English Stately Homes Quiz / Test | World Sites

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1. For much of her life, Princess Diana was one of the most beloved and respected people of our time. We were enthralled at her storybook wedding, saddened by her marital breakdown, and gained a respect for her service as she served many causes. For many people her childhood home and burial place is a must-see destination to pay their respects. Where is this place?

Answer: Althorp

Althorp in Northamptonshire was obtained by John Spencer in 1508, and the current mansion in Northamptonshire dates from 1688. Princess Diana is interred on a small island in the middle of the Round Oval Lake on the property. The estate houses one of the finest art collections in England, along with an extensive porcelain collection.

Luton Hoo is an estate in Bedfordshire noted for its collection of works by Carl Faberge.
Sherbourne Castle is a historic home in Dorset built by Walter Raleigh.

2. Many of us watched the popular television show "Downton Abbey". We followed the Crawley family as they moved about their palatial estate, fictionally set in Yorkshire. Then we found out that their estate home wasn't a movie set, but a real-life stately home. Where would we go to visit the actual "Downton Abbey"?

Answer: Highclere

Highclere is located in Hampshire and is the home of the Earl of Carnarvon (Herbert family). Yes, one of the previous earls led the expedition which discovered the Tomb of Tutankhamen. The site of Highclere was recorded in the Domesday Book and the current mansion was build in the 1830s.

Before being used for the filming of Downton Abbey, Highclere was used to film the series Jeeves and Wooster. The filming of Downton Abbey and increased tourism provided a large infusion of cash to perform some desperately-needed maintenance.

3. Queen Elizabeth I rewarded her chief advisor William Cecil with this house in East Anglia, not far from Peterborough. One of the rooms in the house displays the many medals won by his descendant Lord David Cecil, including the 1928 gold medal and 1932 silver medal in the Olympic 400 meters hurdle. Which house is this?

Answer: Burghley House

Burghley House is situated in the greater Peterborough area, just outside the town of Stamford. It was constructed between 1558 and 1587. Lord Burghley, besides winning Olympic medals, was head of the organizing committee for the 1948 Olympics held in London.

4. Longleat House in Wiltshire is the estate of the Marquess of Bath. The Seventh Marquess (current as of 2016) had a well-established reputation for eccentricity, including keeping his mistresses (or "wifelets" as he called them) on the property and displaying his rather explicit paintings. What other unusual item could be found in the estate grounds?

Answer: Safari park

Longleat was the first English stately home to open its doors open to the general public, and the safari park was the first one established outside of Africa. Visitors to the park drive in their enclosed cars on a paved road. When we visited, the lions were lounging around quite contentedly, although a couple of rhinos seemed quite irritated with each other.

5. Many people know that Winston Churchill was born at his ancestral home of Blenheim Palace. A grateful nation had given his ancestor John Churchill this property and named him the Duke of Marlborough. Why did John Churchill choose Blenheim as the name of the estate?

Answer: Blenheim was the site of John Churchill's victory over French forces

John Churchill received this house as his reward for defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704 and named it in commemoration of this victory. The estate was designed by John Vanbrugh, who designed many of the magnificent homes of this era, such as Castle Howard in Yorkshire.

It is famed for the Marlborough Victory tapestries, its tribute exhibit for Winston Churchill, gardens, and maze.

6. Our favorite stately home was this magnificent estate in Derbyshire, the home of the Duke of Devonshire. The grounds are justly famed for the Cascades, the Serpentine Hedge, and the Emperor Fountain. It is also famous for the ladies of the estate, including Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire, Deborah Mitford, and Kathleen Kennedy. Where is this?

Answer: Chatsworth

Georgiana was famed as a fashion leader in the late 18th century. Deborah Mitford was the youngest of the famous Mitford sisters, which included two novelists, a Communist, and a Nazi sympathizer. Kathleen Kennedy married the future Duke, who was killed in WWII. The house and the estate are splendid, and Chatsworth has been voted Britain's favorite stately home several times. If you drive there, you may get a glimpse of the Crooked Spire Church in Chesterfield - a startling view.

Woburn Abbey is another magnificent estate in Bedfordshire, and Arundel is in Sussex. Both have been on the list of treasure houses at one time. Haddon Hall is relatively close to Chatsworth, near Bakewell in Derbyshire.

7. We visited our next stately home in combination with a trip to Canterbury. By the early twentieth century the house had fallen on hard times, until it was rescued by Olive, Lady Baillie, an American-born heiress related to the American Whitney family. Situated in a small lake, its name might make you think it is located in the North of England, but in fact it is in the South-east. What is this stately home?

Answer: Leeds Castle

Lady Baillie was born Olive Paget, the daughter of an Englishman and an American mother. At a young age she inherited a major part of the Whitney family inheritance. She and her husband at the time bought Leeds Castle in 1926. The home had not been lived in for several years and had fallen into severe disrepair. Lady Baillie spent a large amount of money restoring the home to its former glory.

8. We spent a pleasant summer evening listening to a "proms" concert in the grounds of this 17th century estate near York. It was the first major project designed by John Vanbrugh and is famed for its collection of Holbein paintings. Despite its name, it's more a stately home than a castle and is named after one of the traditional powerful families in the North.

Answer: Castle Howard

Many of the great English homes open their grounds to summer concerts, and the spacious grounds of Castle Howard are an ideal location for this. Situated between a pair of lakes, the grounds contain fountains, waterfalls, and rose gardens.

Ripley Castle is located near Fountains Abbey, between Harrogate and Ripon. The Ingilby family of Ripley Castle saved the life of a king from an attacking wild boar, avoided arrest by Oliver Cromwell by hiding in a priest's hole, and were involved tangentially in the Gunpowder Plot.
Although the Percy family was extremely powerful, none of their homes was named Percy castle.

9. The next house is just outside Leeds and was the former home of Princess Mary, the sister of King Edward VIII and King George VI. It was the home of the Lascelles family, and she lived there after marriage to the Viscount Lascelles. The house is known for its collection of Chippendale furniture and the grounds for its Italian-style garden and its bird sanctuary.

Answer: Harewood House

Princess Mary was very popular with the British people. She established the Christmas Gift Fund in 1914 to send presents to British soldiers and sailors fighting WWI. She was also instrumental in the growth of the Girl Guides in Britain and held an honorary lifetime position with them.

The Lascelles family arrived in England with William the Conqueror, and later family members became successful plantation owners in the West Indies. Princess Mary's elder son was the first member of the modern royal family to be divorced, which was a scandal at that time.

10. Beaulieu, located in the heart of the New Forest area in Hampshire, is the home of the Montagu family. It was built on the site of Beaulieu Abbey, which was founded in 1204. Beaulieu has an important national museum on its grounds. Which museum is there?

Answer: National Motor Museum

The National Motor Museum traces the story of motoring from 1894 to the present. The museum has many special displays and more than 250 vehicles, including legendary world record holders such as Bluebird and Golden Arrow.

The Royal Armory is located in the Tower of London and Leeds.
The Lords Cricket Ground in London houses the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) Museum of cricket memorabilia from 1894 onwards.
The Royal Geographic Society has its headquarters in the Kensington district of London.

Source: Author SixShutouts66

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
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English Stately Homes Trivia Quiz

During our three years in the UK, we used Kodak's Treasure Houses of England as a guide to that country's great estates. Join us as we visit some of these stately homes and others - and try to identify the homes or facts about them.

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