History of London and Environs Trivia

1. In which London parish was the first recorded plague death of the 1665 outbreak?

From Quiz The Great Plague of 1665

Answer: St Giles-in-the-Fields

The first person recorded as having fallen victim to this epidemic died in January. This death was followed by another the following month, although there was little alarm at this stage.

From Quiz Forgotten Years

Answer: The sale of collars called piccadillies

Piccadilly Circus is a major road junction in London, England. It connects to the equally famous Regent Street. Many famous buildings can be seen in this part of London. The name was first given to this area in 1626, and was called after a business belonging to a tailor named Robert Baker. Mr Baker sold a range of fashionable collars at that time. These were all known under the general term of piccadills or piccadillies.

From Quiz Historic London Houses

Answer: No 1 London

Wellington lived at No 1 London for 35 years. It was called No 1 London as it was the first house that travellers past as they entered London from the west through the toll gate.

From Quiz Richmond-upon-Thames

Answer: Henry VII & Elizabeth I

Henry VII built Richmond Palace on the site of the former Palace of Shene, which had been damaged by fire in 1497.

From Quiz Greenwich: A Time and a Place

Answer: Greenwich Mean Time

Initially GMT was used for maritime purposes. The problem of longitude, vital for navigation across the world's oceans, was dependent on a fixed reference point by which navigators could calculate their east-west position on the waves. GMT was originally measured by calculations of the position of certain bright stars in the night sky (known as the clock stars) from the Greenwich Observatory. This was the means to measure time until well into the twentieth century when atomic clocks took over. Before the adoption of GMT, there was no standard for time across the UK, let alone the world. For example, if you were at the top of Ben Nevis in Scotland at one o'clock London time, it would be twenty minutes to one where you stood. This hadn't been a problem until the industrial age came along and a national transport network and telegraph system was built. The need for standardised time for the creation of train timetables became pressing. In the early days of the trains, the passenger would need to change their watch upon arrival at their destination in the same way that plane passengers have to when flying between countries. In the middle of the nineteenth century, the railway companies adopted Greenwich time as the only time on which their trains ran. Whilst this was initially regarded with suspicion and sometimes hostility outside of London, by 1855 ninety-eight per cent of public clocks were displaying GMT. This became possible with the invention of telegraph wires which could transmit the correct Greenwich time from an electronic master clock in the Royal Observatory. Prior to this time, the Observatory provided a service whereby a time courier would visit all the clockmakers in London each day so that they could synchronise their clocks. GMT was officially made UK time by an act of Parliament in 1880. Whilst GMT is still referred to in times throughout the world, since 1972 time had been measured not in Greenwich but in Paris at the BIH (Bureau International de l'Heure). There measurements are taken from 38 atomic clocks around the world to establish a mean time known as UTC (Universal Time Co-ordinated) which is a more accurate measurement of the same time as GMT.

From Quiz A Little Look at London History

Answer: St Bartholomew's Hospital

St Bart's began in 1123 as a priory church hospital for the poor. It came under threat of closure during the reign of Henry VIII. However, due to petitioning by the London citizens, Henry relented. In 1546 he granted St Bart's to the City of London. Henry's statue is above the main gate which was built in 1702 by the stonemasons working on St Paul's cathedral.

From Quiz The Great Plague of 1665

Answer: Twenty-nine years

Bubonic plague had last visited the capital in 1636, although the toll of 10,000 recorded deaths was the lowest of England's epidemic outbreaks in the seventeenth century up to that point. In addition, several years up to 1665 saw more localised outbreaks of plague occur in parishes of London.

From Quiz Forgotten Years

Answer: Named after a leading mercenary of King John

Vauxhall is an area in southwest London that is a combination of commercial enterprises, residential sites, leisure centres and gracious parks. Its long history until the late century, when it had a facelift, was more or less centred around a working class background. It seems fitting then that it was named after the head mercenary of the famous Magna Carta King John (1666-1216). That mercenary was one Falkes de Breaute. He owned a large residence in the area which was known as Falkes' Hall. The region around the original home eventually became known as Foxhall, before changing once more into Vauxhall.

From Quiz Historic London Houses

Answer: Marlborough House

Built by Christopher Wren, this house served as the London residence for the Dukes of Marlborough for over a century. The house was taken up by the royal family in 1817 and became the family home to the future Edward VII.

From Quiz London in the 14th Century

Answer: St Paul's Cathedral

Construction of (fourth) St Paul's Cathedral was started in the 12th century and was finished in 1314. It was the most impressive cathedral in the country and at 585 feet long was the third longest in Christendom. It had a towering spire 489 feet tall, taller than that of Salisbury Cathedral and surpassed only by that of the Lincoln Cathedral. Its most notable features, however, were the magnificent rose window at the eastern end and its beautiful chapter house, the meeting room for the bishop and priests.

From Quiz Richmond-upon-Thames

Answer: 1509

The school was originally in St Paul's Churchyard, but after the Great Fire (1666) new school buildings were erected in Cheapside, in the City of London. The school moved to Hammersmith in 1884 and to Barnes in 1968. Samuel Pepys (an Old Pauline) is said to have played truant from school to witness the execution of Charles I.

From Quiz A Little Look at London History

Answer: John Sheffield

It was built in 1703 as the Duke's London home. On his death it passed to his son, who sold it to King George III in 1761. It was then the home of Queen Charlotte. It passed on to King George IV in 1820, and its progression from home to palace began. John Nash was commisioned to do the reconstruction.

From Quiz The Great Plague of 1665

Answer: Forty days

The quarantine period of forty days was stipulated by the Lord Mayor of London and followed guidelines set by the Royal College of Physicians, which was consulted for help in managing the outbreak.

From Quiz Historic London Houses

Answer: Lambeth Palace

The land on which Lambeth Palace stands was purchased by the archbishopric of Canterbury in about 1200, and it has been the London residence of the Archbishops ever since.

From Quiz Battersea

Answer: William Blake

The marriage took place in 1782. Blake's wife, Catherine Boucher, the daughter of a local farmer, marked the register with an X as she was illiterate at the time. Other famous people associated with the old parish church include Benedict Arnold (buried in the crypt), J. M. W. Turner and the eighteenth-century botanist, William Curtis. They are commemorated in modern stained glass windows in the church.

From Quiz A Little Look at London History

Answer: William lV

Clarence House was once part of St James's palace. The Duke of Clarence, who was to become King William IV, lived there from 1791. During its history he has been home to many royals. In 1952 on the death of her husband King George VI it became the home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother until her death in 2002.

From Quiz Forgotten Years

Answer: Brompton Road

Travelling through Knightsbridge, Kensington, Westminster and Chelsea in London, Brompton Road passes through some of the more posh areas of this world capital city. Top restaurants, five star hotels, and famous stores such as Harrods can all be found along this road. The name Brompton is believed to derive from the Old English words "brom", which meant "broom", and "tun" which meant a farm or settlement. It was known originally as Old Brompton Road, but as the city grew around it and more streets connected to it, the "Old" was eventually dropped altogether from the newer sections of London, with Old Brompton Road still to be found west of the city in Kensington.

From Quiz Historic London Houses

Answer: Mansion House

Built on the site of St Mary Woolchurch Haw, which was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, the Palladian style facade with its portico of six Corinthian columns is one of the most famous within the square mile of the City of London.

From Quiz London in the 14th Century

Answer: The Romans

The original walls were built by the Romans to protect their city, Londinium. In the 14th century they were an amazing sight, being eighteen feet high and six to nine feet thick. There were seven great gatehouses: Ludgate, Newgate, Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Bishopsgate, Aldgate and Bridgegate, which led on to London Bridge. Each gate had massive oak doors which were secured at night by heavy drawbars. In times of war the whole city could be defended as if it were a huge castle.

From Quiz Richmond-upon-Thames

Answer: Teddington

The National Physical Laboratory was built in 1902. Important scientific work by was carried out here in World War II by Barnes Wallis, famous for the bouncing bomb used in the 'dambuster' raids.

From Quiz Battersea

Answer: Clapham Junction

Most lines from Waterloo and about half from Victoria pass through Clapham Junction. With over 2,000 trains passing through on an ordinary weekday, it is the busiest surface station in the United Kingdom and possibly in Europe. (King's Cross Underground Station is a close rival). It is said that the station was named after Clapham, not Battersea, as the the latter had already acquired a reputation for seediness by the early 1860s. The 15-track line to the east of Clapham Junction divides Battersea into two distinct areas.

From Quiz A Little Look at London History

Answer: his horse tripped over a molehill

The Jacobites were Scottish Highlanders who were supporters of King James II, who was succeeded by William III in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The Scots had to swear allegiance to him but the head of the MacDonald clan refused, and William ordered nearly forty of his clan to be killed. It became known as the Glencoe Massacre. If you ever visit London then look carefully at the statue, and you will see a little molehill under the horse's rear left leg.

From Quiz The Great Plague of 1665

Answer: Tokens

Most common in the armpit as well as the groin, "tokens" were generally black spots caused by a build up of blood in the area. Removal of these was attempted on occasion but the consequences were usually found to be counterproductive as the procedure could lead to septicaemic plague taking hold.

From Quiz Forgotten Years

Answer: Abbey Road

The lovely tree-lined Abbey Road runs through the borough of Camden and the City of Westminster in London, passing by Lord's Cricket Ground along the way. This is the road over which the English rock band, The Beatles, walked, as portrayed on the front cover of their 1969 album of the same name. It was once just a 19th century path which led its travellers to Kilburn Priory and its surrounding Abbey farm. In 1874, the Saint John's Wood Permanent Benefit Building Society was founded in a church there, by which time that small track had become known as Abbey Road.

From Quiz London in the 14th Century

Answer: Jousts and tournaments

Jousts and tournaments were popular entertainments as well as providing military training for those taking part. Smithfield was also the site of the main meat market for London. A popular gathering place, it was the site of the three day fair which was held to celebrate St Bartholomew's Day (24th August).

From Quiz Battersea

Answer: John Burns

John Burns (1858-1943) stood and won with the support of the local Liberals. This is one of the reasons why Keir Hardie is usually said to have been the 'first Labour MP'. John Burns moved increasingly close to the Liberal Party and became President of the Board of Local Government in 1906. He was one of the very few MPs who objected to Britain's entry into World War I, and resigned from Asquith's government in August 1914. (He also objected to the Boer War, remarking, 'We are khaki clad, khaki mad and khaki bad'). There is a good, though not particularly flattering biography: William Kent, "John Burns: Labour's Lost Leader ...", Williams and Norgate, London 1950.

From Quiz A Little Look at London History

Answer: Sir Stamford Raffles

Sir Stamford Raffles is perhaps better known as the founder of Singapore. However in 1826 he became the first President of the Zoological Society of London. He envisaged the zoo not as a place of entertainment, but a place for the teaching of zoology. Sir Stamford Raffles died before he saw his plans come to fruition.

From Quiz Forgotten Years

Answer: King Charles II

Charles II (1630-1685) was King of England and Scotland - nominally from 1649 on, and after Cromwell's Commonwealth went pear-shaped, de facto 1660 until his death in 1685. He had a private road known as King's Road along which he travelled from one of his residences to Kew. King Charles always had a bit of an eye for the lasses, so it possibly could have even been from the home of one of his mistresses. It remained a private road until 1830 when people higher up on the social ladder were graciously given permission to travel along it - and then finally the general public. By then it was known as Portugal Road. Nowadays, however, Portugal Road is found near Holborn in the City of Westminster, not too far from famous London sites such as Covent Garden, the Royal Opera House and the Royal Courts of Justice.

From Quiz Historic London Houses

Answer: Eltham Palace

Eltham Palace was the childhood home of Henry VIII, and was used for Christmas celebrations throughout the Tudor Period. During the English Civil War the surrounding hunting park was cleared of trees and deer. Charles II gave the estate to John Shaw, a supporter of his father and Commissioner of Customs. It stayed in the Shaw family until the late 19th century. In the 1930s Sir Stephen Courthauld acquired the lease, restored the Great Hall whilst rebuilding much of the palace in a sumptuous art deco style. It is said to be the only deco house open to the public in England.

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