World's Worst Tour Guide 2: London Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. As we head across Trafalgar Square, we run into Phillipe Mauvaise, the world's worst tour guide. He tells us he knows even more about London than Paris. "For instance, I know that the man on the column is the Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon at Trafalgar. Did you know that if Hitler had invaded London, he would have moved the column to Berlin? And this square was designed by John Forbes Nash, the Nobel prize winning mathematician." We ask him about the statues around the square. "Yes, they have many military heroes. There's even a statue of Cornwallis, hero of the Battle of Yorktown." What did Phillipe get correct?

Answer: Hitler stealing the statue

The part about Hitler is actually true. Several historians report that if Hitler had overtaken London, he did plan to loot it of cultural treasures, including the statue of Nelson.

As for the rest:

1) The statue is of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who was the victor at Trafalgar.

2) Trafalgar Square, and much of Central London, was designed by architect John Nash in the 1820s, but the current layout of Trafalgar Square is the work of Sir Charles Barry. Nash designed Buckingham Palace and Marble Arch.

3) While there are many statues of military figures at Trafalgar Square, there is none of Charles Cornwallis. There is a statue of George Washington (a gift from Virginia in 1921), the man who defeated him. Cornwallis does have a statue at Saint Paul's Cathedral.

2. Phillipe notes that the National Gallery lies directly north of us. "It is a remarkable collection, with over 23 thousand paintings. It was started when Prime Minister Robert Walpole sold his art collection in 1777. They have an excellent collection of Rembrandts, including the very famous "Night Watch". They even have Leonardo DaVinci's "Madonna of the Rocks" hanging inside." What fact about the National Gallery did he get right?

Answer: Madonna of the Rocks

The National Gallery really does have a version of the "Madonna of the Rocks" by DaVinci. Another version of the painting can be seen in the Louvre, but the London version was painted by DaVinci sometime before 1508. It was in Milan until 1785, then moved to England, and was acquired by the National Gallery in 1880.

As for the rest:

1) The National Gallery has "only" 2,300 paintings in its collection - so Phillipe was off by a factor of ten.

2) The National Gallery does have over two dozen Rembrandts, including two self portraits; but "The Night Watch" is several hundred miles away at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

3) Robert Walpole did sell his art collection in the 1770s - but to the Hermitage in Russia. The National Gallery was not established until 1824.

3. After a brief journey down Whitehall, we find ourselves in front of Westminster Abbey. "Many people don't know this, but the official title for the abbey is the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter" explained Phillipe. "It has been the site of many historic events. Kings started being crowned here with John Lackland in 1199, and Henry VIII had three of his weddings here. And of course, many famous people are buried here - even William Shakespeare!" So what's the one thing that our tour guide got right?

Answer: Collegiate Church of Saint Peter

Westminster Abbey is the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter. There are claims that there has been a church dedicated to Saint Peter at the site since the seventh century. There has been an abbey here since at least 970. The main structure of the present church dates to Henry III, and was started in 1245.

As to the rest:

1) There have been royal coronations at the Abbey since William the Conqueror in 1066.

2) While Henry VIII had many weddings, none were at Westminster. There have been at least 16 royal weddings, including the 2012 marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

3) There are many literary figures buried at the Abbey, but to visit the actual grave of Shakespeare you will have to visit his home town of Stratford-on-Avon.

4. We head west past Saint James Park, and arrive at Buckingham Palace. "Here we are, Buckingham Palace. British monarchs have lived here since Henry VIII". Phillipe points to the Royal Standard flying above the palace and say "Excellent! When the Royal Standard is flying, we can go in". Phillipe then points at a grove of nearby mulberry trees and says "Those were planted by James I. He wanted to experiment with harvesting silkworms". He looks at his watch and notices it is 11:00. "Darn, we have to wait a whole hour before the changing of the guard". What is the only thing Phillipe is right about?

Answer: James I and silkworms

The part about the silkworms is true. The trees were planted in 1608. James I also attempted to promote the raising silkworms in the new American colony of Virginia, but had little success.

As to the rest:

1) Queen Victoria was the first permanent royal resident of Buckingham Palace, starting in 1837.

2) He has it exactly backwards on the Royal Standard, which is flown when the Queen is in residence. So unless you have an appointment with Her Majesty, you aren't getting in. The Palace is open to tourists in August and September.

3) The Changing of the Guard takes place at 11:30, not noon.

5. A short walk northwest finds us near Hyde Park. "At 412 hectares, Hyde Park is larger than Central Park in New York City" declares Phillipe. "The park was first opened to the public in 1851. If we head west from here, we can walk on Rotten Row, the first road in all of England to have street lights". You notice a very elaborate serious of stone arches nearby and ask Phillipe about it. "Yes, that's the Queen Victoria gate. It was built to honor her coronation in 1837". Well, he got one thing right. Which one was it?

Answer: Street lights on Rotten Row

William III did position oil lamps along Rotten Row in 1690, making it the first lit road in England. Rotten Row runs along the south edge of Hyde Park, and is just under a mile long. Today it is used primarily for riding horses.

As to the rest:

1) If Hyde Park were 412 hectares, it would be larger than Central Park. However, Phillipe got the numbers inverted. It is 142 hectares.

2) Hyde Park has been open to the public since the days of Charles I in 1637.

3) The stone arches forming the Grand Entrance are also known as the Queen Elizabeth Gate, and are named after Queen Elizabeth I, not Victoria. The entrance was designed by Decimus Burton and built in 1824-25, a dozen years before Victoria became Queen.

6. From Hyde Park, we walk southwest towards Knightsbridge and soon find ourselves outside Harrods. "This is Harrods, the largest supermarket in the world" states Phillipe. "Its motto is Omnia Omnibus Ubique, 'All things for all people, everywhere'. And they really live up to it. They even sold Noel Coward an alligator one Christmas. The current building has been here since 1861. The store changed owners in 2010 - I believe some Saudi Arabians bought it." What is the only thing that Phillipe got right?

Answer: Noel Coward and the alligator

Harrods' motto is Omnia Omnibus Ubique, and they do have one of the most extensive range of goods of any store in the world. Harrods' pet shop has acquired a variety of exotic animals for clients, including Noel Coward's alligator and an elephant for Ronald Reagan.

As for the rest:
1) At 90,000 square meters, Harrods is the largest department store in Europe. But it is dwarfed by the Shinsegae Centum City in South Korea, which is 293,905 square meters.

2) The current building was completed in 1905.

3) The building was sold in 2010, but to the government of Qatar, not Saudi Arabia.

7. We take a quick ride on the Piccadilly line to get up to Russell Square, where we can see the British Museum. "Ah, the British Museum. Founded in 1800 by King George III to house some of the world's finest artifacts. We have the Rosetta Stone, which was discovered during the Battle of El Alamein. And the Elgin Marbles, one of the most valuable artifacts of Ancient Rome. Even the Magna Carta, signed by Richard the Lionhearted himself," explains Phillipe. "Of course, there are some odd things too.... they even have a collection of mummified cats." He is right about one thing - which one?

Answer: Mummified Cats

The British Museum does indeed have mummified cats among its vast collection - 74 to be precise.

As for the rest:

1) The Rosetta Stone was sent to England after the Battle of the Nile in 1802. It was finally deciphered by French linguist Jean-Fran�ois Champollion in 1822.

2) The Elgin Marbles are from the Parthenon in Athens. Their removal remains a point of contention between Greece and England to the present day.

3) The Magna Carta was signed by John Lackland in 1215. While many of its provisions were revoked during the 19th century, it remained central to British law for over 600 years.

4) The museum was established in 1753, when George III was king.

8. After a quick taxi ride down Holborn Street, we are at St Paul's Cathedral. We are admiring the dome, which Phillipe tells us is over 400 feet high. "The first church on this site was built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century," he notes. "The bell in the South West tower, Great Paul, is even bigger than Big Ben. And there are lots of famous people buried here, including Sir Isaac Newton." Which one of the things Phillipe said happens to be true?

Answer: Great Paul bigger than Big Ben

St Paul's has four clock bells in its South West tower, including Great Paul. At 16.5 tons, it is much larger than Big Ben, which weights 13.5 tons. The organizers of the 2012 Olympics did get a bell from the Netherlands which was 22.9 tons, and it was on display during the Olympics. None of them is even close to the world's largest bell, which is in China and weighs over 127 tons.

As to the rest:

1) The dome is 111 meters (365 feet high). That did make it the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962.

2) There has been a church dedicated to Saint Paul on the site since the 7th century, The fourth church was started during the Norman era. The current church was begun after the Fire of London (1666) and took 40 years to build.

3) Issac Newton is buried at Westminster Abbey. You can see the graves of architect Christopher Wren and naval hero Horatio Nelson, and lots of memorials, at St Paul's.

9. We walk down Cannon Street to get to the Tower of London. Phillipe informs us that the tower was built by William Wallace, and that it soars to an impressive height of 50 meters. "People don't know this, but there was a zoo here at the tower for many years. They had lions and tigers and bears," he explained. When we ask about the crown jewels, Phillipe tells us that the Culinan I diamond in the Imperial State Crown is the largest diamond in the world. Which of his facts did Phillipe get right?

Answer: Zoo at the Tower

Lions and tigers and bears - Oh my! Yes, there was a zoo at the Tower of London - for over 600 years as a matter of fact. It was created by King John, who kept lions as a symbol of the monarchy. The King of Norway gave a polar bear, which swam in the Thames. The menagerie at the tower was disbanded in the early 1830s.

As for the rest:

1) William Wallace, the Scottish revolutionary, does have a connection with the Tower of London. He was held there as a prisoner. The William who built the Tower was William the Conqueror, first Norman king.

2) The White Tower is 27 meters high.

3) Up until 1986, Phillipe would have been correct. The Golden Jubilee diamond, which weighs 545 carats, is 15 carats larger than the Culinan I. It was given to King Bhumibol of Thailand for his fiftieth anniversary.

10. After a quick trip from Tower Pier down the Thames, we find ourselves in Greenwich. "Welcome to Greenwich Park, the oldest park in England," says Phillipe, our tour guide. "The famous Royal Observatory was built by George IV in 1820. But it would take another century before they established the Prime Meridian right after World War I. This would be a good place to set our watches - I believe it is called Zorro Time." What did Phillipe get right?

Answer: Oldest Park in England

Greenwich Park is indeed the oldest park in England, dating back all the way to 1433. Deer have been in the park since the time of Henry VIII. The park is a popular recreation area, and was the site of the equestrian events during the 2012 Olympics.

As for the rest:

1) The Royal Observatory was established by Charles II in 1675.

2) The Prime Meridian was determined in 1884. The meridian was first established in 1851, and agreed to as the new standard by the international community at a conference in Washington, DC in 1884.

3) Universal Time is known as Zulu Time. It is used as the standard time in international aviation. If you want to set your computer to Zulu time, pick Reykjavik, Iceland for the time zone.

Source: Author parrotman2006

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Once again, we meet Phillipe, the world's worst tour guide. After being fired from his job in Paris, he took the train to London. See if you can figure out what he gets right.

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