Excuse for a London Walkabout Trivia Quiz

Answer: North

Euston Station is the London terminus for the West Coast Main Line which gets as far north as Scotland's Central Belt. The station was originally built during the 1830s mostly on farm land at the edge of London. The site was chosen by the father and son duo of George and Robert Stephenson, famous 19th century engineers. The station was rebuilt during the 1960s, but not without considerable controversy.

Euston is now considered to be part of central London. A bit of a transport hub, there is also a bus station and Euston (along with the nearby Euston Square station) has five London Underground lines connecting to it.

The photo shows the 20 metre-high sculpture known as 'Angel of the North'. Situated near Gateshead, England, the closest mainline railway is in fact the East Coast Main Line.

Answer: Hyde Park

Hyde Park was created by King Henry VIII in 1536 as private grounds for hunting deer and extended, at that time, to 253 hectares (625 acres). About a hundred years later Charles I opened the park to the general public.

The Serpentine was originally created by damming the River Westbourne and a tributary. After the river was turned into a sewer, water supplying the Serpentine and the Long Water was instead pumped from the River Thames and then from three boreholes within the park itself. The Knightsbridge district takes its name from a bridge used to cross the river after it emerged from the area now forming the park.

Answer: Kensington Gardens

Queen Caroline, consort to King George II, split off 111 hectares from Hyde Park in 1728 in order to form a landscape garden for Kensington Palace. One of the features is the seven-acre Round Pond, which is in fact rectangular and has been used since the 19th century by model yacht enthusiasts. Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens run seamlessly into one another. The photo is taken at the Gardens.

All the answers listed are Royal Parks of which there are nine in total.

Answer: Regent's Park

Regent's Park lies to the west of Euston Station and was originally requisitioned by King Henry VIII as hunting park. At that time it was known as Marylebone Park. The zoo was opened in 1828 by the Zoological Society of London and claims the title of the world's oldest scientific zoo.

The photo shows a George IV shilling from 1826. In his capacity as Prince Regent, he commissioned the creation of Regent's Park. He later became King George IV.

Answer: Primrose Hill

Providing fine views of London, it can boast a height of 78 metres. Once part of Middlesex Forest, this too was part of King Henry VIII's hunting grounds at one time. Its royal connection goes back further to Eton College, which was founded in 1441. It was amongst the lands given to the College by King Henry VI when establishing the school to provide free education for some 70 poor boys.

The photo shows some primroses.

Answer: Camden

Created in 1965, Camden Borough is one of thirty-two administrative regions in the Greater London area and one of the twelve Inner London boroughs. It was formed from the former Metropolitan Boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn and St Pancras.

An unusual feature here is the Camden Catacombs, an underground area originally used for housing pit ponies working on the railways and also an underground pool for canal boats working the Regent's Canal. They were not built for housing dead bodies so the name is a bit of a misnomer. The photo shows a view of Camden and the canal.

Answer: Bloomsbury

A fashionable residential area, Bloomsbury is also noted for its garden squares. The institutions referred to include Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, the British Museum, London Contemporary Dance School, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Architectural Association School of Architecture. The Bloomsbury Group was active in the early 1900s and was an informal network of influential writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists who lived or worked together in the Bloomsbury area.

The photo shows some rhododendron blooms in a graveyard.

Answer: University College London

University College London (UCL) is the oldest and largest college forming part of the University of London. It dates from 1826 and was the first secular one in England, admitting students on an equal footing regardless of religious belief or sex. As well as the Petrie Museum, UCL can also boast the Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy, and the UCL Art Museum as well as a number of important collections. The photo shows the Cruciform Building on Gower Street, part of UCL.

Answer: British Museum

The Rosetta Stone records a decree issued in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V of Egypt. It was at one time used in the building of a fort at Rosetta (now renamed Rashid) where it was rediscovered by one of Napoleon's soldiers in 1799. It came into British hands as a spoil of war following the French Capitulation of Alexandria in 1801 and was sent to the British Museum in 1802 where it has been ever since. The photo is of the museum.

Answer: Victoria Embankment

London's needle is one of four, three of which were gifted by Egypt during the 19th century and moved to London, New York and Paris respectively. The fourth remains at Luxor in Egypt. Cleopatra in fact had nothing to do with her namesake needles.

It was nearly sixty years before the London's needle made its journey north in 1877, almost ending up on the seabed in the Bay of Biscay during a storm. Six lives were lost during the storm. The Victoria Embankment was chosen as the site for displaying the needle after a position near the Houses of Parliament was rejected. Two fake-Egyptian sphynxes were created to flank the needle. The photo shows one of them with the London Eye (or the Millennium Wheel) in the background.