Text in English & German. The British symphonic has moved only recently to the general interest. An overview of the symphonic development in the UK since its inception in the 18th century to the 20th century but was still a desideratum. The overview presented here shows how the identity of a British symphony evolved over more than a century, marked by influences from the European continent and of the need to find their own way. Towards the end of the 19th century symphonic work in the UK rose sharply, however, brought only with Edward Elgar forth a prominent representatives of international standing. A special focus of this publication is on those works that have been overshadowed to some degree by other, remained unpublished or unperformed. The result is a picture of a multiform symphonic landscape of Britain, which illuminates the aesthetic perspectives of individual composers, as well as their socio-cultural contexts. A comprehensive directory of all known plants and an extensive bibliography invite to further exploration of the subject.