UK Art Deco Gems Trivia Quiz

Answer: Residential accommodation

The building was designed by the architectural firm of Wallis, Gilbert and Partners, who created many Art Deco designs, with the Hoover Building and Firestone Tyre Factory among them. The Hoover Building opened in 1933, initially as the UK arm's Head Office, but was soon expanded to include manufacturing.

The property was acquired by a property development company in 2015, with work to convert it into flats of varying sizes completed in 2018. The building's location, on the A40 route into London, makes it an attractive place to live, and the redevelopment has retained the original facade.

Answer: University of Birmingham

The building's architect was Robert Atkinson, a specialist in the Art Deco style. The official opening of the building was in 1939, with Queen Mary, widow of King George V, doing the honours. It became the first building designed for the study of art history in the UK.

Although it is on the university campus, the institute is used primarily as an art gallery and has works by some of the world's best known artists, including van Gogh, Turner, Rubens and Monet, to name just a few.

Answer: Cinema

The building is constructed from steel clad with traditional Bath Stone. This has a distinctive colour, which can be seen in the photo, and is used in many of the buildings in Bath and other parts of Somerset. It was originally used as a cinema, before becoming a bingo hall and a dancing school.

In 2019, it is used by Bath City Church who hire it out for various concerts and other events. It has a seating capacity of 1600.

Answer: Liverpool

It took a while to find a photo that didn't have the name 'Liverpool Philharmonic Hall' above the doors, which is what appears on the building in the twenty-first century. The original concert hall on the site was destroyed by fire in 1933, and the replacement building was designed by Herbert Rouse, a Liverpudlian himself who had studied at Liverpool University School of Architecture. The hall is the home of Liverpool's Philharmonic orchestra and is also the venue for many other events and concerts each year.

Hope Street itself is known for having the Anglican cathedral at one end and the Roman Catholic cathedral at the other, as well as the Everyman Theatre.

Answer: Unilever House

Construction of the building took four years, from 1929 until 1933, and it has the characteristic curved lines of many Art Deco designs. It was commissioned by the board of Unilever, who still occupy the premises in the first quarter of the twenty-first century.

Sunlight soap dates from 1884, when it was introduced by the Lever brothers at their factory in Warrington. Needing more space, the company moved to the Wirral, building a new factory and housing for their employees - the area was named after their first product, and was, and still is, called Port Sunlight.

Answer: Croydon

It's quite surprising to find that this was the most important airport in Britain between the two world wars. Croydon handled the vast majority of passengers, freight and mail for the UK. During World War II it became RAF Croydon, providing a base for fighter and cargo aircraft.

The building houses a museum and visitor centre in the twenty-first century.

Answer: Guildford

The Diocese of Guildford did not exist until 1927, so there was no cathedral. The foundation stone was laid in 1936, but the Second World War (1939-1945) meant that little progress was made on construction. Funds were raised during the 1950s to complete the building, which was consecrated in May 1961. The official name is the Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit.

Answer: Eric Gill

The hotel was built for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and designed by Oliver Hill. The style is called Streamline Moderne, a type of Art Deco which emphasises curved lines, as can be seen in the photograph. Eric gill was from Brighton, so not a local man.

As well as the seahorses, he designed a ceiling medallion, featuring Triton and Neptune and a map, showing the coastline from Morecambe to Birkenhead, on the Wirral, and including Blackpool and Liverpool.

Answer: Graves Art Gallery

Building work began in 1929 with the opening ceremony, in 1934, being carried out by the then Duchess of York, later to become Queen when her husband, George VI, became the UK's monarch.

The art gallery was named for a local business man, John Graves, who donated money and his own art collection to set it up. Works on display include artists as varied as J M W Turner and Bridget Riley, who specialises in Op Art.

Answer: Leamington Spa

The buildings shown in the picture date from 1939, and were built by Great Western Railway to replace those dating from 1852, when the line opened. Work was carried out to refurbish the station between 2007 and 2008, concentrating on maintaining the original Art Deco design.

All the places listed can call themselves 'Royal', an honour which is granted by the monarch, but only Leamington Spa is in Warwickshire. Queen Victoria gave it its Royal privilege following he visit in 1838.