Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In Tudor times Southwark, where the A2 starts, was an area of entertainments, inns and brothels, and in 1599 Shakespeare help fund the building of the Globe Theatre there. However there was another theatre in the area that predated the Globe and was actually the first to stage a Shakespeare play. What was its name? - by any other name it would have smelled as sweet!
2. Some of the route of the A2 follows a prehistoric trackway that was later paved by the Romans. The Anglo-Saxons called part of this road Key Street, but by the early medieval period it had acquired another name by which it's now known. What is that name?
3. Just after the A2 crosses the London Orbital Motorway (the M25) near Greenhithe it goes past one of the largest shopping centres in the country. What's the name of this temple to consumerism?
4. About 30 miles from London the A2 crosses the River Medway at Rochester, famous for its well-preserved Norman castle and cathedral. In the nearby village of Higham stands an attractive Georgian house, Gads Hill Place. Which famous author died of a stroke in the dining room of this house in 1870?
5. A youth detention prison, the first of its type, was opened in 1902 in a village on the southern outskirts of Rochester. The village gave its name to later youth prisons of this type until they were abolished in the early 1980s. What is the name of the village?
6. A few miles south of Rochester, standing near the Pilgrim's Way on the North Downs, stands an old man-made structure now called Kits Coty House. What type of structure is it?
7. Standing on the A2 at the mouth of the River Medway, the town of Chatham hosted a major military facility from 1568 to 1984. What was the nature of this facility?
8. About six miles north of the A2 after it passes through Chatham lies the Isle of Sheppy. It's a low-lying, marshy island of about 36 square miles, situated at the junction of the River Medway and the River Thames, and connected to the mainland by a four-lane road bridge, the Sheppey Crossing. What event took place there on the foggy morning of 5 September 2013?
9. The town of Whitstable lies on the north Kent coast, about five miles from the A2 in Canterbury. For 2,000 years the town has been known for its production of one particular and possibly aphrodisiacal food product - what is it?
10. About 60 miles from London the A2 reaches the ancient city of Canterbury, dating back to Paleolithic times and particularly important in Roman and immediate post-Roman times. The city is also known for its cathedral, its castle, and for the King's School. What unique claim to fame does the King's School have?
11. As the A2 approaches the sea at Dover it passes on the landward side of the White Cliffs of Dover, a series of sea cliffs up to 310 feet high. The Cliffs are at the eastern end of a ridge of hills that stretches along the entire route of the A2. What's the name of this ridge?
12. As the A2 enters Dover it passes a memorial to a pioneer who crossed the English Channel in 36 minutes in 1909. To whom is this memorial dedicated?
13. The A2 goes past the magnificent Dover Castle, which was mostly built by Henry II in the 12th Century. However the Castle is situated on much older remains, dating back to early Roman times. Among them is the tallest surviving Roman structure in the UK - but what type of building was this?
14. As the A2 nears the Dover Docks it passes another memorial to a cross-Channel pioneer, a statue of a man who crossed the English Channel in 21 hours and 40 minutes in 1875. To whom is this memorial dedicated?
15. So from its western end in south-east London to its eastern end in Dover, how long is the A2?
Source: Author
Southendboy
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.