Ruins of the British Isles Trivia Quiz

Answer: William Wordsworth

Tintern Abbey lies in Monmouthshire on the western (Welsh) side of the Wye River. After it was dissolved by Henry VIII, it became the property of the Earl of Worcester. The common practice of selling or removing the lead in the roofs of the monastic buildings hastened the ruination of the abbey. Turner and Gainsborough are among the artists who painted views of it.

Answer: Tintagel Castle

Knowledge of British geography eliminates most of the candidates. Kelso is in Scotland near the English border. Cornwall Castle is fictitious. Arundel is in south-eastern Britain, whereas Cornwall is in the south-west. Arundel is also one of the most noteworthy estate homes and definitely not a ruin.

Tintagel Castle was constructed in 1233 by the Earl of Cornwall. However, his successors had little interest in it, and it later was used by the Sheriff of Cornwall as a prison before falling into disrepair.

By legend Merlin appeared to Arthur's mother in the image of her husband, Uther Pendragon, and impregnated her at the castle.

Answer: King Arthur

Glastonbury Abbey and Glastonbury Tor are associated with Avalon, the mythical kingdom of Arthur. Many also claim that Joseph of Arimathea founded the first church at the site, bringing with him the cup (Holy Grail) used by Jesus at the Last Supper.

The abbey was built in 712 and later rebuilt after a fire.

Bede lived in Durham in the North and Owain led the Welsh rebellion against Henry IV

Answer: Avebury

Avebury was built around 2500 BC and has three stone circles. Some of the site was destroyed in the 18th century by local villagers, who believed the site was used for pagan sacrifices. Nearby Old Sarum was the site of a first century Roman fort and a later Norman cathedral, but little remains of it.

Melrose is an abbey in Scotland.
Quarry Bank Mill is an early textile factory in the Midlands that is now a museum.
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Wales near the slate quarries. (BTW the "Ff" is not a typo. It is used in Welsh to convey the "f" sound in English, whereas an "f" conveys the Enlish "v" sound).

Answer: Less than 100 miles

Hadrian's Wall crosses England at its narrowest point and is approximately 80 miles long. Most of the wall was constructed of stone, but some sections used turf. The wall is six to seven feet in height, usually with a ditch in front of it, and has forts placed about 5 miles apart. Many historians think the wall was not an effective military defense and may have been built to show off Roman power and collect taxes.

Hadrian's Wall was started in 122 AD. A second wall, the Antonine Wall, was started in 142 AD further north between the Firth of Clyde (Glasgow) and the Firth of Forth (Edinburgh). That wall was much higher and stronger, but soon abandoned as the Roman legions retreated to Hadrian's Wall.

John Clayton in the 1800s observed the state of disrepair of the wall and raised awareness before further damage occurred.

Answer: Rievaulx Abbey

Rievaulx was the second abbey established by the Cistercian monks in England after nearby Fountains Abbey. It was one of the wealthiest abbeys at the time of the Dissolution. The lead roofing and many stones were used to build the Duncombe estate. Even so, much of the architecture is relatively intact, and the view from Rievaulx Terrace to the Abbey grounds is spectacular.

Lindisfarne is located on the sea coast, and Woburn Abbey is in the English Midlands. Ampleforth is best known as the location of a religious public school (i.e. private school to Americans).

Answer: York

Vikings raiders controlled parts of northern England from about 800 until 1066 and left an imprint, especially in the North. The Jorvik Centre is a popular exhibit and tour within the central part of York, although it was closed temporarily after severe flooding in 2015. Jorvik was the Norse name for the city of York.

Answer: Kenilworth Castle

Oliver Cromwell destroyed many of the Royalist castles during the English Civil War as a defensive and punitive measure. Kenilworth was one of them, and was left with only two of its original castle buildings. It suffered neglect and fell into serious disrepair afterwards. The publication of Scott's book, "Kenilworth", raised awareness of the castle in Victorian England, leading to efforts to preserve it.

Sterling is a nearly-impregnable castle on a steep cliff in Scotland. Warwick is a castle in the Midlands, once home to Richard Neville - the Kingmaker. Alnwick (pronounced as if spelled Annick) is in Northumberland and was used for some scenes in the initial Harry Potter movies.

Answer: Coventry Cathedral

The Battle of Britain was far more extensive than the bombing of London. German bombers also made planned attacks over the industrial heart of Britain (Birmingham, Sheffield, Coventry, Leeds, Liverpool among others). Coventry Cathedral was almost totally destroyed during these attacks. It was rebuilt beside the remains of the original church.

Answer: Fire

Crystal Palace was one of the wonders of the modern world when it was built. It was over 1800 feet in length and 128 feet high, made almost entirely with plate glass. Almost 6 million people, about 1/4 of England's population, saw the Great Exhibition.

The original plans for it were all rejected, but a late design by Joseph Paxton was accepted. Paxton was not an architect, but the premier gardener of the day. However, his design was very innovative and solved an important issue how to drain water from the roof before the glass shattered.

The building was moved from its original location in Hyde Park to south London, but struggled with attendance and was falling into disrepair. A fire in 1936 destroyed the entire building with the exception of two water towers.