The British Experience. Part Three Quiz

Answer: Big Ben

The name Big Ben originally referred to the thirteen ton bell mounted within the tower, gradually the clocktower itself also acquired the name. The clocktower is also known as St Stephen's Tower, and Queen Elizabeth II Tower. Big Ben can be heard striking the hour around the world on the BBC World Service radio.

The minute hands on the four clock faces are fourteen feet long. The clock tower contains cells for the imprisonment Members of Parliament who breach the rules. The cells were last used for this purpose in 1880.

Answer: Snooker

Snooker did not originate in the UK, it was devised by British officers of the Devonshire regiment stationed in (what was then known as) Jubbulpore, India in 1875.
The first recorded cricket match took place in the English county of Kent in 1646.
Football (soccer) has a long history, it is claimed that an English village team beat a Roman team in 217 AD (perhaps the first international match!) - The villagers then went on to defeat the Romans in battle.
American football is a development of soccer and rugby football.
The game of rugby union supposedly originated at Rugby School in England when pupil William Webb Ellis picked up the ball during a game of soccer and ran with it.

Answer: Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill, son of Lord Randolph Churchill, was born in 1874.
In 1940 he became the Prime Minister of a UK government that included all political parties.
In one of his famous speeches, at the time of Britain's greatest peril, he promised;
"We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills - we shall never surrender..."
Churchill had a close relationship with US president Franklin Roosevelt.
In 1941 they both signed the Atlantic Charter, a demonstration of the Allies solidarity.
Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, he was also conferred an honorary citizen of the United States by President Kennedy in 1963.
Sir Winston Spencer Churchill was given a state funeral when he died in 1965.

Answer: Lady Godiva

Lady Godiva was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, a governor of the city of Coventry in the eleventh century.
Legend says that Leofric wanted to increase the taxes to pay for a prestigious public works program for the city. Lady Godiva, who was a kind and caring person, felt that higher taxes would increase the hardship of the poor citizens. She pleaded with her husband not to increase the taxes, but he said that if her protestations were serious she would have to prove it.
Leofric told Godiva, if she rode naked on horseback through the streets of Coventry he would not increase the taxes. She accepted the challenge and on the big day the people of Coventry stayed at home, with their curtains and shutters closed, as a mark of respect and gratitude for what Godiva was doing for them.
The only person to witness the event was Tom, the city's tailor. The legend says he was struck blind for peeping at the naked Godiva. This is said to have given rise to the expression "peeping Tom".

Answer: The BBC

The BBC was originally called the British Broadcasting Company when it was created in 1922.
Within three years the BBC could be heard throughout the UK.
General Manager John Reith's mission to educate and inform had considerable influence the BBC's early broadcasts. Much of Reith's legacy remains and the British Broadcasting Corporation's reporting is trusted throughout most the world.
The first BBC radio news bulletins could not be broadcast until after 7pm as it was feared that this would reduce newspaper sales.
The BBC is funded by a general license fee and carries no advertisements.

Answer: Blackpool

Building work started on Blackpool Tower in 1891, it was opened to the public in 1894.
The tower is over 518 feet high and weighs 2,586 tons.
Blackpool also has an historic tramway, six miles of sea-front illuminations using more than a million lights and a pleasure beach boasting Europe's largest roller coaster.

Answer: Sherwood Forest

Although the legendary Robin Hood was an outlaw, his cause was seen to be just.
He stole from the wealthy and corrupt travelers in Sherwood Forest, distributing his plunder to the poor and needy. Dressed in Lincoln green he fought for justice and against oppression - as all good heroes do.
Robin's band of Merry Men include Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet and Alan a Dale.
The legend's love interest is supplied by Robin's sweetheart Maid Marian.

Answer: St. David

The people of Wales celebrate St. David's Day on 1 March.
On this day it is customary to wear on one of the Welsh emblems, a daffodil or a leek. Some females also wear the Welsh national costume. St. David was officially recognised as a Catholic saint in 1120.
St. George is the patron saint of England, St. Andrew patron saint of Scotland and St. Patrick of Ireland.

Answer: Nelson's Column

Nelson's Column was built to commemorate the naval victories of Admiral Horatio Nelson.
The 180-foot high column with the 18-foot statue atop, designed by John Nash, took three years to erect and was completed in 1843.
Fourteen stonemasons held a dinner on the flat top of the column prior to the statue being put in place.
The four famous bronze lions at the base of the column were added in 1868.
Nelson, who had lost an arm and an eye in battle, died on HMS. Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Of the other London monuments mentioned in the question-
Marble Arch is located at the western end of Oxford Street, by Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park.
The Cenotaph is in Whitehall, and the statue Eros at Piccadilly Circus.

Answer: straw or reeds

Thatch has been used as a roofing material in Britain since the Bronze Age (around 2,000 BC.)
The use of thatch on cottages, farm buildings and even castles, was commonplace for more than a thousand years.
Although straw is the most common thatching material reeds, flax, grass and heather, which was frequently used in Scotland, have also been utilised.
Thatched roofs were popular because they were light weight and the materials were plentiful.
There are still many examples of thatched buildings in the UK, especially in the south of England.