London Timeline Trivia Quiz

Answer: Claudius established Roman London

Claudius established what was one day to become the greatest city in the world way back then and built the first bridge crossing the Thames. Boadicea attacked in AD 61. The man in charge of London, Suetonius, defended London from the Britons for a while but then ran and left it to its fate, which generally invovled being raped and pillaged by Boadicea's Britons.

The Roman troops began to leave the city, and indeed the country, in AD 410 after erecting London's city wall, building roads, bridging the Thames and doing all kinds of other things. (See Monty Python's "Life of Brian" for further details).

The first St. Paul's was built by King Ethelbert in AD 600. Presumably not by the king himself, but you know what I mean.

Answer: Westminster Abbey was completed

This was the date of completion of the original Abbey, which has been altered and enlarged considerably since 1065. The fantastic Westminster Abbey is world-famous as the resting place of Britain's monarchs, and as the setting for their coronations. There is a very punctual ghost who is said to haunt the abbey.

It is known as Father Benedictus and always appears between 5pm and 6pm in the cloister, gliding several inches above the present flagging,interesting because the floor of the abbey has become lower with the passage of time. King William I was crowned in Westminster Abbey in 1066.

The most recent coronation was of course, Queen Elizabeth II's in 1953. And now to the other options ... London Bridge was pulled down by Olaf, the Norse invader, in 1014. And the work was started for the first stone bridge in 1176.

It was completed in 1209 and lasted for 600 years. It was the only bridge across the Thames in London until Westminster Bridge was put up in 1750 and the bridge was home to shops and houses that projected over both sides of the bridge.

The bridge also possessed its own chapel, the Chapel of St. Thomas which was one of its first buildings, built the year the bridge was finished. The bridge had 19 arches and was, for many years, the longest stone bridge in England. One of the more recent London Bridges was pulled down and sold to the Americans to put in a lake in Arizona. Rumour has it that the Americans who bought it though they were getting Tower Bridge and were rather disappointed by the slightly drab and boring grey stone bridge they received.

Answer: Richard Whittington became Lord Mayor of London

Contrary to popular belief, Dick Whittington did exist outside of fairy tales. The fairy tale would have us believe that Whittington was a penniless boy who came to London to seek his fortune. Richard Whittington was in fact the son of a noble. He become Lord Mayor three times and was one of London's most celebrated early politicians.
Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in 1170 by the order of King Henry II. The Archbishop and the King were arguing about little matters like the church, the state, and the running of the country. Henry encouraged his knights to go to Canterbury where Becket was. He sought refuge in the cathedral, believing the king's knights would not dare kill on a sacred site. He was wrong. Henry's knights killed Becket inside Canterbury Cathedral itself. This was one of the most outrageous scandals of the age and Becket was canonized soon afterwards.

Henry Fitzalwin became the first mayor in 1191.

The are two dates given for the first parliament: the first parliament was summoned in 1265 by the rebel, Simon de Montfort, and met in Oxford. Though it wasn't an official body, in 1965 the Royal Mail issued a stamp commemorating the 700th anniversary of parliament. The first official parlaiment was summoned by Edward I in 1295 on the same basis as that of the 1265 parliament and is often referred to as the 'Model Parliament'.

Answer: Henry VIII became King

Despite Henry's serial monogamy, he was a clever and authoritative king. He became king at the tender age of 17 and during his reign he increased prosperity, broke with Rome and generally improved the state of his kingdom. And all that in a country in turmoil and without a standing army!
Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, gave him a son, Edward. Edward became king at the age of nine after the death of his father in 1547. Since he was just a child Protectors ruled in his name. These Protectors mismanaged the economy and alienated large areas of the community. Edward was ill with tuberculosis for much of his reign and too weak to argue with the men who were ruining his country. Wishing for the country to remain Protestant he named his Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey, as his successor rather than his Catholic half-sister, Mary.
Lady Jane Grey's reign was short, nine days. She was beheaded and Mary, Henry VIII's eldest child, seized the throne in 1553. Mary had been the true heir anyway and she set about making the country Catholic. She massacred, killed and burned Protestants, earning her the label 'Bloody Mary'. The country remained stoutly Protestant and the Catholic Queen was not mourned when she died.
In 1558 Mary's half-sister Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn came to power. She ruled much as her father did, keeping the country Protestant. The magnificent queen even rode into battle declaring that she might be a woman but she had 'the heart and stomach of a king'. Mary left Elizabeth a country riddled with religious division. Elizabeth succeeded in reconciling these differences and ruled over a country that revelled in a golden age of literature and exploration. She died, childless and unmarried, in 1603 marking the end of the most dysfuntional of dysfunctional families.
On a purely objective and trivial note. I strongly believe that the best portryal of the virgin queen, Elizabeth I, was by Miranda Richardson in 'Blackadder II'. Any other actor is just pretending to be Elizabeth I.

Answer: Shakespeare's first play was produced

Shakespeare is closely associated with the Globe Theatre in Southwark and probably lived nearby. The theatres back in the day were built of wood and open to the elements. Plays were often rained off in bad weather. Shakespeare is possibly the biggest celebrity of all time. Even in his day he entertained Queen Elizabeth I in Middle Temple Hall, where she watched 'Twelfth Night'. Shakespeare is immortalized in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey but is buried in Stratford. The present, excellent reproduction of the Globe Theatre in Southwark is a mere few hundred metres from the original site and is a fascinating visit.
Samuel Pepys, the famous diarist was born in 1633 of Fleet Street in London. His diaries give us inside information on the happenings in London and everyday courtly life in the 17th century. Pepys was the very first gossip columnist!
The first printing press was made in 1476 by William Caxton in Westminster.
Geoffrey Chaucer died in 1400. He is most famous for his book, 'The Canterbury Tales' which is a window into the 14th century. He was born in Upper Thames Street, the son of an innkeeper and spent his days as a poet and customs controller. He is reputed to have had every vice under the sun.
On another shallow note, my favourite representation of him is Paul Bettany's in the movie 'A Knight's Tale'.

Answer: The Monarchy was restored

Civil War broke out in 1642. The mercantile class demanded that some of the monarch's power (Charles I) should be passed to parliament. Parliament defied King Charles and tempers flared. Cromwell led the revolution against the King.

In 1649 King Charles I was executed for treason outside Banqueting House. Banqueting House (which stands in Whitehall) was seen as a glorification of royalty by Cromwell and his cronies. Despite their abhorrence of it (or maybe because of it) Charles II celebrated his restoration there and it is still used occasionally for official functions.

Back to the point, the King was beheaded and the country became a commonwealth in 1649, largely dominated by Cromwell and the Puritans. Cromwell became Lord Protector of the Realm in 1653. He and his Puritans outlawed things like dancing and the theatre. No wonder then that when the monarchy was restored in 1660 under Charles II there was exuberant rejoicing. There's nothing like a monarch to bring back debauchery and other fun things. Cromwell had died in 1658 but, presumably just to be petty, at the Restoration of the king his corpse was dug up and hung from the gallows at Tyburn near Hyde Park. He won't be trying THAT again...

Answer: London's first horse-drawn bus service was introduced

London's first horse bus was introducted in 1829 and they were common and popular means of public transport until 1899 when motor buses were introduced. The Victorian Flower Market was built in 1872 and this is where the London Transport Museum is now housed (in Covent Garden). If you visit London, go to this museum to see buses, trains, trams and the like from the past. You don't have to be a train spotter to like this museum. As with all the London museums it is a cleverly laid out and wonderfully presented exhibition. It has a lot of hands-on exhibits for the kids (and big kids) and I highly recommend it.

The first roller skates were worn by a Belgian musical instrument maker called Joseph Marlin at a masquerade held in Soho Square in central London. Marlin glided into the room on his skates playing a violin. Unable to change direction or slow his speed, Marlin crashed into a £500 mirror smashing it, breaking his violin and seriously wounding himself. But other than that it was a grand show!

Answer: The Great Exhibition

If I had access to a time machine and only one trip allowed I would go back to 1851 and visit the Great Exhibition. Joseph Paxton built the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park and the Great Exhibition was held inside. It celebrated industry, technology and the expanding British Empire. The Crystal Palace was 560m long and 33m high and was a magnificent structure. Elm trees growing in Hyde Park were left standing and the structure was built around them. The Crystal Fountain inside Crystal Palace was 8m high. Carpets and stained glass hung from the galleries. Before it was opened soldiers marched and jumped on the floors to test it. Great parties, plays and pantomimes were held at the year round Great Exhibition and season tickets were issued. Around 14,000 exhibitors came from all around the globe bringing more than 100,000 exhibits to swell the Great Exhibition. Six million people visited the Great Exhibition between May and October of 1851. In 1852 the Crystal Palace was dismantled and re-erected in south London where it stood until it was destroyed completely by fire in 1936. I don't think anything could compare to Victorian Londoners partying in Paxton's exquisite structure surrounded by exhibits from around the world.

The Great Stink was in 1858. Due to massive and rapid increases in the population of London, sewage draining into the Thames and a hot summer the Thames became so smelly and polluted it was unapproachable. Cholera epidemics ravaged London and the smell from the Thames was so bad at one point that parliament had to go into recess. And the other two options there, I made up.

Answer: The first BBC national radio broadcast was aired

Broadcasting House was built in 1931 near Regent's Park to provide an Art Deco headquarters for BBC radio. Its front is dominated by Eric Gill's relief of Prospero and Ariel. The lobby has been restored to its original 1930's appearance. Broadcasting House was still being used to broadcast radio shows during the blitz and radio journalists who were working at the time will regale you (or interviewers) at the slightest provocation with stories about the items they broadcast while bombs exploded around them.

In 1936 Edward VIII succeeded to the throne of England on the death of his father, King George V. He might have been a very modern king. He loved jazz and followed American fashions. Unfortunately he fell in love with American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. He was forced to choose between her and the throne. He chose her and abdicated in the same year. Edward never even managed to get a coronation but it was still the scandal of the century! Edward's brother George VI became king of England in Edward's place. George had never wanted to be king. But he was one of the most respected kings of all time. During World War Two he refused to send his family to Canada and insisted on living like everyone else, living off rations and enduring the bombing raids like his people. This shy king single-handedly restored prestige to the monarchy.

In 1931 the full force of the Great Depression hit London. This worldwide disaster crushed the decadent and energetic London that had emerged from the First World War. For a wonderful portrayal of the nightlife of 1920's London read H.V. Morton's 'Nights of London' - an absolutely fascinating read.

Answer: The Millennium Bridge was re-opened.

The flawed Millennium Bridge was originally opened in the year 2000. The foot-bridge over the Thames linked St Paul's Cathedral and the Tate Modern art gallery. It looked absolutely wonderful but, unfortunately, it wobbled. The winds on the Thames and the volume of people crossing it caused the bridge to sway unnervingly. It was closed and fixed up and it re-opened in 2002. Despite its shaky track record it is a beautiful structure.

The Millennium Dome opened in 2000 in Greenwich. It is hated by the vast majority of Londoners. The dome was a massive disaster. It sucked almost a billion pounds out of education and health budgets. The estimated number of visitors fell far short of predictions, 12 million were expected and only 7 million came to visit the Dome. It was designed by Richard Rodgers and contained 14 themed zones including the Mind Zone and the Body Zone. The government desperately tried to get this massive failure off their hands and finally managed it in 2002. It is planned to make it into a arena but I think most Londoners would be quite happy to tip it into the Thames and see it float out to sea.

The Canary Wharf developed was opened in 1992. It is an office complex with shops, offices and accommodation. It's most striking feature, the Canary Wharf Tower was designed by Cesar Pelli and is London's tallest building. For a long time after its opening it was a huge flop. Offices and houses remained empty. Lately it has renovated itself. It has wonderful, intimate little plazas, a shopping centre and cosy little cafes. It has given new life to that area of the docks and transformed east London.

The architect Norman Foster planned a tower to be built in the city. It has already been labelled 'the Gherkin' and, as of 2003 it has not been built yet. It is supposedly the most environmentally sound building in London, but it looks like a big, glass gherkin. Londoners are not thrilled about this new addition to our already vandalised city. Architects have a lot to answer for ...

I urge you to come to London and see all this stuff. London's a great city. Come to the Museum of London and marvel at our history. Go take a boat ride on the Thames and 'ooh' and 'aah' at the beautiful buildings and laugh at the ugly ones. London has a sense of humour, it has dignity and it has more history than it can handle. The 'Eyewitness travel guide to London' is an invaluable book to guide you around London. And see if you can get a hold of a copy of the 'Londoner's Almanac' which has many odd and fascinating facts about this world city.