We Need To Talk About Devon Trivia Quiz

Answer: South West

Together with Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset and sometimes including Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, this area is often known as the west country.

Answer: Exeter

Exeter was built on the river Ex, and was Largely rebuilt after the Second World War. In Roman times it was the most south-westerly fortified settlement in Britain.

Answer: Fawlty Towers

'Fawlty Towers' was written by John Cleese who played Basil the Manager, and Connie Booth who played Polly the maid. It was about a very rude hotel manager and his long suffering wife, Sybil, getting into all sorts of scrapes whilst trying to run the hotel.

Answer: True

Devon and Cornwall hotly dispute which of them is the home of the cream tea. One thing is sure, they are equally delicious either way.

Answer: 11th Century

The cathedral was originally established in 1050, but services were often held out of doors. In 1133 work began on the building although it took many years. When Salisbury cathedral came along Exeter was considered old fashioned and was partly rebuilt in the Gothic style. However, the two square Norman towers remain.

Answer: The Jurassic Coast

This area stretches for ninety miles along from Exmouth to Studland Bay in Dorset. Fossils may be found there from the Triassic, Cretaceous and Jurassic periods. Here we find the fossils of dinosaurs, pterosaurs and it is even possible to hunt for fossils yourself.

Answer: Exeter

Castle Drogo is a beautiful castle set above the Teign gorge with dramatic views over Dartmoor. It was the last castle to be built in England, between 1911 and 1930. It was the project of Julius Drewe who was the extremely wealthy founder of the Home and Colonial Stores. It was designed by Edwin Lutyens who was then at the peak of his career.

Answer: Widecombe

This is an old Devon folk song about a man who lends his horse for a visit to the fair, and the horse comes back as a ghost. The chorus is a long list of names: Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney, Peter Davey, Dan Whiddon, Harry Hawke old uncle Tom Cobley and all. Local historians believe that these were the names of real people.

As uncle Tom Cobley comes last this name has become an colloquial expression meaning everyone and anyone.

Answer: Violets

You would find Devonshire violet perfume for sale in all the gift shops and chemists. There are four to five hundred species of violets but the one I refer to here is the common blue violet. This is also the state flower of three states in the U.S.A. i.e. Rhode Island, Illinois and New Jersey.

Answer: Exmoor and Dartmoor

Moors are large areas of high ground with acidic soil where plants and shrubs grow. Heather is a particularly characteristic plant. As it is a difficult terrain to travel in, a prison has been located in the middle of Dartmoor since 1809 when it housed French and American prisoners of war.

In 1850 it became a prison for criminals and was in past times a very harsh environment for high offenders. It is now a category C training prison and has done much to leave behind its austere image.