Did You Know It Was UNESCO? Trivia Quiz

Answer: England

Stonehenge is a prehistoric stone circle on Salisbury Plain. It was built in stages between 3000 and 2000 BC. The massive sarsen stones, averaging 25 tonnes, were transported from West Woods near Marlborough, around 24-32 kilometres (15-20 miles) to the north, and the smaller bluestones came from the Preseli Hills in Wales, over 241 kilometres (150 miles) away. How people managed this without modern technology remains one of archaeology's unsolved questions.

Its purpose is equally mysterious. Theories range from a burial site to a temple to an astronomical calendar. The stones align with the sunrise at the summer solstice and the sunset at the winter solstice. It was given UNESCO status in 1986, listed along with the nearby Avebury stone circle as part of the same designation.

Answer: Northern Ireland

The Giant's Causeway consists of around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns on the North Antrim coast. It was formed by volcanic activity around 60 million years ago. As the lava cooled and contracted, it cracked into the distinctive hexagonal shapes that cover the coastline today. It was given UNESCO status in 1986.

Legend has it that the columns were built by the giant Finn McCool as a bridge to Scotland, where a rival giant named Benandonner lived. The Scottish island of Staffa has identical formations, which neatly fit the story. It draws visitors from around the world and is one of Northern Ireland's most recognisable landmarks.

Answer: Scotland

The Antonine Wall was the most northerly frontier of the Roman Empire, built on the orders of Emperor Antoninus Pius around AD 142. It ran for around 63 kilometres (39 miles) across the Central Belt of Scotland, from Bo'ness on the Firth of Forth to Old Kilpatrick on the River Clyde. Unlike Hadrian's Wall to the south, it was built from turf on stone foundations rather than stone, with a deep ditch on the northern side and 16 forts along its length. It was given UNESCO status in 2008 as part of the transnational Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.

Despite the effort involved in building it, the wall was occupied for around 20 years in total before Roman troops withdrew to Hadrian's Wall around AD 162. Much of it has disappeared over time, making surviving sections less dramatic than Hadrian's Wall. The best-preserved stretches can be seen at Rough Castle and Croy Hill. A unique set of carved Distance Stones, recording details of the wall's construction by different Roman legions, survive in the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow.

Answer: Wales

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee valley in a cast iron trough supported by 18 stone piers. At around 39 metres (128 feet) high and 307 metres (1,007 feet) long, it remains the longest and highest navigable aqueduct in Britain. It was built by engineers Thomas Telford and William Jessop and completed in 1805.

Telford's solution to crossing the valley was considered bold for its time, because previous plans had suggested a series of locks instead. The aqueduct is still in use today. It carries narrowboats across the valley, with nothing but a low towpath rail between walkers and a 39-metre (128 feet) drop. It was given UNESCO status in 2009.

Answer: England

Blenheim Palace was built between 1705 and 1722 as a gift from the English nation to John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, in recognition of his victory over French and Bavarian forces at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. It was designed by architect Sir John Vanbrugh with his collaborator Nicholas Hawksmoor and is the only non-royal, non-episcopal building in England to hold the title of palace.

The palace sits within over 2,000 acres of parkland which was landscaped by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown in the 1760s, including an artificial lake created from marshland. Winston Churchill was born there in 1874. The palace remains the home of the Dukes of Marlborough to this day. It was given UNESCO status in 1987.

Answer: Scotland

The Heart of Neolithic Orkney covers a group of prehistoric monuments on the Orkney mainland which date back around 5,000 years. These include Skara Brae, a remarkably well-preserved stone village, Maeshowe, a chambered tomb aligned with the midwinter sunset and the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness, both stone circles. UNESCO status was granted in 1999.

Skara Brae is particularly striking. Covered by a grassy mound for thousands of years, it was exposed by a storm in 1850 and is now one of the best-preserved Neolithic settlements in Europe. The stone furniture, including beds and dressers, survives intact, which gives a vivid picture of life 5,000 years ago.

Answer: Wales

The area around Blaenavon in South Wales was one of the world's major producers of iron and coal during the 19th century. The landscape still contains the remains of ironworks, collieries, a railway system, and the workers' housing that supported them. It shows clearly how industrial communities operated at the height of the Industrial Revolution.

Blaenavon Ironworks opened in 1789 and was one of the most advanced iron-producing sites in the world at the time. Big Pit, the former colliery on the site, is now a mining museum where visitors can go underground with former miners as guides. UNESCO status was granted in 2000.

Answer: England

Fountains Abbey was founded in 1132 by a group of Benedictine monks who had left St Mary's Abbey in York following a dispute. The land in the valley of the River Skell was given to them by the Archbishop of York. They joined the Cistercian order shortly afterwards, and the abbey grew into one of the wealthiest monasteries in England before being dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539. The ruins are among the largest in Britain.

The abbey ruins sit within the landscaped grounds of Studley Royal Water Garden, which was created in the 18th century. The combination of the medieval ruins, the Georgian garden, and the surrounding deer park in a single landscape led to UNESCO recognition, which was granted in 1986.

Answer: England

Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire is home to the world's first iron bridge. It was designed by architect Thomas Farnolls Pritchard and built across the River Severn in 1779 under the direction of Abraham Darby III. The gorge had been a centre of industrial innovation for decades before that, with coal mining, iron smelting, and the production of cast iron rails all taking place in the area. It was granted UNESCO status in 1986.

The region is widely associated with the start of the Industrial Revolution, not just because of the bridge but because of the concentration of industrial innovation in a relatively small area during the 18th century. Ten museums now operate across the gorge, covering everything from tile making to Victorian china.

Answer: Scotland

St Kilda is a remote archipelago around 64 kilometres (40 miles) west of the Outer Hebrides, in the North Atlantic. People inhabited the islands for at least 4,000 years, surviving in extreme isolation and developing their own distinct culture, dialect and way of life based largely on seabirds. The last 36 inhabitants were evacuated at their own request in 1930. UNESCO status was first given in 1986.

St Kilda is the UK's only UNESCO World Heritage Site recognised for both its natural and cultural significance. The cliffs and sea stacks support some of the largest seabird colonies in the world, including the UK's largest colony of Atlantic puffins. The islands are managed by the National Trust for Scotland and can only be visited by boat.