But bad taste is also a part of the British heritage.
And nowhere has that focus been more profound than at Burberry, the British heritage brand founded in 1856.
Literary flame-keeping, Hollinghurst seems to suggest, is closer to the British "Heritage" industry than we at first imagine.
Most recently she's designed a 10-piece collection of handbags in collaboration with the British heritage brand Asprey (prices starting at $1,200).
Dunhill, the British heritage brand, experimented with a simple goal scoring game during the World Cup last summer — and ended up with a best-selling necktie.
Rothko saw an affinity between his art and the British heritage of Romanticism: he felt a connection with the sublime landscapes of JMW Turner.
Still, Watson says that 25 percent of the shooting jackets worn at the country parties he regularly attends are made by Barbour, the British heritage brand that holds the royal warrant for the garment.
But I have discovered that there's a remarkable group of young entrepreneurs who are rediscovering this almost-lost British heritage, making not only garments, but the wool and cotton fabrics from which they comprise - aswell as a wide range of men's accessories.
The London Eyes and Big Bens scattered through this collection serve to ground Burberry in its British heritage and to appeal to a global customer who wishes to buy a piece of that history.
