More Places in the UK Trivia Quiz

Answer: Whitby

Whitby is a picturesque seaside town in North Yorkshire where a synod was held in 664 that decided to follow the Roman method of determining when to celebrate Easter rather than the Celtic one.

Supposedly Bram Stoker learned about Dracula in the Whitby library and much of the end of the story occurs in Whitby after the ship returning them is shipwrecked off the coast.

Whitby also a ruined abbey and St. Mary's church on a hillside with 199 steps leading to it that overlooks the port.

Glastonbury is tied to the Arthurian legends. St. Ives is a small town in Cornwall noted for its artistic colony.

Answer: Lindisfarne

Holy Island is approximately one mile off the British mainland in northeast England. When low tide arrives, the island may be reached by foot and a causeway has been installed to ease the passage.

The monks at the abbey wrote many books in the illuminated Celtic style. The Lindisfarne Gospel, written in the eighth century, is one of the most famous medieval books and is now kept at the British Library. Lindisfarne Castle is also nearby.

Iona is an island off the coast of Scotland that was the center of Celtic Christianity; however it cannot be reached by land. Lewis is another island in the Outer Hebrides that has been noted for carved chessmen. Ely is the site of a famous English cathedral in the Fens (east coast).

Answer: Blackpool

Brighton, Torquay, and Penzance are seaside towns, but in the south. Blackpool is usually regarded as the favorite seaside resort, with Brighton usually regarded as second. The Illuminations are a nighttime display of lights between August and November.

Answer: York

The original name for York, Eboracum, is thought to derive from the Celtic word for yew tree. Constantine the Great had served his father in many remote locations in preparation for his eventual role as the emperor. Eboracum was an important settlement, due to the wealth of the north and the need to hold back the Scots.

Today a large statue of Constantine is in the front of Yorkminster, one of the great churches in England.

Answer: Jersey

The Channel Islands are Crown Dependencies situated very close to Normandy. Technically they are not part of the UK, but the UK is responsible for their defense and international relations. Jersey and Guernsey are the two largest of these islands; and Sark and Alderney are the next in size.

After the retreat at Dunkirk Churchill decided that they were indefensible and a loss in battle would demoralize his nation even more. Many islanders moved to England before the Germans took control. During the occupation some deportation of citizens occurred and a concentration camp was established at Alderney. Recriminations and bitterness among islanders lasted long after the war about cooperation with the occupying forces.

Lest we Americans get too carried away, we should remember that the Japanese captured and held two islands in Alaska's Aleutians for over a year.

Answer: Marston Moor

The city of York was the center of support for King Charles and was besieged by the Parliamentarians. The king sent his most able general Prince Rupert of Rhineland to relieve the siege. He was successful in that endeavor, but then chose to battle on an open field west of York known as Marston Moor. The cavalry forces of Cromwell routed the Royalist cavalry and then dispatched their ground forces. The whole of the north was controlled by the Roundheads, and the rest of the country followed.

Bosworth is near Leicester in central England and was the final battle in the War of the Roses when Richard III was killed in 1485. Culloden was the site in Scotland where the key battle in the Jacobite Uprising was fought between the forces of Bonny Prince Charles and the Duke of Cumberland in 1746. Boyne is the site in Ireland where King James II was defeated by William of Orange in the struggles following the death of Elizabeth I.

Answer: Bath

Bath is situated in a valley and presents a beautiful picture when viewed from the higher roads approaching it. It was a spa town during the Roman period, and the baths have been restored. During the Georgian period it was at the epicenter of elegant life in England, and Beau Nash was the arbiter of fashion. Jane Austen lived in Bath and at least two of her novels were centered there. Sally Lunn's house is the oldest house in Bath, where she baked her famous pastries.

The Pulteney Bridge is the only bridge in England with shops on the both sides.

The Royal Crescent is a curved street of thirty houses and is considered by many as the most beautiful street in England.

Answer: Capability Brown

Lancelot (Capability) Brown was the landscape designer of choice during the 18th century. He earned his nickname "Capability" by telling prospective clients that their property had the capability for improvement. He established an English style that emphasized open spaces and use of water, rather than the Italian and French patterned gardens.

The other gentlemen were at the forefront of their fields. Jones and Vanbrugh were noted architects. Jones, a contemporary of Wren, designed the Banqueting Hall and Whitehall. Vanbrugh designed Castle Howard and Blenheim Palace. Telford was a structural engineer who built the Conwy and Menai Strait Bridges, several canals, and major roads.

Answer: Shetland Islands

John O'Groats is usually considered the inhabited town or village that is farthest north on the mainland, but the Orkney and Shetland islands are farther north.
The Isles of Scilly lie off the southwest corner of England, slightly south of Land's End. The Isle of Man lies in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland, about the same latitude as Belfast and York. The Outer Hebrides lie to the west of the Scotland mainland, slightly to the north of Inverness. North of the Scotland mainland are the Orkney Islands and then further to the north the Shetlands.

Answer: Portmeirion

Williams-Ellis decided to construct a town in the Italian architectural style that he loved. The name came from the word "port", since it was built close to the sea and "merion" from the Welsh county Meirionydd (Merioneth in English) where it was located. Many celebrities visited the town, and Noel Coward is said to have written the play "Blithe Spirit" here.
Portmeirion is also a popular brand of dish ware that features floral designs.
Swansea is a major city in Wales and Harlech is one of the major castles in Wales.