London Landmarks: Truth or Fiction Quiz

Answer: True

The statue sits atop the Shaftsbury Memorial Fountain, named after the great 19th century politician, social reformer and philanthropist, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, the seventh Earl of Shaftsbury.

The sculptor, Alfred Gilbert, had already created another sculpture of Anteros and also chose to model his new commission on the twin brother of Eros, as he believed Anteros represented a quality of reflective and mature love which suited Shaftsbury's work as a social reformer. This was opposed to Eros, who represented a more frivolous approach to love.

Cast in aluminium, the statue was erected between 1892-93, but immediately drew criticism, being deemed too vulgar and sensual to represent Shaftsbury. An attempt was made to quell the criticism by renaming the statue "The Angel of Christian Charity", but the name did not really catch on. It became generally known as "Eros", perhaps appropriately given its proximity to Soho, with its somewhat lurid reputation.

Answer: The name Cutty Sark derives from a Scottish word for a short undergarment

The word Cutty Sark can be traced back to Early Middle and Old English, with Cutty meaning short, and Sark a form of chemise (a type of women's underwear).

In the 18th century, Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote a poem called "Tam o` Shanter" about a witch named Nannie Dee, who wore a short chemise that exposed the top half her body. As such she gained the nickname Cutty-Sark.

When constructed in the late 19th century, the ship was given Nannie Dee's nickname and a figurehead carved to resemble Dee was placed on the ship's bow.

The Cutty Sark now lies in dry dock in Greenwich, having undergone major restoration in the 21st century, including reconstruction after a major fire caused widespread damage to the ship in 2007. Fortunately, many of the ships timbers had already been removed for storage at this point due to conservation work being carried out on the ship.

Answer: The forward guns are trained on a motorway service station

Anchored in the Pool of London, HMS Belfast served the Royal Navy during World War Two and beyond, before being mothballed in 1963. In 1971, the ship was brought to London, having been saved from being scrapped, and opened to the public. With the exception of being taken away for maintenance on her hull, the ship has remained on the River Thames ever since.

A sign on board HMS Belfast states that the forward guns are trained on Scratchwood Service Station (now known as London Gateway Service Station) on the A1, which lies within the 12 mile range of the ship's main guns.

Answer: True

With construction beginning in 2007, 20 Fenchurch Street caused a major problem for its designers as it neared completion in 2013. The building's curved glass design and position meant that at certain times of the day, the glass panels caught the rays of the sun, focusing them on a small area of the street below.

As a result a few cars became damaged; the heat generated buckling and blistering paintwork. In addition, paintwork on shops in the area began to burn, as temperatures soar to between 90°C and 117°C.

Quickly dubbed the "Fryscraper" and "Walkie Scorchie", the building soon began to attract media attention. This included a journalist frying an egg to demonstrate the temperatures being generated by the building.

Work since has been carried out to rectify the problem, and now the building is opened for use. Along with the 35 floors of office space, there is also a three storey roof garden located at the top of the building.

Answer: Tower Bridge is the last bridge over the River Thames before the sea

On the north side of Tower Bridge there is a mortuary - no longer used - where bodies recovered from the River Thames were once stored.

In 2014, glass walkways were installed giving visitors a view of the bridge below. Details can be found at http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/.

One walkway was briefly closed however when one of the staff dropped a glass bottle on to the walkway, cracking a glass panel. The website also shows times when the bridge is opened to allow ships to pass through.

In 1952, a London double decker bus was crossing the bridge, when it began to open. As the side the bus was on was higher than the other side of the bridge being raised, the driver managed to jump the bus across the gap, thus preventing a disaster. An inquiry later discovered the bus driver had been given a green light to cross, even though a ship was approaching the bridge.

Answer: True

Built to commemorate the Great Fire of London, the monument stands 202 ft tall (62 metres), the same distance as it stands from where the fire is said to have started in Pudding Lane.

Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke, the design of the column was approved in 1671, with the column being completed six years later. Inside was fitted a zenith telescope for observations of the stars. In addition, experiments on gravity took place using pendulums in the monument's basement. However, these experiments were discontinued due to vibrations caused by traffic in the area around the column.

In addition, there is a spiral staircase leading up to an observation platform. This gives visitors brave enough to climb the 311 steps a panoramic view over London.

Answer: One of the gateways into the City of London

The original Temple Bar gate was built to regulate trade coming into the City of London. The gate was originally positioned in Fleet Street where the City of Westminster met the City of London.

The current gateway was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666. Originally sited next to where the Royal Courts of Justice are located, it was moved to Theobalds Park in 1974 to make way for road improvements. In 1984, the gateway was purchased and dismantled, before being rebuilt in Paternoster Square next to Wren's best known building, St Paul's Cathedral, opening to the public in 2004.

The statues on the gateway depict Charles II and his father Charles I on one side. On the other is depicted James I and his wife Anne of Denmark.

Answer: True

Marked out in the courtyard of the Royal Observatory is a line delineating where zero degrees longitude runs. In essence you can stand in both the eastern and western hemisphere of Earth at the same time. However, modern GPS receivers put the line of longitude some 100 metres to the east of the observatory due to a different datum point used by GPS satellites.

Commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II, the Royal Observatory was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the architect behind the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire of London in 1666. Wren was aided by Robert Hooke, well known at the time in the field of science for his discoveries about gravity and horology.

The observatory itself was built on the site of a house Henry VIII used to house his mistresses when in residence at his palace, which once stood in the park.

In 1851, the Royal Observatory was chosen as the site for the Prime Meridian (zero degrees longitude) although modern GPS systems now put this to be some 100 meters away from the line marked in the courtyard due to their reference point.

Until 1954, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) was also set at the observatory. Now GMT is more correctly known as Universal Time.

Answer: The tower was once whitewashed

Built during the reign of William the Conqueror, construction on the Great Tower began around 1075 to 1079 AD. Mainly built of Kentish Ragstone, and originally faced with imported Caen Stone, the appearance of the keep would have appeared to have been quite light in colour.

The name "The White Tower" though is said to have originated during the reign of Henry III, when the tradition of whitewashing buildings became popular.

Answer: True

Over time it has become a popular misconception that Nelson wore an eye patch to cover his missing eye. The truth is that Nelson never wore an eye patch. He did however have an eye shade fitted to some of his hats to protect his good eye from bright sunlight.

The myth surrounding Nelson's eye patch occurred long after he had died, in order to make his actions seem even more heroic. In fact he never actually lost an eye, only his sight in that eye. Doctors at the time could not distinguish whether Nelson was truly blind. Even though Nelson at the time could claim a disability allowance for the loss his right arm, he was never able to claim for loss of vision.