A 'Percentage' of Places - The United Kingdom Quiz

Answer: Barnstaple

Barnstaple is the largest town in present day north Devon is believed to be England's oldest borough, dating back to circa 900. During the medieval period Barnstaple became incredibly wealthy due to the fact that it was the only port of size in the south west of England importing commodities such as tobacco, wine and textiles and exporting wool and pottery; examples of Barnstaple pottery have been found as far away as the state of Maryland in the USA. Famous individuals from the town include yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester, rock guitarist Snowy White and controversial media personality and columnist Katie Hopkins.

Answer: Chippenham

The market town of Chippenham is located on the banks of the River Avon just an hour by train from London and just ten minutes by train from the Roman city of Aquae Sulis or Bath. The site was first settled by the Saxons during the 7th Century and the sister of Alfred the Great was married there in 853.

In 1747 a political scandal involving its two members of parliament led to the downfall of the government led by Sir Robert Walpole. Chippenham prospered during the 18th Century after the construction in 1798 of the Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal and again in 1841 with the arrival of Brunel's Great Western Railway.

The stately home, Longleat House, famous for its safari park and Castle Combe motor racing circuit are both just a short drive from the town. Persons of note from Chippenham include British Labour politician Jeremy Corbyn, jazz artist Jamie Cullum and former Prime Minister and founder of the modern police service, Sir Robert Peel.

Answer: Darlington

An Anglo-Saxon settlement on the River Skerne, the modern town of Darlington is notable for the establishment of the Stockton and Darlington railway, the world's first permanent steam powered passenger railway. On the 7th of May 1585 the town was badly damaged in a large fire, water was scarce because of drought and, tragically, the townsfolk were forced to use milk and beer to extinguish the flames! The Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company which is still headquartered in Darlington, is renowned for building some of the world's most famous bridges; these include the famous Tyne Bridge, the Humber Bridge and the most famous of them all, the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia. Notable residents of the town include entrepreneur Duncan Bannantyne and writer and comedian Jim Moir, otherwise known as Vic Reeves.

Answer: Hungerford

The town of Hungerford can trace its history to as far back as the Stone and Bronze ages. After landing at Brixham in Devon in 1688, Prince William of Orange was advancing towards London with his army when King James II dispatched three commissioners to meet with him en-route.

This meeting took place at Hungerford's Bear Inn on the 6th of December 1688, where plans were made for the throne to pass to the Protestant Prince William. The prosperity of the town improved with the opening of the Kennet and Avon Canal in 1810 but after the arrival of the railway in 1841 this quickly became neglected and fell into disrepair.

The canal was restored in 1974 and fully reopened to the public in August 1990. In 1987 the town was the scene of Britain's greatest mass shooting; resident Michael Ryan shot and killed 17 people and wounded a further 15.

As a result of this single incident the United Kingdom enacted some of the strictest gun control legislation anywhere in the world.

Answer: Cowes

The town of Cowes is located on the west bank of the River Medina on the northern coast of the Isle of Wight. The first settlements in the area were founded by the Vikings who used its proximity to the southern coast of the English mainland as a base from which to launch their raids.

The names for Cowes and East Cowes, its partner town across the Medina estuary, first appeared during the early decades of the fifteenth century and took their names from two sandbanks that resembled, yes...Cows! In the sixteenth century the island was fortified against the threat of invasion by King Henry VIII who had castles constructed on each side of the mouth of the river. Since 1826 the town has been home to 'Cowes Week' the world's oldest regularly occurring sailing regatta. Notable residents of Cowes include the actor Jeremy Irons, musician Mark King of 1980s funk band Level 42 and television presenter and journalist Cliff Mitchelmore.

The world's first practical hovercraft, designed by Sir Christopher Cockerell, first flew at Cowes on the 11th of June 1959.

Answer: Winchelsea

Winchelsea, on England's south coast and with a population of just six hundred people, claims to be the smallest town in Britain; there is some justification for this claim as there are few of comparable size with its own mayor. One of the towns known as the Cinque Ports, Winchelsea now retains this distinction in name only as the silting of its harbour has now left this once important port well inland.

The town is located towards the western end of the Royal Military Canal, constructed during the early 19th century in order to transport troops and equipment along Britain's south-eastern coast during the Napoleonic Wars. Notable persons associated with Winchelsea include television personality and puppeteer Rod Hull, writer, comedian, poet and soldier Spike Milligan and the early 20th century Shakespearean actress Ellen Terry.

Answer: Portishead

The history of Portishead dates back to Roman times, its name being derived from the 'port at the head of the river'. The town has enjoyed a long history as a fishing port; a number of iron rings that can be seen on the stone wall at the beginning of the High Street are evidence of old fishing boat moorings. Early in the 19th century,the town began to develop as a seaside resort and as a retreat for wealthy Bristol businessmen and their families.

The Victorian period saw day trippers visiting the town from Bristol by paddle steamer and then later by rail.

In 1907 a light railway extended to Portishead, the remnants of which can still be seen today at the docks in Bristol. Notable residents of Portishead include the comedian Eddie Large of 'Little and Large' fame, the television personality and maths wizard Carol Vorderman and one-time star of television soap opera 'Coronation Street', the actor Johnny Briggs.

Answer: Huntingdon

Derived from the Old English 'Huntedun', meaning Hunta's Hill, the town of Huntingdon is situated on Ermine Street, an ancient Roman road that runs between London and York. By the time of the Norman invasion of Britain, the town had become a Royal Borough and was later granted a Royal Charter by King John in 1205.

By the 13th century the town had become very prosperous but following the ravages of the Black Death in 1348 and 1349 the town's population and its fortunes plummeted. During the Civil War, Huntingdon was held by Parliament, as was to be expected; the town was the birthplace and home to one of these islands most infamous and, in some circles, most hated figures, Oliver Cromwell.

A monument of note, located in the centre of the town's square, is the war memorial known as 'The Thinking Soldier' which was erected there in 1923 and which was sculpted by Mrs Kathleen Scott, the widow of the famous antarctic explorer, Robert Falcon Scott. Other notable persons associated with the town are the English diarist Samuel Pepys who was schooled at Huntingdon and the professional cricketer James Sykes. Huntingdon is twinned with the Hungarian town of Szentendre.

Answer: Ripon

With a market square described by Daniel Defoe as 'The finest and most beautiful square that is to be seen of its kind in England', Ripon is a small city situated on the western edge of the Vale of York around four miles to the west of what has been, since Roman times, the principal north-south route on the eastern side of the Pennines. Sited on the River Skell, west of its confluence with the River Ure, Ripon has been occupied since before the Bronze Age; the largest grouping of ancient earthworks in England can be found to the north and east of the town.

The city takes its name from the name of a tribe of northern European Angles known as the Hrype, who reached the area during the 6th Century. The area was later occupied by the Romans and interestingly, during the 19th Century two local people digging peat unearthed the remains of a Roman citizen so well preserved that his body was still wrapped in his toga.

Originally founded as a monastery in 660, work on the present Ripon Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Wilfrid, began in 1160 and was completed in 1547.

The Ripon area suffered during the Reformation with the dissolution of Fountains Abbey, the ruins of which are a popular visitor destination. Ripon is twinned with the French commune of Foix, south of the city of Toulouse and close to the borders of both Spain and Andorra. Persons of note associated with the city include the writer Lewis Carroll and the First World War poet Wilfred Owen.

Answer: Maidenhead

It is not completely clear from where the town of Maidenhead takes its name, but one of the more convincing is that the town was the final resting place of the skull of a follower of Saint Ursula, martyred with eleven thousand of her virgin followers in Cologne, Germany.

It is certain that a small settlement existed on the site during the Roman occupation which was named Alaunodunum. The town occupies an important position on the River Thames and in 1688 Maidenhead Bridge was the scene of fierce fighting between the forces of the Catholic King James II and the Protestant Prince William of Orange who went on to become King William III. Maidenhead is also known for its Railway Bridge and its 'Sounding Arch' with its fantastic echo.

The bridge spans the River Thames with just two arches, each one with a span of 128 feet, the longest and lowest bridge spans in the world when it was constructed by Brunel's Great Western Railway Company in 1838.

This bridge is also the subject of the first ever impressionist painting, 'Rain, Steam and Speed' a work by the artist JMW Turner which was completed in 1844. Perhaps the most famous resident of Maidenhead was the 'British Schindler', the humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winton. Winton saved the lives of over six hundred Czech children, both Jews and non-Jews, in the months immediately after Kristallnacht in November 1938.

His exploits were revealed over forty years later in 1988 and he was knighted in 2003 for services to humanity. The town is twinned with St-Cloud in France and with Frascati in Italy.