A Passage to Hampshire Trivia Quiz

Answer: Portsmouth

The Spinnaker Tower is a significant landmark in southern England, pinpointing the location of the city of Portsmouth from miles away. It is 170m (560 feet) high and stands on the edge of Portsmouth Harbour, within the Gunwharf Quays shopping and entertainment development. There are three observation decks (one with a suitably scary glass floor), the highest of which is 110m (360 feet) up. On a clear day it is possible to see along the coast from the New Forest in the west to Selsey Bill (in West Sussex) to the east.

The name of the tower derives from the fact that it looks a bit like a large sail, an apt choice of design given Portsmouth's longstanding naval and maritime heritage.

Although Portsmouth and Southampton are no longer considered part of Hampshire for administrative purposes, they remain within the borders of the ceremonial county. The city of Winchester is Hampshire's administrative centre or 'county town', while the city of Chichester serves the same function for the neighbouring county of West Sussex.

Answer: South Downs

The South Downs National Park was only given the designation in 2010, some 59 years after the first National Parks in England and Wales were created; although the idea for it was first put forward in the 1920s. It mainly consists of a chalk downland ridge that roughly follows the south coast of England from the famous cliffs of Beachy Head in the east, to the city of Winchester in the west - a distance of about 90 miles (or 145 km). About a third of the area of the National Park falls within the boundary of the county of Hampshire.

Despite its name, the New Forest is actually ancient woodland. The 'new' part dates back to 1079 when William the Conqueror turned it into a royal deer hunting area. His son King William II (known as William Rufus because of his red hair) was killed while hunting in the forest in 1100. The supposed site of William's death is marked by the Rufus Stone, although since the stone was put up about 650 years later the chance of it actually marking the right spot is probably pretty slim.

Dartmoor National Park is in Devon; Exmoor National Park straddles Devon and Somerset; and the Broads are located in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk.

Answer: Jane Austen

The village of Chawton was home to Jane Austen from 1809 until her death in 1817. The house she shared there with her mother and sister is now the home of the Jane Austen's House Museum, which allows visitors a glimpse of Jane's daily life during the period when she wrote the majority of her novels and first gained publishing success. Items on display there include Jane's writing table, letters she wrote to family and friends, and several pieces of jewellery. The latter collection includes a turquoise ring bought from the US singer Kelly Clarkson after she was refused permission to remove it from the UK in 2013.

Hampshire's connection to Jane Austen is not just limited to the village of Chawton. She was born in the village of Steventon in 1775 and spent the first 25 years of her life there; the city of Portsmouth features prominently in her novel 'Mansfield Park' as the home of the heroine Fanny Price; and she died in the Hampshire city of Winchester and was buried in the nave of Winchester Cathedral.

Answer: Antony Gormley

'Sound II' was installed in 1986 and can be viewed in the crypt of Winchester Cathedral, which is one of the earliest parts of the building. The crypt dates from around 1079 when Bishop Walkelin, a relative of William the Conqueror, was given permission to build a grand new Norman cathedral next to the old Saxon one, which dated from the mid-7th century and was soon demolished. 'Sound II' is a statue standing in the middle of the floor while contemplating water held in its cupped hands. As the crypt regularly floods, the statue is often partly submerged in water.

Other more historic treasures housed at the cathedral include medieval wall paintings discovered in the 1960s in one of the building's chapels, beautiful 13th century decorative floor tiles (which you can still walk on), and medieval stained glass - albeit rearranged into a rather random pattern after the original windows were destroyed during the English Civil War. The Epiphany Chapel contains more 'modern' stained glass windows that were produced by the workshops of the pre-Raphaelite artist William Morris in 1910. However, one of the most important pieces that can be seen at the cathedral is the 12th century Winchester Bible. This illuminated Latin manuscript is particularly important as it is partly incomplete and therefore provides a rare insight into how this type of beautiful text was produced.

Answer: Highclere Castle

Highclere has been the home of the Earls of Carnarvon since 1679, with the current house being the result of significant rebuilding work in the mid-19th century. The Jacobethan style house, made famous worldwide by the success of 'Downton Abbey', was designed by Sir Charles Barry. He was also responsible for the design of the Houses of Parliament (or Palace of Westminster to give it its official title), which explains the similarity between the two buildings.

Although called Highclere Castle, the building is not really a castle as it was never fortified and did not hold any defensive role. It has never been an abbey either...

The incorrect options are all historic houses located in Hampshire. Mottisfont Abbey is a former Augustinian priory; Broadlands was the home of the 19th century British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston; and The Vyne is a Tudor house originally built for a Lord Chamberlain of King Henry VIII.

Answer: Iron Age hill fort

Danebury Iron Age hill fort is located, unsurprisingly, on Danebury Hill - about seven miles south of the town of Andover. The hill is the highest point in the surrounding countryside, which would have given the fort a commanding view and a good defensive position. Iron Age hill forts generally consisted of a large enclosure protected by ditches and ramparts, the interior of which would often contain a number of houses and other buildings. Danebury is a relatively large example (having enclosed an area of about 13.5 acres) and is classified as 'multivallate', meaning that it has several rings of defensive ditches. The buildings have left few traces on the ground today, but the defences are still clearly visible (if a little overgrown with trees).

In Britain, the term 'Iron Age' is used to refer to the period of history, from around the 8th century BC to the arrival of the Romans in the early 1st century AD, when the use of iron was common for the manufacture of tools and weapons. It is believed that the Danebury hill fort was first built around the 6th century BC and continuously occupied until it was finally abandoned during the 1st century BC.

Answer: Isle of Wight

Until 1890 the Isle of Wight was part of the county of Hampshire. The two areas still share close ties, with several ferry routes connecting them and a shared police service. It is the largest island in England, measuring about 150 square miles (380 square km), and has one of the mild climates that probably explains its long history as a tourist resort.

Other notable tourist attractions on the Isle of Wight include Osborne House, Queen Victoria's summer residence and the place of her death in 1901; several Roman villas; the Needles, a row of striking chalk stacks just off the western tip of the island; and even a zoo!

The Isle of Anglesey (or Ynys Môn) is the largest island in Wales; the Isle of Man is a self-governing island located in the Irish Sea; and the Isle of Sheppey is in the Thames estuary.

Answer: Basingstoke canal

In the 18th and early 19th centuries England's network of canals provided an effective way of transporting industrial goods around the country and Hampshire was no exception with several canals opened in the area between 1794 and 1823. However, the canals were soon rendered obsolete by much quicker rail transport and over time were abandoned.

The Basingstoke canal is now jointly owned by Hampshire and Surrey County Councils and is navigable from its junction with the River Wey in Surrey to the village of Odiham in Hampshire. The canal used to go right into the centre of the town of Basingstoke but now falls about five miles short due to a collapsed tunnel and several sections of the route having been lost to development. It provides a great leisure facility with options ranging from narrowboat trips, boat hire or canoeing, to cycling, walking or fishing from the canal towpath.

The incorrect options were all once operational canals either wholly or partially within the county of Hampshire. The routes of these former waterways have been almost completely lost.

Answer: They are in the middle of the sea.

Despite its name, No Man's Land Fort is not actually on land. It is one of three round sea forts, around a mile off the coast, that range in size with diameters of between about 50 and 75 metres (or 160 and 250 feet). They were constructed at great expense directly onto the seabed of the Solent in the mid to late 19th century, in response to the perceived threat of a French attack. However, as the threat never materialised they ended up being dubbed 'Palmerston's Follies' after the Prime Minister who had championed them.

The sea forts are just a small part of a defensive chain of forts built to protect the city of Portsmouth in the Victorian era. A whole range of forts were also built on both the Gosport peninsula (on the western side of Portsmouth harbour) and along the top of Portsdown Hill to the north. The buildings have been adapted to a range of other purposes: the sea forts have become luxury event venues, Fort Fareham on the Gosport peninsula has become a business park, and Fort Nelson on Portsdown Hill is home to the Royal Armouries Museum.

Answer: Test, Itchen and Hamble

Many people will have taken a 'passage to Hampshire' through the port of Southampton as, as well as being one of the largest freight ports in England, it is also a major base for the cruise industry with cruise lines such as Cunard, P&O Cruises and Royal Caribbean operating from the city. Going back about one hundred years, RMS Titanic began its ill-fated maiden voyage from the city and, even further back, the Mayflower called at Southampton in 1620 prior to sailing to America with the Pilgrim Fathers on board.

The city of Southampton is located around the northern tip of Southampton Water at the confluence of the rivers Test and Itchen. The Hamble joins the estuary further south. Technically Southampton Water is classified as a 'ria' - an inlet formed from a river valley that has been partially submerged.

The rivers Nene, Welland and Witham all flow into The Wash on the North Sea coast. The Ouse, Loxley and Aire are all in Yorkshire and the Fal, Fowey and Looe can all be found in Cornwall.