Claiming something to be the ‘oldest’ is often fraught with problems, so bear with me on what I think are the correct answers. As with the previous Quizzes, the correct answer will turn green when it’s clicked upon and expanded to give more information. The incorrect answers will turn red giving the correct explanation.
1. Britain’s oldest door can be found in which religious building in London?
Westminster Abbey
CORRECT Westminster Abbey has Britain’s oldest door, dated for the first time in 2005 by the process known as dendrochronology, it showed the wood had been felled after 1032 and the door constructed sometime in the 1050s during the reign of King Edward the Confessor.
Tower of London
WRONG Westminster Abbey has Britain’s oldest door, dated for the first time in 2005 by the process known as dendrochronology, it showed the wood had been felled after 1032 and the door constructed sometime in the 1050s during the reign of King Edward the Confessor.
Fulham Palace
WRONG Westminster Abbey has Britain’s oldest door, dated for the first time in 2005 by the process known as dendrochronology, it showed the wood had been felled after 1032 and the door constructed sometime in the 1050s during the reign of King Edward the Confessor.
2. What is the capital’s oldest mainline train station in Zone One?
Kings Cross
WRONG London Bridge station was opened in December 1836. Kings Cross was opened in 1852 and named after a huge statue of much-derided statue of George IV, removed in 1842. Charing Cross Station was named after a short street near the notional centre of London from which distances from the city are measured and opened in 1864.
London Bridge
CORRECT London Bridge station was opened in December 1836. Kings Cross was opened in 1852 and named after a huge statue of much-derided statue of George IV, removed in 1842. Charing Cross Station was named after a short street near the notional centre of London from which distances from the city are measured and opened in 1864.
Charing Cross
WRONG London Bridge station was opened in December 1836. Kings Cross was opened in 1852 and named after a huge statue of much-derided statue of George IV, removed in 1842. Charing Cross Station was named after a short street near the notional centre of London from which distances from the city are measured and opened in 1864.
3. Which restaurant claims to be London’s oldest?
Rules
CORRECT Established in 1798, Rules is regarded as London’s oldest restaurant. Edward, The Prince of Wales would entertain his mistresses there in a secret room. Established in 1889, Sweetings is London’s oldest seafood restaurant, apparently gangster George Francis once offered one-time owner George Needham £1,000,000 in cash for the restaurant. Wiltons began life as an oyster stall in 1742 before its establishment in St James in the 1840s, they proudly announced in 2017 that it was older than America.
Wiltons
WRONG Established in 1798, Rules is regarded as London’s oldest restaurant. Edward, The Prince of Wales would entertain his mistresses there in a secret room. Established in 1889, Sweetings is London’s oldest seafood restaurant, apparently gangster George Francis once offered one-time owner George Needham £1,000,000 in cash for the restaurant. Wiltons began life as an oyster stall in 1742 before its establishment in St James in the 1840s, they proudly announced in 2017 that it was older than America.
Sweetings
WRONG Established in 1798, Rules is regarded as London’s oldest restaurant. Edward, The Prince of Wales would entertain his mistresses there in a secret room. Established in 1889, Sweetings is London’s oldest seafood restaurant, apparently gangster George Francis once offered one-time owner George Needham £1,000,000 in cash for the restaurant. Wiltons began life as an oyster stall in 1742 before its establishment in St James in the 1840s, they proudly announced in 2017 that it was older than America.
4. Some of the world’s earliest shops can be found in London, but which is the oldest?
Lock & Co
CORRECT Curiously all three are near each other. Lock & Co founded in 1676 is the oldest hatter in the world who invented the bowler. Berry Brothers are next door and have been supplying fine wines since 1698. Founded by a saddler and whip maker in 1750, Swaine Adeney Brigg has been selling leather goods for centuries, supplying luggage for films including the Kingsman movies.
Berry Brothers & Rudd
WRONG Curiously all three are near each other. Lock & Co founded in 1676 is the oldest hatter in the world who invented the bowler. Berry Brothers are next door and have been supplying fine wines since 1698. Founded by a saddler and whip maker in 1750, Swaine Adeney Brigg has been selling leather goods for centuries, supplying luggage for films including the Kingsman movies.
Swaine Adeney Brigg
WRONG Curiously all three are near each other. Lock & Co founded in 1676 is the oldest hatter in the world who invented the bowler. Berry Brothers are next door and have been supplying fine wines since 1698. Founded by a saddler and whip maker in 1750, Swaine Adeney Brigg has been selling leather goods for centuries, supplying luggage for films including the Kingsman movies.
5. We’ve more statues than you could shake a stick at, but which is the oldest?
King Alfred the Great in Trinity Church Square
CORRECT Created in the 14th century in honour of King Alfred, the man who ruled Wessex in the 9th century was originally located at the Palace of Westminster before it was brought to its present location in 1823 at about the time the square was being laid. Credited as being London’s oldest equestrian bronze, King Charles I statue is used to measure all distances from London. Queen Elizabeth I dates from 1586 and was created during her reign.
King Charles I sitting astride his horse on the southern side of Trafalgar Square
WRONG Created in the 14th century in honour of King Alfred, the man who ruled Wessex in the 9th century was originally located at the Palace of Westminster before it was brought to its present location in 1823 at about the time the square was being laid. Credited as being London’s oldest equestrian bronze, King Charles I statue is used to measure all distances from London. Queen Elizabeth I dates from 1586 and was created during her reign.
Queen Elizabeth I standing on the facade of St Dunstan-in-the-West in Fleet Street
WRONG Created in the 14th century in honour of King Alfred, the man who ruled Wessex in the 9th century was originally located at the Palace of Westminster before it was brought to its present location in 1823 at about the time the square was being laid. Credited as being London’s oldest equestrian bronze, King Charles I statue is used to measure all distances from London. Queen Elizabeth I dates from 1586 and was created during her reign.
6. Where is what’s claimed to be London’s oldest house?
Mayesbrooke Road, Barking
WRONG Estimated to have been first built in 1435 this house was known as Walthamstow Tony. Sadly, this isn’t after a 15th century East London ‘Tone’ living in Walthamstow, but the name probably derives from the combination of a Saxon landowner ‘Waltheof’ and the name of a French nobleman called Ralph de Toni. Hidden down a small street in Farringdon lies 41/42 Cloth Fair, built between 1597 and 1614, this is the only house in the City of London to have survived the Great Fire of London. Was the Gunpowder Plot hatched at Eastbury Manor House, Mayesbrooke Road, Barking built in 1557? So says a local tradition supported by the author Daniel Defoe.
Cloth Fair, Smithfield
WRONG Estimated to have been first built in 1435 this house was known as Walthamstow Tony. Sadly, this isn’t after a 15th century East London ‘Tone’ living in Walthamstow, but the name probably derives from the combination of a Saxon landowner ‘Waltheof’ and the name of a French nobleman called Ralph de Toni. Hidden down a small street in Farringdon lies 41/42 Cloth Fair, built between 1597 and 1614, this is the only house in the City of London to have survived the Great Fire of London. Was the Gunpowder Plot hatched at Eastbury Manor House, Mayesbrooke Road, Barking built in 1557? So says a local tradition supported by the author Daniel Defoe.
Church Lane, Walthamstow
CORRECT Estimated to have been first built in 1435 this house was known as Walthamstow Tony. Sadly, this isn’t after a 15th century East London ‘Tone’ living in Walthamstow, but the name probably derives from the combination of a Saxon landowner ‘Waltheof’ and the name of a French nobleman called Ralph de Toni. Hidden down a small street in Farringdon lies 41/42 Cloth Fair, built between 1597 and 1614, this is the only house in the City of London to have survived the Great Fire of London. Was the Gunpowder Plot hatched at Eastbury Manor House, Mayesbrooke Road, Barking built in 1557? So says a local tradition supported by the author Daniel Defoe.
7. You can still worship in London’s oldest Christian church, but which one?
St. Bartholomew-the-Great
WRONG Believed to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England, St. Pancras Old Church was established around the 4th century, on the site of a former Roman temple. St Bartholomew-the-Great in Smithfield might be the oldest intact continuous place of worship, dating back to 1123. Some parts of the original building remain. All Hallows dates back to 625, but very little of the original structure remains.
All Hallows by the Tower
WRONG Believed to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England, St. Pancras Old Church was established around the 4th century, on the site of a former Roman temple. St Bartholomew-the-Great in Smithfield might be the oldest intact continuous place of worship, dating back to 1123. Some parts of the original building remain. All Hallows dates back to 625, but very little of the original structure remains.
St. Pancras Old Church
CORRECT Believed to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England, St. Pancras Old Church was established around the 4th century, on the site of a former Roman temple. St Bartholomew-the-Great in Smithfield might be the oldest intact continuous place of worship, dating back to 1123. Some parts of the original building remain. All Hallows dates back to 625, but very little of the original structure remains.
8. Love it, or loathe it, can you identify the oldest actress to appear on BBC’s Eastenders?
Barbara Windsor
WRONG June Brown joined the show in 1985, the year it was created, and stayed until January 2020, playing Dot Cotton the chain-smoking, quick-witted and loveable character who left the square in 2020 aged 94. Gretchen Franklin played Ethel Skinner’s final scenes at the age of 89, marking the end of her acting career. The late Barbara Winsor was a mere 79 years old when she left The Vic.
Gretchen Franklin
WRONG June Brown joined the show in 1985, the year it was created, and stayed until January 2020, playing Dot Cotton the chain-smoking, quick-witted and loveable character who left the square in 2020 aged 94. Gretchen Franklin played Ethel Skinner’s final scenes at the age of 89, marking the end of her acting career. The late Barbara Winsor was a mere 79 years old when she left The Vic.
June Brown
CORRECT June Brown joined the show in 1985, the year it was created, and stayed until January 2020, playing Dot Cotton the chain-smoking, quick-witted and loveable character who left the square in 2020 aged 94. Gretchen Franklin played Ethel Skinner’s final scenes at the age of 89, marking the end of her acting career. The late Barbara Winsor was a mere 79 years old when she left The Vic.
9. Have you watched a match at London’s oldest football club?
Fulham
CORRECT Their formation in 1879 make Fulham the oldest professional club in London and the second oldest in the world. The oldest senior non-league club is thought to be Cray Wanderers, founded in 1860, currently playing in Bromley.
Chelsea
WRONG Their formation in 1879 make Fulham the oldest professional club in London and the second oldest in the world. The oldest senior non-league club is thought to be Cray Wanderers, founded in 1860, currently playing in Bromley.
Arsenal
WRONG Their formation in 1879 make Fulham the oldest professional club in London and the second oldest in the world. The oldest senior non-league club is thought to be Cray Wanderers, founded in 1860, currently playing in Bromley.
10. Noted for its quintessential squares, but which is London’s oldest?
Charterhouse
WRONG The earliest squares were little more than open grass, surrounded by timber fences. The first square to have a properly laid out garden at its centre was probably Soho Square built in 1681 by the Earl of Macclesfield. Did you know? The body of Oliver Cromwell is said to lie beneath Red Lion Square, dug up from Westminster Abbey in 1666 and dumped in unconsecrated ground.
Soho
CORRECT The earliest squares were little more than open grass, surrounded by timber fences. The first square to have a properly laid out garden at its centre was probably Soho Square built in 1681 by the Earl of Macclesfield. Did you know? The body of Oliver Cromwell is said to lie beneath Red Lion Square, dug up from Westminster Abbey in 1666 and dumped in unconsecrated ground.
Red Lion
WRONG The earliest squares were little more than open grass, surrounded by timber fences. The first square to have a properly laid out garden at its centre was probably Soho Square built in 1681 by the Earl of Macclesfield. Did you know? The body of Oliver Cromwell is said to lie beneath Red Lion Square, dug up from Westminster Abbey in 1666 and dumped in unconsecrated ground.
Ihope you enjoyed January’s questions and even managed to answer a few. This month’s quiz is about memorials and monuments in London. As before the correct answer will turn green when it’s clicked upon and expanded to give more information. The incorrect answers will turn red giving the correct explanation.
1. Which Blue Plaque uses the typeface designed by its recipient?
Edward Johnston
CORRECT Johnston’s eponymous font was introduced onto London’s transport system in 1916 and with minor modifications is still in use. The blue plaque at 3 Hammersmith Terrace is the only one using a typeface designed by the person so commemorated.
William Caslon
WRONG Johnston’s eponymous font was introduced onto London’s transport system in 1916 and with minor modifications is still in use. The blue plaque at 3 Hammersmith Terrace is the only one using a typeface designed by the person so commemorated.
Emery Walker
WRONG Johnston’s eponymous font was introduced onto London’s transport system in 1916 and with minor modifications is still in use. The blue plaque at 3 Hammersmith Terrace is the only one using a typeface designed by the person so commemorated.
2. What is Florence Nightingale’s statue made from?
Bronze
WRONG The statue of Florence Nightingale on the north terrace of St. Thomas’ Hospital is an oddity, the bronze original was stolen in 1970 and has never been recovered. Its replacement is a plastic-composite.
Plastic
CORRECT The statue of Florence Nightingale on the north terrace of St. Thomas’ Hospital is an oddity, the bronze original was stolen in 1970 and has never been recovered. Its replacement is a plastic-composite.
Marble
WRONG The statue of Florence Nightingale on the north terrace of St. Thomas’ Hospital is an oddity, the bronze original was stolen in 1970 and has never been recovered. Its replacement is a plastic-composite.
3. Why was Ben Jonson buried standing up?
To use less space
CORRECT Approaching death in considerably reduced circumstances, Ben Jonson managed to bag a place at Westminster Abbey in Poet’s Corner, by having a plot of only 18in square. Paying just eighteen pence for the inscription the stonemason misspelt his name: O Rare Ben Johnson. I guess you get what you pay for.
He said he would never lie down to die
WRONG Approaching death in considerably reduced circumstances, Ben Jonson managed to bag a place at Westminster Abbey in Poet’s Corner, by having a plot of only 18in square. Paying just eighteen pence for the inscription the stonemason misspelt his name: O Rare Ben Johnson. I guess you get what you pay for.
They couldn’t find a casket long enough
WRONG Approaching death in considerably reduced circumstances, Ben Jonson managed to bag a place at Westminster Abbey in Poet’s Corner, by having a plot of only 18in square. Paying just eighteen pence for the inscription the stonemason misspelt his name: O Rare Ben Johnson. I guess you get what you pay for.
4. Who has the most equestrian statues in London?
Queen Victoria
WRONG Arthur Wellesley, otherwise known as the 1st Duke of Wellington, can be admired in two public statues, both equestrian. One stands in front of the Royal Exchange above Bank station, the other lurks close to his former home of Apsley House on Hyde Park Corner. Once an enormous equestrian statue stood on top of Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, hated by the public it has long since moved to Aldershot Barracks. Queen Victoria has, at more than 10, the most statues in London, but none seated on a horse. Churchill has three, one of which is sitting, not on a horse but on a bench with Theodore Roosevelt.
Winston Churchill
WRONG Arthur Wellesley, otherwise known as the 1st Duke of Wellington, can be admired in two public statues, both equestrian. One stands in front of the Royal Exchange above Bank station, the other lurks close to his former home of Apsley House on Hyde Park Corner. Once an enormous equestrian statue stood on top of Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, hated by the public it has long since moved to Aldershot Barracks. Queen Victoria has, at more than 10, the most statues in London, but none seated on a horse. Churchill has three, one of which is sitting, not on a horse but on a bench with Theodore Roosevelt.
Arthur Wellesley
CORRECT Arthur Wellesley, otherwise known as the 1st Duke of Wellington, can be admired in two public statues, both equestrian. One stands in front of the Royal Exchange above Bank station, the other lurks close to his former home of Apsley House on Hyde Park Corner. Once an enormous equestrian statue stood on top of Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, hated by the public it has long since moved to Aldershot Barracks. Queen Victoria has, at more than 10, the most statues in London, but none seated on a horse. Churchill has three, one of which is sitting, not on a horse but on a bench with Theodore Roosevelt.
5. Sir Sidney Waterlow’s statue can claim a first. What is it?
He holds an umbrella
CORRECT In Waterlow Park off Highgate Hill the statue of Sir Sidney Waterlow Bt, MP is almost certainly the first statue ever to depict a man with an umbrella. He also holds a key, signifying his generosity in giving the eponymous park to the people.
He holds a key
WRONG In Waterlow Park off Highgate Hill the statue of Sir Sidney Waterlow Bt, MP is almost certainly the first statue ever to depict a man with an umbrella. He also holds a key, signifying his generosity in giving the eponymous park to the people.
He holds some scales
WRONG In Waterlow Park off Highgate Hill the statue of Sir Sidney Waterlow Bt, MP is almost certainly the first statue ever to depict a man with an umbrella. He also holds a key, signifying his generosity in giving the eponymous park to the people.
6. A carving of St Matthew in Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey could be a world’s first. Why?
Jesus is looking over his shoulder
WRONG St. Matthew is reading a book wearing a pair of glasses.
He is wearing spectacles
CORRECT St. Matthew is reading a book wearing a pair of glasses.
The Devil is under his foot
WRONG St. Matthew is reading a book wearing a pair of glasses.
7. William Huskisson has what claim to fame?
He opposed female emancipation
WRONG In Pimlico Gardens stands a toga-wearing William Huskisson, a man whose sole distinction was to be the first man ever to be knocked down and killed by a train, dubbed ‘Boredom rising from the Bath’.
His statue celebrates the freedom to wear one’s choice of clothing
WRONG In Pimlico Gardens stands a toga-wearing William Huskisson, a man whose sole distinction was to be the first man ever to be knocked down and killed by a train, dubbed ‘Boredom rising from the Bath’.
He was killed by a train
CORRECT In Pimlico Gardens stands a toga-wearing William Huskisson, a man whose sole distinction was to be the first man ever to be knocked down and killed by a train, dubbed ‘Boredom rising from the Bath’.
8. John Wilkes has a life-sized statue on Fetter Lane, what is unique about it?
He has an extra finger
WRONG Once given the accolade as ’the ugliest man in England’ John Wilkes’ statue on Fetter Lane faithfully reproduces his likeness and is thought to be the only cross-eyed statue to be found in London, his other attributes: protruding jaw, dropsically ugliness, a pug-jawed appearance are to be found, but his spectacular drunkenness has not been reproduced standing upon his plinth striking a frankly rather camp pose.
He has one ear
WRONG Once given the accolade as ’the ugliest man in England’ John Wilkes’ statue on Fetter Lane faithfully reproduces his likeness and is thought to be the only cross-eyed statue to be found in London, his other attributes: protruding jaw, dropsically ugliness, a pug-jawed appearance are to be found, but his spectacular drunkenness has not been reproduced standing upon his plinth striking a frankly rather camp pose.
He has a squint
CORRECT Once given the accolade as ’the ugliest man in England’ John Wilkes’ statue on Fetter Lane faithfully reproduces his likeness and is thought to be the only cross-eyed statue to be found in London, his other attributes: protruding jaw, dropsically ugliness, a pug-jawed appearance are to be found, but his spectacular drunkenness has not been reproduced standing upon his plinth striking a frankly rather camp pose.
9. Fred Peters has what unique inscription on his memorial plaque?
A Braille inscription
CORRECT Written in Braille, a memorial tablet is affixed to the railings of St. John’s in Hackney. It is in memory of ‘Blind Fred’, apparently a cheery match seller who for many years had his pitch on this spot.
A map
WRONG Written in Braille, a memorial tablet is affixed to the railings of St. John’s in Hackney. It is in memory of ‘Blind Fred’, apparently a cheery match seller who for many years had his pitch on this spot.
His poem
WRONG Written in Braille, a memorial tablet is affixed to the railings of St. John’s in Hackney. It is in memory of ‘Blind Fred’, apparently a cheery match seller who for many years had his pitch on this spot.
10. The Achilles statue on Park Lane has had what addition?
A sword
WRONG Nude and originally anatomically correct, if you get my drift, but after the women who had paid for its erection realised that all parts of a man’s anatomy scale up in size proportionately, a fig leaf was added later to save blushes. The addition has been chipped off twice – in 1870 and 1961, probably to see what’s underneath.
A fig leaf
CORRECT Nude and originally anatomically correct, if you get my drift, but after the women who had paid for its erection realised that all parts of a man’s anatomy scale up in size proportionately, a fig leaf was added later to save blushes. The addition has been chipped off twice – in 1870 and 1961, probably to see what’s underneath.
A shield
WRONG Nude and originally anatomically correct, if you get my drift, but after the women who had paid for its erection realised that all parts of a man’s anatomy scale up in size proportionately, a fig leaf was added later to save blushes. The addition has been chipped off twice – in 1870 and 1961, probably to see what’s underneath.
At the start of the year, here’s another 10 questions for your delectation.
As with the previous Quizzes, the correct answer will turn green when it’s clicked upon and expanded to give more information. The incorrect answers will turn red giving the correct explanation.
1. What is the earliest known image of London?
A gold arras medallion
CORRECT In 286 AD Marcus Aurelius Mausæus Carausius provincial governor rebelled against his masters and declared himself emperor of Roman Britain. He had a woman kneeling at Londinium’s gate represented on a medallion, struck to commemorate the restoration of Roman rule from Frankish mercenaries. Marcus lasted 7 years before his murder.
A painting in Chislehurst Caves
WRONG In 286 AD Marcus Aurelius Mausæus Carausius provincial governor rebelled against his masters and declared himself emperor of Roman Britain. He had a woman kneeling at Londinium’s gate represented on a medallion, struck to commemorate the restoration of Roman rule from Frankish mercenaries. Marcus lasted 7 years before his murder.
On a Viking shield
WRONG In 286 AD Marcus Aurelius Mausæus Carausius provincial governor rebelled against his masters and declared himself emperor of Roman Britain. He had a woman kneeling at Londinium’s gate represented on a medallion, struck to commemorate the restoration of Roman rule from Frankish mercenaries. Marcus lasted 7 years before his murder.
2. How big does a boat have to be for Tower Bridge to be raised?
19ft
WRONG Once constructed, when much of London’s trade came up the Thames, the steam-powered carriageway was raised up to 50 times a day. Nowadays only 800 vessels a year with masts or superstructures exceeding 29ft necessitate a raising.
29ft
CORRECT Once constructed, when much of London’s trade came up the Thames, the steam-powered carriageway was raised up to 50 times a day. Nowadays only 800 vessels a year with masts or superstructures exceeding 29ft necessitate a raising.
39ft
WRONG Once constructed, when much of London’s trade came up the Thames, the steam-powered carriageway was raised up to 50 times a day. Nowadays only 800 vessels a year with masts or superstructures exceeding 29ft necessitate a raising.
3. Who gets a 101-gun salute?
A crowned monarch
CORRECT A monarch traditionally gets a 21-gun salute. A curious and incautious James II of Scotland stood too close for safety ‘and was unhappely slane with ane gun’. As the country’s oldest military body, the Honourable Artillery Company gets the honour to fire a 101-gun salute from the Tower of London when the crown is first placed upon the head of a new sovereign.
The Queen
WRONG A monarch traditionally gets a 21-gun salute. A curious and incautious James II of Scotland stood too close for safety ‘and was unhappely slane with ane gun’. As the country’s oldest military body, the Honourable Artillery Company gets the honour to fire a 101-gun salute from the Tower of London when the crown is first placed upon the head of a new sovereign.
The death of the king
WRONG A monarch traditionally gets a 21-gun salute. A curious and incautious James II of Scotland stood too close for safety ‘and was unhappely slane with ane gun’. As the country’s oldest military body, the Honourable Artillery Company gets the honour to fire a 101-gun salute from the Tower of London when the crown is first placed upon the head of a new sovereign.
4. Where is London’s oldest shop?
Hatter James Lock & Co.
CORRECT New boy perfumer Floris has shop fittings built for the 1851 Great Exhibition, while Berry Bros has been around since 1698 when it started supplying coffee. Established in 1676 after inheriting from his father-in-law, Lock & Co. is the oldest hat shop in the world, the oldest shop in London it has graced the heads of some of the greatest figures in history. Admiral Lord Nelson wore their bicorne with a bespoke built-in eye-shade into the Battle of Trafalgar.
Perfumer J. Floris
WRONG New boy perfumer Floris has shop fittings built for the 1851 Great Exhibition, while Berry Bros has been around since 1698 when it started supplying coffee. Established in 1676 after inheriting from his father-in-law, Lock & Co. is the oldest hat shop in the world, the oldest shop in London it has graced the heads of some of the greatest figures in history. Admiral Lord Nelson wore their bicorne with a bespoke built-in eye-shade into the Battle of Trafalgar.
Wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd
WRONG New boy perfumer Floris has shop fittings built for the 1851 Great Exhibition, while Berry Bros has been around since 1698 when it started supplying coffee. Established in 1676 after inheriting from his father-in-law, Lock & Co. is the oldest hat shop in the world, the oldest shop in London it has graced the heads of some of the greatest figures in history. Admiral Lord Nelson wore their bicorne with a bespoke built-in eye-shade into the Battle of Trafalgar.
5. Which is London’s oldest statue?
Sotheby’s Sekhmet
CORRECT The oldest freestanding statue in London is King Alfred the Great. With ‘1586’ carved into the base, St Dunstan-in-the-West has the only remaining statue of Queen Elizabeth I carved in her lifetime. At the entrance to Sotheby’s auction house in New Bond Street, the Ancient Egyptian Sekhmet surveys all who enter. Sold in the 1880s for £40 but never collected, the bust of Sekhmet, carved in black basalt and depicting the goddess as a lioness, dates to around 1320 BC and graces the entrance to Southeby’s in New Bond Street.
Alfred the Great in Trinity Church Square
WRONG The oldest freestanding statue in London is King Alfred the Great. With ‘1586’ carved into the base, St Dunstan-in-the-West has the only remaining statue of Queen Elizabeth I carved in her lifetime. At the entrance to Sotheby’s auction house in New Bond Street, the Ancient Egyptian Sekhmet surveys all who enter. Sold in the 1880s for £40 but never collected, the bust of Sekhmet, carved in black basalt and depicting the goddess as a lioness, dates to around 1320 BC and graces the entrance to Southeby’s in New Bond Street.
Queen Elizabeth I outside St Dunstan-in-the-West
WRONG The oldest freestanding statue in London is King Alfred the Great. With ‘1586’ carved into the base, St Dunstan-in-the-West has the only remaining statue of Queen Elizabeth I carved in her lifetime. At the entrance to Sotheby’s auction house in New Bond Street, the Ancient Egyptian Sekhmet surveys all who enter. Sold in the 1880s for £40 but never collected, the bust of Sekhmet, carved in black basalt and depicting the goddess as a lioness, dates to around 1320 BC and graces the entrance to Southeby’s in New Bond Street.
6. Where’s the best suntan spot in London?
Heathrow
WRONG Friday, 31st July 2020 saw the temperature reach a sweltering 97°F at Heathrow. While on 25th September 1885 snow was reported to have fallen at London and Wallington in Surrey making it the earliest fall of snow on the capital. But for the sun you cannot beat Kew when in June and August 1976 were recorded 829 hours of sunshine when the average was 600.
Kew
CORRECT Friday, 31st July 2020 saw the temperature reach a sweltering 97°F at Heathrow. While on 25th September 1885 snow was reported to have fallen at London and Wallington in Surrey making it the earliest fall of snow on the capital. But for the sun you cannot beat Kew when in June and August 1976 were recorded 829 hours of sunshine when the average was 600.
Camden Square
WRONG Friday, 31st July 2020 saw the temperature reach a sweltering 97°F at Heathrow. While on 25th September 1885 snow was reported to have fallen at London and Wallington in Surrey making it the earliest fall of snow on the capital. But for the sun you cannot beat Kew when in June and August 1976 were recorded 829 hours of sunshine when the average was 600.
7. Where is the world’s largest collection of Victoria Crosses?
National Army Museum
WRONG There are more than 60 holders of the Victoria Cross buried in London, including cabbie Frederick Hitch. As a schoolboy Lord Ashcroft of Chichester decided if he ever had the money he would buy a Victoria Cross, something he achieved 1986. Donating £5 million for a gallery in his name at the Imperial War Museum it was opened in November 2010. His VC collection now stands at more than 180 decorations and includes awards from all the major conflicts from the Crimean War to the Falklands. The collection also includes the unique and iconic VC and Bar, or double VC, of the Great War awarded to Captain Noel Chavasse.
British Museum
WRONGThere are more than 60 holders of the Victoria Cross buried in London, including cabbie Frederick Hitch. As a schoolboy Lord Ashcroft of Chichester decided if he ever had the money he would buy a Victoria Cross, something he achieved 1986. Donating £5 million for a gallery in his name at the Imperial War Museum it was opened in November 2010. His VC collection now stands at more than 180 decorations and includes awards from all the major conflicts from the Crimean War to the Falklands. The collection also includes the unique and iconic VC and Bar, or double VC, of the Great War awarded to Captain Noel Chavasse.
Imperial War Museum
CORRECT There are more than 60 holders of the Victoria Cross buried in London, including cabbie Frederick Hitch. As a schoolboy Lord Ashcroft of Chichester decided if he ever had the money he would buy a Victoria Cross, something he achieved 1986. Donating £5 million for a gallery in his name at the Imperial War Museum it was opened in November 2010. His VC collection now stands at more than 180 decorations and includes awards from all the major conflicts from the Crimean War to the Falklands. The collection also includes the unique and iconic VC and Bar, or double VC, of the Great War awarded to Captain Noel Chavasse.
8. What is London’s most shoplifted book?
Steal This book
WRONG You’d think to Steal This Book by social activist Abbie Hoffman, giving tips on shoplifting and setting up a pirate radio station would be popular with criminals. Embarrassment at discovering new sexual positions could lead to the Kama Sutra being purloined. But it’s the handy eminently useful, definitive and handily pocket-sized London A-Z that traditionally has been the most shoplifted book in the capital.
Kama Sutra
WRONG You’d think to Steal This Book by social activist Abbie Hoffman, giving tips on shoplifting and setting up a pirate radio station would be popular with criminals. Embarrassment at discovering new sexual positions could lead to the Kama Sutra being purloined. But it’s the handy eminently useful, definitive and handily pocket-sized London A-Z that traditionally has been the most shoplifted book in the capital.
Geographers’ A-Z
CORRECT You’d think to Steal This Book by social activist Abbie Hoffman, giving tips on shoplifting and setting up a pirate radio station would be popular with criminals. Embarrassment at discovering new sexual positions could lead to the Kama Sutra being purloined. But it’s the handy eminently useful, definitive and handily pocket-sized London A-Z that traditionally has been the most shoplifted book in the capital.
9. Where is London’s largest swimming pool?
Tooting Bec Lido
CORRECT Zaha Hadid’s beautiful undulating Aquatics Centre might be Olympic size at 100 m by 25 m wide, the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre’s being a contender at 50m x 22m, but both pale in size to Tooting Bec Lido, the largest freshwater swimming pool by surface area in the UK, is 100 yards (91.44 m) long and 33 yards (30.18 m) wide.
London Aquatics Centre
WRONG Zaha Hadid’s beautiful undulating Aquatics Centre might be Olympic size at 100 m by 25 m wide, the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre’s being a contender at 50m x 22m, but both pale in size to Tooting Bec Lido, the largest freshwater swimming pool by surface area in the UK, is 100 yards (91.44 m) long and 33 yards (30.18 m) wide.
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
WRONG Zaha Hadid’s beautiful undulating Aquatics Centre might be Olympic size at 100 m by 25 m wide, the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre’s being a contender at 50m x 22m, but both pale in size to Tooting Bec Lido, the largest freshwater swimming pool by surface area in the UK, is 100 yards (91.44 m) long and 33 yards (30.18 m) wide.
10. How many towers are there in the Tower of London?
2
WRONG The White Tower is the largest and oldest part of William the Conqueror’s fortress. Over time a further 21 have been added: Beauchamp, Bell, Bloody, Bowyer, Brick, Broad, Byward, Constable, Cradle, Develin, Devereux, Flint, Lanthorn, Lion, Martin (or Jewel Tower), Middle, St. Thomas’s, Salt, Wakefield, Wardrobe and Well Towers.
22
CORRECT The White Tower is the largest and oldest part of William the Conqueror’s fortress. Over time a further 21 have been added: Beauchamp, Bell, Bloody, Bowyer, Brick, Broad, Byward, Constable, Cradle, Develin, Devereux, Flint, Lanthorn, Lion, Martin (or Jewel Tower), Middle, St. Thomas’s, Salt, Wakefield, Wardrobe and Well Towers.
12
WRONG The White Tower is the largest and oldest part of William the Conqueror’s fortress. Over time a further 21 have been added: Beauchamp, Bell, Bloody, Bowyer, Brick, Broad, Byward, Constable, Cradle, Develin, Devereux, Flint, Lanthorn, Lion, Martin (or Jewel Tower), Middle, St. Thomas’s, Salt, Wakefield, Wardrobe and Well Towers.
CabbieBlog 