Question 1 of 20CastlesEasy
Landmarks of Britain and Ireland quiz
Castles, cathedrals, bridges and ancient sites: Britain and Ireland have thousands of years of history built into their landscapes. Try these 20 questions, each with a fact to take away, from easy openers to proper head-scratchers.
A free quiz from Megan Moran, author of The Mighty Geography Quiz Book.
Question 2 of 20MonumentsEasy
Antony Gormley's giant steel sculpture the Angel of the North overlooks which town?
Question 3 of 20CastlesMedium
Which English king began building Caernarfon Castle in 1283?
Question 4 of 20CastlesEasy
Blarney Castle, where visitors lean backwards over a parapet to kiss a famous stone, is in which Irish county?
Question 5 of 20Cathedrals and ChurchesMedium
Which English cathedral has the tallest church spire in the UK, at 123 meters?
Question 6 of 20Ancient SitesHard
Scientific dating suggests the Uffington White Horse, a chalk figure on an Oxfordshire hillside, is roughly how old?
Question 7 of 20Ancient SitesMedium
Hadrian's Wall ran 73 miles across northern England, from the Solway Firth in the west to which river in the east?
Question 8 of 20CastlesEasy
The ruins of Urquhart Castle stand on the shore of which loch?
Question 9 of 20Bridges and EngineeringMedium
What does the Falkirk Wheel, opened in 2002, do?
Question 10 of 20Ancient SitesMedium
Skellig Michael, a rocky island off County Kerry topped by an early medieval monastery, appeared as a planet in which film series?
Question 11 of 20Bridges and EngineeringHard
The Iron Bridge in Shropshire, the world's first major cast-iron bridge, was cast by which ironmaster?
Question 12 of 20Bridges and EngineeringEasy
Steam trains crossing the curving Glenfinnan Viaduct became world-famous thanks to which film series?
Question 13 of 20Bridges and EngineeringMedium
Which engineer designed the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which carries the Llangollen Canal high above the River Dee?
Question 14 of 20Stately HomesEasy
Which future prime minister was born at Blenheim Palace in 1874?
Question 15 of 20MonumentsMedium
The Spire of Dublin, a 120-meter stainless steel needle, stands on which street?
Question 16 of 20Modern LandmarksHard
Which architect designed the Scottish Parliament Building at Holyrood?
Question 17 of 20Bridges and EngineeringMedium
Who originally built rope bridges across to the tiny island at Carrick-a-Rede in County Antrim?
Question 18 of 20Ancient SitesHard
The monastic settlement at Glendalough, the 'valley of two lakes' in County Wicklow, was founded in the 6th century by which saint?
Question 19 of 20Ancient SitesMedium
Skara Brae, a Neolithic village of stone houses with stone beds and 'dressers', is in which Scottish island group?
Question 20 of 20CastlesHard
The future King Henry VII was born in 1457 at which Welsh castle?
Answer all 20 to see your score.
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Show all the answers, with the facts behind them
- Which Scottish castle fires the One O'Clock Gun every day except Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day? Edinburgh CastleThe gun has been fired since 1861. The castle sits on Castle Rock, the plug of an ancient volcano that formed about 350 million years ago.
- Antony Gormley's giant steel sculpture the Angel of the North overlooks which town? GatesheadCompleted in February 1998, it is 20 meters tall with wings spanning 54 meters, and the wings tilt forward by 3.5 degrees.
- Which English king began building Caernarfon Castle in 1283? Edward IIts banded stonework and many-sided towers are thought to echo the walls of Constantinople. Princes of Wales were invested there in 1911 and 1969.
- Blarney Castle, where visitors lean backwards over a parapet to kiss a famous stone, is in which Irish county? CorkKissing the stone is said to grant the gift of the gab. In 2014 Glasgow geologists found it is local limestone, not a stone brought from Scotland.
- Which English cathedral has the tallest church spire in the UK, at 123 meters? Salisbury CathedralThe spire was finished by about 1330. The cathedral also holds what is often called the best preserved of the four surviving original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta.
- Scientific dating suggests the Uffington White Horse, a chalk figure on an Oxfordshire hillside, is roughly how old? About 3,000 yearsIt is Britain's oldest known chalk hill figure. Locals traditionally scoured it at fairs roughly every seven years, and volunteers still re-chalk it.
- Hadrian's Wall ran 73 miles across northern England, from the Solway Firth in the west to which river in the east? TyneBuilding began around AD 122 and most of the wall took about six years to complete. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
- The ruins of Urquhart Castle stand on the shore of which loch? Loch NessIn 1692 government troops leaving the castle blew up its gatehouse so it could never again be a military stronghold. It was never repaired.
- What does the Falkirk Wheel, opened in 2002, do? Lifts boats between two canalsThe world's only rotating boat lift, it raises boats 24 meters; a pair of locks completes the climb to the Union Canal. Each half-turn uses very little power.
- Skellig Michael, a rocky island off County Kerry topped by an early medieval monastery, appeared as a planet in which film series? Star WarsA path of about 600 stone steps climbs to the monks' stone beehive huts near the summit. The island became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
- The Iron Bridge in Shropshire, the world's first major cast-iron bridge, was cast by which ironmaster? Abraham Darby IIIIts iron parts were joined with carpentry-style joints such as dovetails and mortise and tenons. It opened in 1781 and has been closed to vehicles since 1934.
- Steam trains crossing the curving Glenfinnan Viaduct became world-famous thanks to which film series? Harry PotterOpened in 1901 on the West Highland Line, its 21 arches are made of mass concrete with no metal reinforcement.
- Which engineer designed the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which carries the Llangollen Canal high above the River Dee? Thomas TelfordOpened in 1805, it stands nearly 40 meters above the river and is the longest aqueduct in Britain. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.
- Which future prime minister was born at Blenheim Palace in 1874? Winston ChurchillQueen Anne and the nation gave the palace to the 1st Duke of Marlborough as a reward for his victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704.
- The Spire of Dublin, a 120-meter stainless steel needle, stands on which street? O'Connell StreetCompleted in January 2003, it occupies the site of Nelson's Pillar, which was blown up in 1966. Its top 10 meters are lit up at dusk.
- Which architect designed the Scottish Parliament Building at Holyrood? Enric MirallesHe died in 2000, four years before the building opened. Its cost soared from early estimates of up to £40 million to about £414 million.
- Who originally built rope bridges across to the tiny island at Carrick-a-Rede in County Antrim? Salmon fishermenToday's bridge, put up in 2008 and looked after by the National Trust, is 20 meters long and hangs 30 meters above the rocks.
- The monastic settlement at Glendalough, the 'valley of two lakes' in County Wicklow, was founded in the 6th century by which saint? St KevinIts round tower rises about 30 meters. A small stone church there is nicknamed 'the Kitchen' because its little belfry looks like a chimney.
- Skara Brae, a Neolithic village of stone houses with stone beds and 'dressers', is in which Scottish island group? OrkneyA severe storm in the winter of 1850 stripped away the earth covering it. People lived in the village from about 3180 to 2500 BC.
- The future King Henry VII was born in 1457 at which Welsh castle? Pembroke CastleBeneath the castle lies the Wogan, a large natural limestone cavern reached by a 13th-century spiral staircase.
