A Gloucester Quiz

Answer: Pig

The Gloucester Old Spot is a breed of pig, so named for the large black patches on its skin (pigs need at least one patch to be entered into the registry). Both the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal keep Gloucester Old Spots on their estates, and they are known for their docile temperament and intelligence.

They are also a popular choice for farmers who want to breed pasture pigs. They are nicknamed 'orchard pigs' because in the past, they grazed in orchards and ate windfalls. Their meat is said to be very high quality.

Answer: Glevum

Or, to give it its full name, Colonia Nervia Glevensium, a Roman fort named for the Emperor Nerva. It later became a colonia, a Roman outpost, for retired legionaries. It was chosen because of its location near the River Severn. The Glevum Way is a footpath which encircles the city of Gloucester named for the old fort. (Deva is the Roman name for what is now Chester, Camulodunum is Colchester, and Verulamium is St Albans.)

Answer: Cheese rolling

There are actually two types of Gloucester cheese, Single Gloucester and Double Gloucester; Double Gloucester is the more common variety, has a more savoury flavour and higher fat content than Single, and is allowed to mature for longer. Some varieties are flavoured with herbs. Double Gloucester cheeses are also used in the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, which is exactly as it sounds - a big round of Double Gloucester cheese was set rolling down Cooper's Hill, and people run after it.

The actual cheese was replaced by a foam 'cheese' in 2013 as people kept getting injured by the real one, but an actual round of Double Gloucester is awarded to the winner of the race. The event is an international attraction; people from as far as New Zealand and Nepal have won past races.

Answer: Metz

Metz is a city in northeast France, in the Moselle Department, located at the confluence of the Seille and Moselle Rivers, and the tripoint of France, Luxembourg and Germany (where three borders meet). Like Gloucester, it is a former Roman colony and has its own notable cathedral, the Saint-Stephen Cathedral.

It also has an association with pigs; suckling pig is a local delicacy. It was twinned with Gloucester in 1967.

Answer: Fred and Rose West

Although Fred West was from Hereford, he and his second wife Rose, who he met when she was a teenager, lived in Gloucester. They physically and sexually abused their children, as well as the children's nanny, Caroline Owens. They were confirmed to have sexually abused and killed at least 12 women and girls, including Fred West's first wife Rena Costello, his stepdaughter Charmaine and daughter Heather, although they have been linked with other murders; Fred West claimed to have killed at least 30 people.

After Fred West confessed to killing Heather, police dug up the garden of 25 Cromwell Street and found the remains of three bodies in the garden, and further human remains inside the house; many of the bodies had been dismembered or tied up. Fred West committed suicide in prison in 1995, and the house at Cromwell Street was demolished to keep ghoulish tourists at bay. Rose West was sentenced to a life tariff, meaning that she would never be allowed out on parole.

Answer: Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg was born Simon Beckingham in the village of Brockworth, where the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling & Wake takes place, and went to the King's School in Gloucester, originally a school for choirboys; the choirboys of Gloucester Cathedral are still educated there.

He took his stepfather's surname of Pegg when his mother remarried. He starred in the comedy series 'Big Train', 'Hippies' and 'Spaced', which he co-wrote with co-star Jessica Stevenson, and also appeared in episodes of 'Black Books' and 'Doctor Who'.

He is the co-writer and star of a series of films known as the 'Cornetto Trilogy': 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Hot Fuzz' and 'The World's End', all of which co-star Nick Frost. Each film features a different Cornetto flavour; 'Shaun of the Dead' features a strawberry/red Cornetto to represent blood, 'Hot Fuzz' features a blue/original Cornetto to represent the colour of police uniforms, and 'The World's End' features a green/mint choc chip Cornetto wrapper, representing 'the little green men' of sci-fi movies.

Answer: Beatrix Potter

'The Tailor of Gloucester' bears some similarities with the fairy tale of the elves and the shoemaker, where a craftsman discovers that his work has been done in the night. Potter based her book on the story of John Pritchard, a Gloucester tailor commissioned to make a suit for the new mayor, and who came to his workshop on a Monday only to find that the suit had been finished, except for one buttonhole.

A note reading 'No more twist' was left behind. Although Pritchard claimed fairies had done it, it was actually his assistants! In Potter's story, the tailor sends Simpkin, his cat to buy food and a twist of silk to make the mayor's waistcoat.

The tailor discovers that Simpkin has been imprisoning mice under teacups, and frees them. Simpkin is angry and hides the twist, and the tailor becomes ill.

The mice finish the waistcoat for him in gratitude for freeing them, but are unable to finish the last buttonhole as they do not have the twist of silk, so Simpkin gives the tailor the twist and he completes the waistcoat.

The tailor is handsomely rewarded for his work.

Answer: Kingsholm Stadium

Gloucester Rugby were formed in 1873, and are known as the Cherry and Whites because of their red and white striped kit. They have played at Kingsholm Stadium since 1891. They were the first team to win the John Player Cup, the first Rugby Union club cup, in the 1971-1972 season, and also won the Anglo-Welsh Cup in the 2010-2011 season. On an international level, they won the European Rugby Challenge Cup in 2006 and 2015.

Answer: Alice Through the Looking Glass

'Alice Through the Looking Glass' is loosely based on the books by Lewis Carroll, and features many of Carroll's characters, such as the Mad Hatter, called Tarrant Hightopp here (Johnny Depp), the White and Red Queens (Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter), Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Matt Lucas), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), the Dormouse (Barbara Windsor), and the March Hare (Paul Whitehouse). Australian actress Mia Wasikowska plays Alice. The film was dedicated to Alan Rickman, who played Absalom the Butterfly, and who died before the film was released.

As for the Gloucester connection? Parts of the film were filmed at Gloucester Docks and featured five tall ships, including the Earl of Pembroke, known as the Wonder in the film. Local boaters complained about the filming causing delays and preventing them from using local facilities.

Answer: Choirs and solo singers

The festival in question is the Three Choirs Festival, named for the choirs of the cathedrals of the Three Counties' county towns: Gloucester Cathedral (Gloucestershire), Hereford Cathedral (Herefordshire) and Worcester Cathedral (Worcestershire). The festival takes place in a different county every year, and is the oldest choral music festival in the world.

It lasts for a week and is usually in the last week of July. Though the focus is on choirs, soloists and ensemble groups also perform, and the festival also features talks and workshops.

The Festival Society was set up in 1995 for enthusiasts to help support the festival.