From a major exhibition on the Arts and Crafts movement to the opening of one of the world’s biggest tree-houses, there is a diverse range of things to see in Britain in 2005. Historical figures such as Sir Winston Churchill, Charlotte Brontë and Admiral Lord Nelson will be commemorated; while events range from the International Fleet Review to the World’s Biggest Liar competition. Here’s a month-by-month guide to some of the highlights.

January: Britain’s premier Celtic festival takes over the vibrant city of Glasgow, Scotland this month. “Celtic Connections” (Jan. 12-30) features 200 events in 19 days, with performances from big name artists and new talent. The London Boat Show (Jan. 6-16) opens at the ExCel exhibition centre in Docklands, with more than 600 exhibitors and a unique ‘indoor marina’. At London’s Royal Academy, “Turks: a Journey of a Thousand Years” (Jan. 22 - Apr. 12) is a major exhibition exploring the influences and dominance of Turkic cultures across a millennium.

One of the most ambitious new gardens this century, the Alnwick Garden in North-East England, opens one of the world’s largest wooden tree houses on Jan. 12. The size of two Olympic-sized swimming pools and incorporating a restaurant, the garden is the brainchild of the Duchess of Northumberland: look out for the Poison Garden and one-way Bamboo Labyrinth, also opening at Alnwick this month.

February: The 150th anniversary of author Charlotte Brontë’s death will be commemorated at her family’s austere parsonage home, now a museum, in Haworth, West Yorkshire. An exhibition containing her letters, manuscripts and costume opens on Feb. 1 (until Dec. 31), while a contemporary art event, “Leaving Home” takes place from Mar. 11-31. A Royal Mail stamp will mark the anniversary. www.bronte.org.uk

This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Britain’s wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill’s death. A new Churchill Museum opens at the Cabinet War Rooms in London, the secret underground headquarters used by the leader and his government during World War II. Later in the year, an exhibition, “Churchill’s Destiny” (May 28 - Sept. 11), opens at his ancestral home Blenheim Palace - a magnificent stately home near Oxford - and he is buried at nearby Bladon Church. www.blenheimpalace.com

March: London’s Victoria & Albert Museum holds the first major exhibition to celebrate the world of Arts and Crafts as an international style. “International Arts and Crafts” (Mar. 17 - July 24) includes 300 objects: furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, jewellery, paintings, domestic room sets and architecture from world-famous artists.

A popular attraction for lovers of children’s author Beatrix Potter, “The World of Beatrix Potter” in the Lake District (Bowness-on-Windermere) re-opens with a host of new attractions including all 23 of Potter’s tales created in three dimensions. It is 100 years since she bought her beloved farmhouse Hill Top, now in the care of the National Trust, and a century since “Miss Tiggywinkle” was published, so look out for related events in the area. www.gocumbria.com.

April: Cardiff has a double celebration, marking 100 years as a city and 50 as the capital of Wales in 2005. There will be a feast of events all year, but one of the highlights is the Cardiff International Festival of Musical Theatre (Apr. 1-17). It features a wide variety of shows, concerts, dance and cabaret, many of them at the stylish Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay, which opened to rave reviews in late 2004. www.cardiffmusicals.com

Over in England’s West Country, one million bulbs will be bursting into flower in an event called Bulb Mania at the Eden Project, the amazing ‘indoor rainforest’ near St. Austell, Cornwall. www.edenproject.com

May: A new museum in South Wales charts the rise of this country as a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution. The linguistic and cultural diversity of this Celtic land also feature in the National Waterfront Museum, housed in a glass-fronted building in Swansea. www.waterfrontmuseum.co.uk

June/July: Royal Ascot, one of the big events of the English ‘summer season’ takes place away from home for the first time in its 300-year history. This important event in the horseracing calendar will be at York, 211 miles north of London (June 14-18) but everything else will be the same: royal processions, pageantry, stylish fashions and top horses and jockeys. www.royalascot.co.uk .

Britain will be celebrating its relationship with the sea with hundreds of events throughout 2005, but in late June and early July, several maritime spectaculars take place. “SeaBritain 2005” takes its inspiration from the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, which saw the death of the naval hero, Admiral Lord Nelson. Portsmouth on the South Coast, and the waters of the Solent, see plenty of action with the International Fleet Review (June 28) featuring ships from many of the world’s navies; and the International Festival of the Sea (June 30 - July 3). An exhibition about the two adversaries, Nelson and Napoléon, opens at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich (July 7 - Nov. 13); and the Tall Ships Race visits Newcastle upon Tyne in the North-East (July 25-28). On Sept. 16 there’s a historic re-enactment - the Trafalgar Flotilla along the River Thames in London. www.seabritain2005.com

The last unfinished Anglican cathedral in England will be completed and opened officially this summer. Though the Nave of St. Edmundsbury in Suffolk, Eastern England dates from 1503, construction of the 150-ft. high Lantern Tower has had to wait until the 21st century. www.suffolkcathedral.org

August: This is a fine month to be in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a spectacular pageant against the backdrop of the city’s castle, takes place (Aug. 5-27); while the International Festival, one of the greatest celebrations of the arts in Europe, is from Aug.14 - Sept. 4, and the Film Festival is from Aug. 17-28. About an hour away in Glasgow, hear the rousing sound of pipers competing in the World Pipe Band Championships: 200 pipe bands go head-to-head (Aug. 13). Elsewhere in Scotland, you’ll find Highland Games and Gatherings aplenty. www.visitscotland.com

September: This is the month for the world’s only sporting event set entirely to a period theme. The Goodwood Revival (Sept. 16-18), in the grounds of stately Goodwood House in Sussex, allows visitors to revel in the romance of motor-racing as it used to be, on a lovingly-restored circuit. Visitors dress in 1940s, 50s and 60s clothing; no modern vehicles are allowed; bands play 1950s music; even the fish-and-chips are wrapped in 1950s newspaper. www.goodwood.co.uk/revival

October: The 200th anniversary year of Admiral Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar reaches a crescendo during the Trafalgar Weekend (Oct. 21-23). Highlights include special church services, street parties, peals of bells and parades. London’s Royal Albert Hall’s Trafalgar Night is a fanfare of music and ceremonial (Oct. 22) and the sea will be celebrated in traditional Trafalgar Night Dinners.

November: A chance to discover who is the world’s biggest liar. The Bridge Inn at Holmrook in the Lake District is the setting for one of England’s quirkiest events: the Biggest Liar in the World Competition (Nov. 17) . People from far and wide gather to tell some of the tallest tales, before everyone sits down to a traditional ‘tatie pot’ supper. www.santonbridgeinn.com/liar

December: Preparations for Christmas are in full swing, with festive markets in many cities, colourful illuminations in towns everywhere, pantomimes, performances of “The Nutcracker” and off-beat events like the “Great Christmas Pudding Race“ in London’s Covent Garden just a few of the attractions that make this month so magical.

Event dates are liable to change so it is advisable to check before travelling.