of Armenia and self proclaimed de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic...