North, South, East, West, Home's Best! Quiz

Answer: South

It's South for Southampton, on the confluence of the Rivers Test and Itchen. The city dates back to Roman times, followed by the founding of a settlement called Hamwic by the Anglo-Saxons in the 6th or 7th Century. By the 13th Century it had become a major port, exporting wool and cloth and importing wine.

By the late 19th Century the port had become the main departure point for liners crossing the Atlantic, including the ill-fated Titanic. I remember as a child in the early 1960s going to Southampton Water to see the big ocean liners come and go: the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth, the Normandie and many others - truly impressive!

Answer: North

It's North for Northallerton, a major market town in the Vale of York. Saint Paulinus built a wooden church there early in the 7th Century; this was replaced with a stone building in 865. There are legendary connections with King Alfred the Great from about that time. Northallerton School was founded in 1322 near the church.

In terms of communications, it lies on the main Roman route from London to Scotland and thus became a major stopping point for the coach services in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Answer: West

It's West for Westminster, the core part of central London. It's home to Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the main Civil Service departmental offices in Whitehall and Number 10 Downing Street. Note that it's not to be confused with the City of London; this derives from the original Roman settlement and comprises what's commonly referred to as the "Square Mile", the historic and central business areas around St Paul's Cathedral and the Bank of England.

Answer: West

It's West for Weston-super-Mare - or Weston-super-Mud, as my parents termed it! The beach is lovely and sandy, but as soon as the tide starts going out then acres of thick mud flats are revealed! In 1942 the "Dambusters" bomber squadron tested Barnes Wallis's bouncing bomb and other explosive devices there.

However like many other British seaside holiday resorts it has suffered since the 1970s and for a time it had more than its fair share of social problems; efforts are still going on to bring the town round. Among its many and varied attractions is the Helicopter Museum on the site of the old Westland Helicopter factory.

Answer: South

It's South for Southend-on-Sea, which was granted city status as a memorial to Sir David Amess MP who was murdered there on 15th October, 2021. The city grew up as a tourist resort in the mid-19th Century, and for many years it was a popular destination for day-trippers from the East End of London.

The city's football club, Southend United, has recently fallen upon hard times, but many supporters still remember the night of 7th November 2006 when they beat Manchester United (including Rooney, Ronaldo et al) in a League Cup tie.

Answer: East

It's East for Eastbourne, a resort town blessed with some fine Victorian architecture. However there are Roman remains underneath the town centre, and an Anglo-Saxon document dated to 963 AD refers to a landing jetty and stream at "Burne". In the town's Victorian heyday 900 years later Lewis Carroll, Claude Debussy, Karl Marx and Frederick Engels all holidayed there.

Answer: North

It's North for Northampton, a town founded in the shadow of its Norman castle; a number of assemblies of Parliament took place there in the 12th, 13th and 14th Centuries. It's world-famous for its leather and shoe industry, notably the Doc Martens brand and the "Kinky Boots" company W J Brooks. This association led to the adoption of the nickname "The Cobblers" by Northampton Town FC.

Answer: South

It's South for Southport, one of the first seaside resorts to be developed - in as early as 1820 it had over 20,000 visitors a year. The town is famous for its Victorian architecture and town planning, and is viewed as being more genteel than its near-neighbour, Blackpool.

As well as housing the famous Royal Birkdale golf course, the suburb of Birkdale was also home to the three-times Grand National winner Red Rum; it's said that galloping on Southport's long sandy beaches helped improve the horse's stamina and strength.

Answer: West

It's West for West Bromwich, first recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as "Bromwic" or "Broom Village". Little happened there for many hundreds of years until coal was discovered in the area at the start of the the Industrial Revolution, after which industry developed rapidly in the town. West Bromwich Albion FC have a song thrush on their club badge, leading to the nickname "The Throstles", but the team is also referred to as "The Baggies" - possibly because of the players' baggy shorts.

Answer: North

It's North for Northwich. The "wich" section of the name derives from the Norse word "wic" meaning bay, associated with the traditional method of obtaining salt by the evaporation of sea water. Thus in Cheshire there are a number of towns associated with salt production, including Nantwich and Northwich.

The Romans exploited the salt deposits, which were rediscovered in the mid-17th Century. However extensive mining has led to problems with subsidence. The Anderton Boat Lift has been fully restored and is a miracle of Victorian canal engineering.