The Magic of Cornwall Trivia Quiz

Answer: Devon

Cornwall and Devon form a substantial part of the region of England known informally as the "West Country", the others being Dorset and Somerset (with Gloucestershire and Wiltshire sometimes being included). Cornwall has a predominantly rural economy, with tourism forming an important source of income, and a native population that is proud of its heritage and history of independence.

Answer: Bodmin Moor

Bodmin Moor is an 80 square-mile area of granite moorland that takes its name from the nearby town of Bodmin. It is well known for its granite tors - rocky outcrops, such as Rough Tor, seen in this picture. During the 1990s, it became famous for sightings of the so-called "Beast of Bodmin", alleged to be a large black panther-like cat.

Although no proof has ever been found of its existence, its positive effect on the tourist trade has ensured its continuing presence as a piece of modern folklore.

Answer: Flood

Boscastle is a small fishing village on the north coast of Cornwall, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Valency and Jordan. On Monday 16 August 2004, heavy rainfall on already wet ground led to both rivers becoming exceptionally full, inundating the village. Cars were washed away, and people were trapped in their houses, although fortunately there were no fatalities. Ironically, the resultant publicity, coupled with subsequent rebuilding of damaged properties, is generally believed to have given a boost to the village's tourist industry.

Answer: Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly form part of the ceremonial county of Cornwall. They consist of almost 150 isles in total, although only five of these have permanent inhabitants, and many of the rest are no more than rocky outcrops. The largest of the inhabited islands is St Mary's, which has a population of around 1,700.

Answer: Camel

The River Camel has its source at Hendraburnick Down, and flows for 30 miles before entering the sea at Padstow Bay. The name is derived from the Cornish word "kammel", meaning "crooked" or "winding". The River Tamar, which forms most of the boundary between Cornwall and its adjacent county, is just over 60 miles long, but not all of it is within Cornwall.

The incorrect options are all species of creature found in and around the Sahara Desert; but only Camel is also a Cornish river.

Answer: Penzance

Penzance is a town on the south coast of Cornwall, its name being derived from the ancient Cornish for "holy headland". It is the setting for the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta "The Pirates of Penzance", written in 1879, when it was a popular resort for holidaying Victorians.

There is no historic evidence for significant piratical activity in the area; Gilbert and Sullivan were more likely to be simply parodying the nineteenth-century romantic notion of lawless brigands as a subject for popular fiction.

Answer: St Ives

The first major professional artists to establish a studio in St Ives were Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada in 1920, who worked in the medium of pottery. Painters and sculptors such as Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth followed suit, and during the 1930s and 40s the "St Ives Society of Artists" became internationally renowned.

In recognition of this history, in 1993 the Tate Gallery opened a branch of its art museum in the town.

Answer: Truro

Truro is the county town of Cornwall, and is the home of the county's only cathedral. Truro Cathedral is a relative newcomer amomg English cathedrals, being built between 1880 and 1910 to a design by the architect John Loughborough Pearson. The city is also home to the Royal Cornwall Museum and the Hall for Cornwall, a theatre and arts centre.

Answer: St Piran

St Piran was a fifth-century monk, who is believed to have come to Cornwall from Ireland. He is the patron saint of tin-mining, which has been practised in Cornwall since Roman times. The black-and-white flag that bears his name is of more recent origin, however, and the first written evidence of it as the standard of Cornwall was in 1838.

It has since become something of a symbol of Cornish identity.

Answer: Lizard Point

Lizard Point is on the tip of the Lizard Peninsula, and is in fact not far from Land's End; 35 miles by road, or a more picturesque 43 miles along the coastal path. The name is actually not related to the reptile, but is believed to be derived from the ancient Cornish "Lys Ardh", or "High Court".

The other options can be found elsewhere in the UK; Tiger Bay is the old name for Cardiff Bay in South Wales, Badger's Mount is in Kent, and Catford Bridge is a railway station in south-east London.