The Historic Town of King's Lynn Quiz

Answer: Bishop's Lynn

When the town was under the temporary and spiritual authority of the Bishop of Norwich, it was known as Len Episcopi, or Bishop's Lynn. However, during Henry VIII's reign, it was turned over to the crown and became known as Lenne Regis, or King's Lynn.

The name of King's Lynn first appeared in 1537. Originally, King's Lynn was a port and market town that stood near the Great River Ouse. In the 1086 Domesday Book, it mentions Lynn. In the US, the city of Lynn, Massachusetts, got its name from Reverend Samuel Whiting Sr., who moved from King's Lynn to the US. The city was named after him. In the 14th century, King's Lynn was regarded as the third-most important port in England.

Interesting facts from King's Lynn. King's Lynn was granted a royal charter in 1204. Captain George Vancouver (1757-1798) lived at King's Lynn. It is thought that in 1593, at St. George's Guildhall, a performance by William Shakespeare took place.

Answer: Greyfriars Tower

Henry VIII enacted two measures in 1536 and 1539 that required religious houses and monasteries to close, and seized their land. Greyfriars is one of the three remaining towering Franciscan friary monasteries, and it is regarded as the best, with just about sixty in existence prior to the act. The fact that the tower served as a beacon for boats entering King's Lynn was one of the reasons Henry VIII never had it destroyed.

Tower Gardens is where Greyfriars Tower is located. The gardens were designed to commemorate George V's coronation. A military memorial was built in the ground in 1921 to honour those who died while serving in World War I.

Answer: Queen Elizabeth

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital opened in 1980. The hospital is named after the Queen Mother, not Queen Elizabeth II, as most people think. The hospital itself is just outside the main part of King's Lynn. In 2002, the same year as the Golden Jubilee, the Queen opened the Macmillan Cancer Unit at a cost of more than one million pounds. Princess Anne opened a critical care unit in 2005 at a cost of £5 million.

Originally, the hospital was built with a life span of 25 years, but even though millions of pounds have been spent over the years, the hospital is in a very poor state.

Another major problem for the hospital is that King's Lynn's population and the surrounding area have increased so rapidly in recent years that the hospital is unable to handle the increased volume of patients.

Answer: The Majestic

The Majestic Cinema was built in 1928. The owner of the cinema at the time of the build was Mr. Ernest Ralph Adams, who also ran the cinema. When the Empire Theatre in Leicester Square, London, was about to be pulled down, Adams bought the contents. Once refurbished, the contents were used in the new cinema.

Originally, the cinema had just one screen with two tiers, an upstairs and a lower seating arrangement, and a large ballroom. Over the years, extra screens have been installed, bringing the total to four at the dissolution of the ballroom and the upper section, which was levelled off, creating a new area.

Answer: The Mart

The fairground is known locally as the "Mart," and it has been around for more than 800 years. Traditionally, the Mart opens on Valentine's Day; the opening is usually performed by the Mayor of King's Lynn. The market itself is held on the Tuesday Market Place, right in the centre of the town.

The market has modern rides as well as traditional rides and stalls; candy floss, toffee apples, and sweets are all available.

Answer: A chapel

The full title of the mount is The Chapel of St. Mary on the Mount. It was built between 1483 and 1485. It was built for pilgrims who were on the way to Walsingham to see the shrine of Our Lady. The building is made with red bricks and is of an eight-sided polygon shape.

The mount has not been used for worship since the 1530s, following the dissolution of monasteries act. When the chapel was closed, the structure was used for a number of things, including a gunpowder and water storage facility. The building was re-roofed in 2007, and a few structural issues were addressed.

Inside the mount, there is a ground floor (the lower chapel), a first floor (the priest's room), and the second floor (the upper chapel). It's well worth a visit if you ever come to Kings's Lynn.

Answer: True

In mediaeval times, the Tuesday Market was the place where executions took place. Some of the barbaric punishments were being boiled alive, hanged, drawn and quartered, and burned at the stake. In 1590, Margaret Read was found guilty of witchcraft and burned alive at the stake. Folklore holds that while she burned, her heart leaped out of her body and struck the wall across from her, permanently scorching the bricks, which are now marked with a diamond above one of the windows.

The Duke's Head was constructed in 1683 for the Member of Parliament, Sir John Turner. The hotel is located in the centre of the town, known as the Tuesday Market Place. The hotel was designed by a well-known local man, Henry Bell, who had designed several other buildings in King's Lynn. The hotel was first opened in 1689. On October 1, 1729, the first Kings Lynn Freemasons Lodge was established.


Interesting facts,
In 2015 the town commemorated the 800th anniversary of the King John Charter's signing, marking a significant turning point in its history. Because of its significance as a major commerce hub, Lynn was bestowed with self-governing rights and borough status under this charter.

Answer: Customs House

Henry Bell was an local architect who designed the Customs House. The building was built by Sir John Turner in 1683. The building is a Grade I listed building and is among the most recognisable sites in the town. In the Middle Ages, King's Lynn's main ship anchorage was Purfleet Quay.

It is the location of the beautiful maritime structure known as the Custom House, which has been watching the comings and goings of this bustling port for more than three centuries.

Answer: King's Lynn Minster

Herbert de Losinga, the first Bishop of Norwich, established the Minster and Priory Church of St. Margaret, St. Mary Magdalene, and all the Virgin Saints as a Benedictine Priory in 1101. It served as both the town's parish church and the monks' residence for four centuries. The name St. Margaret's has always applied to it.

The Bishop of Norwich named St. Margaret's Church King's Lynn Minster in December 2011 in acknowledgement of the ministry it offers, which is significantly more expansive than that of a typical parish church.

Answer: St George's Guildhall

The Guildhall of St. George is a Grade I listed building. It is England's largest surviving guildhall. It is the only theatre that is still in existence where William Shakespeare is thought to have performed and has been in operation as a theatre since 1445, making it the oldest theatre in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, it is believed the guildhall was built between 1410 and 1420.