The Big British Prayer House Online Quiz | World Sites

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1. Which Church of England Cathedral, built of sandstone has three spires known as the 'the ladies of the vale'?

Answer: Lichfield

Only three of the cathedrals in the UK have three spires, Truro, Edinburgh and Lichfield. Lincoln did until one collapsed some 500 years past.
The vale in question is the vale of the River Trent across which the three spires of Lichfield Cathedral can be seen from some distance.
The cathedral was originally built to house the shrine of St Chad who had been Bishop of Mercia and had move the seat of the diocese to Lichfield.
The reformation didn't do much harm to Lichfield Cathedral, apart from the destruction of the shrine. In the civil war of the mid seventeenth century however the cathedral was used as a castle and suffered accordingly.

Of the others, Manchester Cathedral was built of sandstone and has a tower but no spire. Arundel Cathedral is Roman Catholic not Anglican and Wells Cathedral was built of Limestone and has a tower but no spire. It does however have a spectacular astronomical clock within the church complete with knights rushing out to joust.

2. Of which cathedral was John Ruskin referring when he said: "...the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles and roughly speaking worth any two other cathedrals we have."?

Answer: Lincoln

If you happen to know that John Ruskin died in 1900 and that none of the other three options were consecrated as cathedrals until the second half of the twentieth century then you had a head start with this question.
Lincoln Cathedral is undoubtedly spectacular. In my opinion viewing it at night from the north west when it is lit up shows it to its best advantage with views of the three towers (although no longer with spires).
Lincoln Cathedral (and the castle opposite it) contain far too many interesting features to mention them all, so just one will have to suffice. Inside the cathedral is a stone carved imp up in the ceiling either an imp turned to stone by an angel or a signature piece by one of the masons depending on who you believe. (Other back stories for the imp may exist.)

3. Which cathedral escaped much of the destruction of the Henry VIII reformation since it contained (and still contains) the tomb of his elder brother Arthur?

Answer: Worcester

It also contains the tomb of King John who had to rescue the country when his brother (Richard the Lionheart) had a good go at bankrupting it by foreign wars and insulting leaders of the lands he was passing through causing his capture and ransom. This may sound a familiar theme to students of modern politics.
Worcester Cathedral is also known for being the location of the first performance of the Enigma Variations (revised version) by Sir Edward Elgar. Elgar's statue stands outside the cathedral

4. The City of Bristol has both an Anglican and a Roman Catholic cathedral. The Roman Catholic cathedral, known as Clifton Cathedral, has an unusual shape for its sanctuary. What shape is this?

Answer: Hexagonal

This cathedral is a modern one consecrated in 1973. The design is likewise modern, not trying to imitate the traditional cathedrals with long central aisles. The reason for having a hexagonal shaped sanctuary was the architects solution to enable the altar to be the visible focal point for the entire congregation in accordance with the instructions from the Second Vatican Council.

Dodecagonal I could see as plausible as the number 12 is a frequent biblical motif, 12 apostles, 12 tribes of Israel etc. Triangular could relect the Holy Trinity. Pentagonal sounds more reminiscent of the pentagram used by Wiccans although it does also have a historical in Christianity as representing the five wounds of Christ's crucifixion.

5. Which English city has both an Anglican and a Roman Catholic cathedral separated by the appropriately named Hope Street?

Answer: Liverpool

All of these cities have both an Anglican and a Roman Catholic cathedral, however only in Liverpool will you be able to walk between them along Hope Street.
The catholic cathedral is referred to by some as Paddy's Wigwam. This nickname comes from the large influx of Irish Catholics into Liverpool in the nineteenth century creating an association between the Irish and the Catholic church, although the cathedral was not built until the later part of the twentieth century. Its formal name is the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.
Furthermore it bears no resemblance to the original design which was agreed in the first half of the twentieth century.
Hope Street was named after a merchant by the name of William Hope it is just providence that it runs between the two cathedrals.
The Anglican Cathedral half a mile along is rather bigger. It is claimed to be the largest completed Anglican church in the world, the longest cathedral and the fifth largest by volume. It also contains an internal bridge (beware the sudden voice from nowhere), and a red telephone box. The reason for the telephone box is that the architect who designed the (small) phone box and the architect who designed (large) cathedral are one and the same, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.
I can also recommend ascending the tower for the views from this lofty place.

6. Although most Anglican cathedrals in Britain were either designed as such or taken over from the Roman Catholic church at the time of the reformation, there is one that has gone the other way. The 'Cathedral Church of St Michael and St George' was planned to be an Anglican cathedral but it became a Roman Catholic cathedral. It isn't the seat of a geographic diocese but is the Roman Catholic cathedral for the "Bishopric of the Forces". In which southern English town will you find this edifice?

Answer: Aldershot

Aldershot, Colchester and Catterick are the three main army garrison towns in England. Colchester is rather better known in military circles for its 'glass house' or military prison. Lympstone is a village which is close to the Royal Marine training base.

This base has its own private railway station. Catterick is the other end of England in Yorkshire, there are many historical remains nearby as the place is mentioned in the writings of Ptolemy but no cathedral.

7. What feature, unique for a British cathedral is to be found within St. Magnus Cathedral at Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands?

Answer: Dungeon

Much as it may be desirable to have a fun trivia shrine, I am not sure a cathedral is the appropriate spot. A computer in the corner of the room surrounded by reference books is the more appropriate image.
Curling rinks and miniature golf might be held as places of worship in their own right in Scotland but not inside a cathedral.
This leaves the dungeon, known by the name "Marwick's hole" although how this name came about appears to be unknown. The dungeon was originally only accessible via a chute from the hall above. How they later retrieved the prisoners is not revealed.
Records do show usage as a prison from the sixteenth to eighteenth century.

8. Although many of our cathedrals are old works of arts in themselves, they still contain plenty of more recently created art. In which medieval English cathedral can be found the painting 'Noli me Tangere' by Graham Sutherland and a stained glass window by Marc Chagall?

Answer: Chichester

Chichester Cathedral has a mixture of old and new art work. In addition to the items listed it also possess a tapestry by the twentieth century artist John Piper, who also designed the baptistery window in the new Coventry Cathedral (after the old one had a slight disagreement with the German airforce).
None of the other options are medieval all having been built during or since the Victorian era.

9. To which cathedral would medieval pilgrims travelled to visit the shrine of St Swithun and modern day literary pilgrims to visit the grave of Jane Austen?

Answer: Winchester

Both of these are or were to be found in Winchester Cathedral. Another literary connection is the grave of the author Izaac Walton (The Compleat Fisherman). However to me the story of the deep sea diver, William Walker, is the most interesting. In the early twentieth century, his efforts of descending into the flooded foundations to place bricks and concrete enabled the cathedral to be saved from collapse.
Canterbury Cathedral was the destination for pilgrims to the shrine of St Thomas Beckett whilst Rochester Cathedral hosted pilgrims visiting the shrine of 'William of Pert' who was murdered close to the cathedral. Hopefully the Medway towns are a bit more tolerant of the Scots these days.
Finally Beverley which does not have a cathedral, but does have a large and impressive minster.

10. Most churches and cathedrals have niches containing statues (or the empty plinths where statues used to be) on the outer walls. Which abbey has instead two ladders with angels climbing them?

Answer: Bath Abbey

All of these abbeys are now churches which have been developed from the original abbey. Bath Abbey though is the only one with the angels ascending ladders. As this is on the west facing entrance the best time to see is in the afternoon when the sun shines directly on to the face of the building.

Source: Author paper_aero

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The Big British Prayer House Trivia Quiz

The UK has many impressive cathedrals, abbeys and minsters within its towns and cities. One does not need to be a follower of the Church to appreciate and enjoy these magnificent buildings and the history that surrounds them.

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