The winning team, who scored 56/60. They are tour guides, mind.
Thanks to everyone who came along to the London-themed quiz we co-organised with the Royal Institution, as part of the Story of London Festival, last week. We raised £127.50 (curiously indivisible by the £8 team entrance fee) for the Mayor's Fund, a charity that helps disadvantaged Londoners. Congratulations to Madame Jo Jo's Sextet, who won the prize of a London-themed goody bag.
For those who couldn't make it, see if you can match the incredible 56/60 scored by the winning team. We've pasted in below the five spoken rounds (the picture round is too large to upload). If you're really struggling with any of the answers, speak up in the comments and we'll reveal all.
Round 2: Maritime London
Questions in this round set by the good folk at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
1. The huge steamship the Great Eastern was launched on the Thames in 1858. Who
designed it?
2. The greatest transport disaster in London’s history occurred in 1878, when a paddle steamer sank in the Thames with the loss of more than 600 lives. What was the name of the ship?
3. The Sovereign of the Seas, launched on the Thames in 1637, was the warship of which English king?
4. In what century AD did the Romans first establish a settlement called Londinium on the Thames?
5. Who designed the Royal Hospital on the south bank of the Thames in Greenwich?
6. MULTIPLE CHOICE: When was Tower Bridge officially opened: 1854, 1874 or 1894?
7. One Canada Square, or Canary Wharf Tower, was built in the heart of London’s former docklands, and remains (for a few more months at least) the tallest building in the UK. Who designed it?
8. Where is the largest container port on the Thames?
9. MULTIPLE CHOICE: When was the first tunnel under the Thames opened: 1843, 1853 or 1863?
10. MULTIPLE CHOICE: Made famous by Charles Darwin, HMS Beagle was built in which London dockyard: Woolwich, Deptford or Blackwall?
Round 3: Subterranean London
Questions set by Londonist.
1. Which abandoned Tube station recently allowed members of the public down onto its platforms, where they could experience a recreation of the station during the Blitz?
2. Name the buried river that flows through Marylebone, creates a noticeable valley on Oxford Street, travels on through Mayfair, Green Park and Pimlico before emptying into the Thames near Vauxhall.
3. Under which Whitehall building would you find PINDAR, a military citadel completed in 1994?
4. During the Second World War, a series of ‘deep level shelters’ were constructed across the capital. The drum shaped surface buildings remain to this day. But which of the following locations is not the site of one of these shelters?: Belsize Park, Stockwell, Camden Town, Tooting.
5. Which Tube station is often claimed to have the longest escalators in western Europe, prompting one reckless fellow to ski down them in 2007?
6. Churchill had an alternative cabinet war rooms built in Neasden, north London in case his Westminster base was knocked out of action. The rotting facility can be visited a couple of times each year. What code name was given to the bunker?
7. On which road would you find the London Silver Vaults, a subterranean market place dealing in silver?
8. Berry Brothers and Rudd, on St James Street, contains a famously extensive basement, which includes a blocked up passage through to St James’ Palace. But what does the shop trade in?
9. Which organisation maintained its own network of underground rail lines until it was mothballed for financial reasons in 2003?
10. Before the opening of the Jubilee Line extension in 1999, which station formed the southern terminus of that line?
Round 4: Fashionable London
This round was written by The Guides of London walking tour company.
1 . Which Oasis band member opened in a shop in Carnaby Street this year?
2. Name the Regency-era dandy, whose statue stands on Jermyn Street, credited with introducing the suit and tie
3 . Which pop star has just opened (September 2010) a vintage clothes shop in Covent Garden?
4 . On which road will you see a Blue Plaque to Norman Hartnell - The Queen’s dressmaker?
5 . Which immigrant group was famous for silk manufacturing in the 17th C, particularly in the Spitalfields area?
6 . Which big French fashion house opened its flagship store in Bond Street earlier
this year?
7 .Which famous daughter is the clothes designer for Team GB in the 2012 Olympics?
8 . Until last month, where could you see the exhibition: “Grace Kelly Style Icon”?
9. London Fashion Week takes place twice each year, but in which two months?
10. Which London designer, who died earlier this year, was often referred to as the “enfant terrible” of British Fashion?
Round 5: Science and Technology
This round prepared by the Royal Institution
1. Which London scientist invented the electric motor, discovered the structure of benzene and made the first rubber balloon?
2. Which museum in London was built and opened in 1881 and currently houses 70 million items within five main collections?
3. Where is the only planetarium in London?
4. Which moustached fertility expert is Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College?
5. The street outside which scientific organisation was made the first one way street in London, due to the congestion caused by the popularity of the lectures?
6. A student at UCL, who invented the telephone?
7. The Hunterian Museum at Lincoln's Inn Fields contains exhibits on which area of medicine?
8. Which scientific organisation is based at 6-9 Carlton House Terrace?
9. By which tube station is a hub of technology businesses known as ‘Silicon Roundabout’?
10. Which 19th Century pioneer of computing designed a ‘difference engine’ that was never built in his lifetime, but a replica, built in 1992, is now on display in the Science Museum?
Round 6: London through time
This round written by Londonist.
1. Celtic London: The London Stone crops up throughout London’s history. It’s origins are unknown, but are believed by some to date back to ancient, Druidic times. On which street can you see the stone today?
2. Roman London
The Roman market place, or forum, in London was supposedly the largest building in the Roman empire north of the Alps. Which market building stands on its ruins today?
3. Anglo-Saxon London
MULTIPLE CHOICE: Croydon was first recorded in the 8th century as Crog Dene. What is Crog Dene thought to mean? (a) Valley of crocuses, (b) stinking hole, (c) Place of lost souls?
4. Norman London
Name the sizeable Norman castle, a lesser version of the Tower of London, which once stood in the Blackfriars area.
5. Late Medieval London
Who led the Peasant’s Revolt in 1381, before being stabbed to death at Smithfield by the Lord Mayor of London?
6. Tudor London
Name the famous painter to the court of Henry VIII, whose works include The Ambassadors - on permanent exhibition at the National Gallery.
7. Stuart London
Outside which building, which still exists, was Charles I beheaded in 1649?
8. Georgian London
Which of these Georgian squares is not located in Bloomsbury: (a) Bedford Square, (b) Gordon Square, (c) Hanover Square, (d) Tavistock Square
9. Victorian London
How many murders are normally attributed to Jack the Ripper - the so-called ‘canonical’ murders?
10. Modern London
Name the new skyscraper which recently overtook Tower 42 to become the tallest in the City of London.
