One of Orwell's essays - I think it is "England, your England" mentions the English love of hobbies... and the privateness of the way of life
another English characteristic which is so much a part of us that we barely notice it, and that is the addiction to hobbies and spare-time occupations, the privateness of English life. We are a nation of flower-lovers, but also a nation of stamp-collectors, pigeon-fanciers, amateur carpenters, coupon-snippers, darts-players, crossword-puzzle fans. All the culture that is most truly native centres round things which even when they are communal are not official—the pub, the football match, the back garden, the fireside and the ‘nice cup of tea’. The liberty of the individual is still believed in, almost as in the nineteenth century. But this has nothing to do with economic liberty, the right to exploit others for profit. It is the liberty to have a home of your own, to do what you like in your spare time, to choose your own amusements instead of having them chosen for you from above.
http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/wo...d/england.html
Even though Orwellwas writing over half a century ago I think a lot of what he says holds true. There may be the aristocratic eccentrics who have left their legacy of glorious follies but they exist across society.