GREENWICH Past Paper Out Of London

Question 1

Name the Archbishop of Canterbury murdered by the Danes in Greenwich in 1012.

Answer 1

Ælfheah (c. 953 – 19 April 1012), more commonly known today as Alphege, was an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester, later Archbishop of Canterbury.

Alphege (Elphege, Alfege, and many variants) was born in the village of Weston near Bath and became an anchorite (form of hermit), later a monk at Deerhurst in Gloucestershire. He was appointed Abbot of Bath by Dunstan, and later Bishop of Winchester (984 AD) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1005 AD). By 1011 AD, the Danes had conquered much of southern England, and in September that year turned their attention to Canterbury. They plundered the city, burnt the cathedral and took many local inhabitants to be sold as slaves or (as in the case of Alphege) to be held to ransom. Taken by ship to Greenwich, Alphege declared that his ransom was too high and not to be paid. During a drunken revel on 19 April 1012, the Danes pelted Alphege with ox bones, and finally with an axe head, which left him dead. The spot is marked by the present Greenwich church of St Alfege (here spelt this way).

Question 2

Who enclosed Greenwich Park in 1433?

Answer 2

The land was inherited in 1427 by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester – brother of Henry V.
Humphrey enclosed the Park in 1433 and built a tower on the site of what is now the Royal Observatory. When he died in 1447, Margaret of Anjou, the wife of King Henry VI, seized the estate and renamed it the Manor of Pleasance or Placentia.

Question 3

Name the king who built ‘The Palace of Placentia’ in 1485.

Answer 3

The original river-side residence was extensively rebuilt by King Henry VII.

Question 4

Who was knighted at Greenwich
(i) by Queen Elizabeth I in 1580?
(ii) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1967?

Answer 4

i) Francis Drake after his circumnavigation of the globe from 1577 to 1580
ii) Sir Francis Chichester was the first person to sail single-handedly around the world in 1966-67

Question 5

Name the architect who designed The Queen’s House in the early 1600s.

Answer 5

Inigo Jones

Question 6

Name the artist who painted the walls and ceiling of the Painted Hall in the early 1700s.

Answer 6

James Thornhill is the artist behind the beautiful mural paintings that can be admired in the Painted Hall. He was still relatively unknown when, 32 years old, he won the commission at what was then the Royal Hospital for Seamen – or Greenwich Hospital – in 1707.

Question 7

What is the subject of these paintings in the Painted Hall?

Answer 7

The paintings celebrate Britain’s political stability, commercial prosperity and naval power. It also depicts the Protestant accessions to the throne of King William III and Queen Mary II in 1688 and George I in 1714.

Question 8

Who designed the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul in the late 18th century?

Answer 8

The beautiful Chapel of St Peter & St Paul was part Sir Christopher Wren’s original design for the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich. After a devastating fire, the Chapel was rebuilt in 1779 by James ‘Athenian’ Stuart.

Question 9

Name the first Astronomer Royal.

Answer 9

John Flamsteed

The first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, was charged by King Charles II with drawing up an accurate map of the night sky which could be used for navigation.

Question 10

Who won the prize for determining longitude at sea with his marine chronometer?

Answer 10

John Harrison is famous for inventing the marine chronometer as his answer to the problem of finding longitude at sea, for which Parliament had in 1714 offered a reward of £20,000.

Question 11

What cargo did the ship ‘The Cutty Sark’ originally carry?

Answer 11

Cutty Sark was built exclusively for the China tea trade

Question 12

Where is the coach drop off point in Greenwich?

Answer 12

The pick-up/drop off point is in Stockwell Street, opposite St Alfege Church where there is a waiting time limit of 20 minutes

Question 13

Name the school of music and dance which currently occupies the Charles block of buildings.

Answer 13

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

Question 14

Name the benefactor of the National Maritime Museum who had a wing named after him in 2012.

Answer 14

Sammy Ofer

Question 15

Who designed ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’ located outside the National Maritime Museum?

Answer 15

Yinka Shonibare

The artwork is a scaled-down replica of HMS Victory, Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. It was made by Yinka Shonibare CBE, a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores issues including race, colonialism and class.
This monumental piece was created for Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth project. It was unveiled in the Square in 2010, standing in dialogue with Nelson’s Column.
Since 2012, Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle has stood outside the National Maritime Museum’s Sammy Ofer Wing, following a fundraising campaign with the Art Fund.

Question 16

Name the Scottish poet whose poem Tam O’ Shanter was the inspiration for Cutty Sark’s name.

Answer 16

Robert Burns

Cutty-sark (18th century Scots for a short chemise or undergarment) is a nickname given to Nannie, a fictional witch created by Robert Burns in his 1791 poem “Tam o’ Shanter”, after the garment she wore.

Question 17

Name TWO of the three buildings which make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Maritime Greenwich.

Answer 17

a) the Queen’s House
b) the Royal Observatory
c) the Royal Hospital for Seamen (now the Old Royal Naval College)

In a Royal Park setting, its ensemble of buildings including the Queen’s House, the Royal Observatory and the Royal Hospital for Seamen (today the Old Royal Naval College), symbolise English artistic and scientific endeavour in the 17th and 18th centuries, epitomising the work of architects Inigo Jones (1573–1652), Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) and the landscape designer André Le Nôtre (1613–1700).

Question 18

Name the French garden designer who made plans for Greenwich Park.

Answer 18

André Le Nôtre

Question 19

What problem was solved by using the “H4” John Harrison watch?

Answer 19

The problem of longitude

John Harrison, a working class clock maker form Yorkshire, solved the problem of longitude by inventing a timepiece that could tell the right time at sea. His chronometer, H4, built in 1759 after years of experimentation, was the first marine timekeeper accurate enough to be used with confidence.

Question 20

Name the style of architecture for the Queen’s House.

Answer 20

The Queen’s House was the first building in England to be created in the ‘Palladian’ style.

Question 21

What name did Margaret of Anjou give to Bellacourt Manor?

Answer 21

Palace of Placentia, sometimes written as the ‘Palace of Pleasaunce’.

Question 22

What time does the Time-Ball drop?

Answer 22

1pm

The Time Ball was first used in 1833 and still operates today. Normally each day, at 12.55pm, the time ball rises half way up its mast. At 12.58pm it rises all the way to the top. At 1pm exactly, the ball falls, and so provides a signal to anyone who happens to be looking.

Question 23

Name the queen who commissioned the Queen’s House.

Answer 23

Queen Anne of Denmark
The Queen’s House: a royal commission
In 1616, Queen Anne of Denmark, the wife of King James I, commissioned architect Inigo Jones to create a garden retreat. Jones had gained a reputation for designing ornate staging and scenery for court masques: elaborate performances of music and dance.

Question 24

Name the artwork by Yinka Shonibare standing outside the National Maritime Museum.

Answer 24

Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle. Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle is a sculpture by the British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare.

Question 25

How much was James Thornhill paid per square yard for the Painted Hall ceiling?

Answer 25

£3 per square yard After lots of haggling, Thornhill was paid £3 per square yard for the ceilings and the West Wall (less than the £5 he'd asked for) and £1 per square yard for the walls. Payment was often delayed. In 1717 Thornhill was still waiting to be paid for the Lower Hall ceiling that he'd completed three years earlier!

Question 26

Name the architect of St Alfege’s church.

Answer 26

Nicholas Hawksmoor St Alfege Church is a Grade 1 listed landmark church in London, the first church built under the Fifty New Churches Act of 1711 and the first complete church project undertaken by Nicholas Hawksmoor, pupil of Wren and one of England's most original and significant architects.

Question 27

What was Sir John Franklin trying to explore in his 1845 expedition?

Answer 27

the Northwest Passage through Canada Franklin expedition, British expedition (1845–48), led by Sir John Franklin, to find the Northwest Passage through Canada and to record magnetic information as a possible aid to navigation. The expedition ended in one of the worst disasters in the history of polar exploration.

Question 28

Which popular TV series uses the outside of the Ranger’s House in Greenwich Park?

Answer 28

Bridgerton Ranger's House is an elegant Georgian villa, now best known as the exterior of the Bridgerton home in the award-winning Netflix series.

Question 29

What did the Cutty Sark first transport from Australia?

Answer 29

Wool In 1883, the ship entered the regular Australian wool trade and quickly established herself as one of the fastest of the clippers. Cutty Sark loaded around 5,000 bales of wool from Sydney, Newcastle NSW and Brisbane, making 12 voyages in the wool trade in total.

Question 30

In which year was Greenwich established as Longitude Zero?

Answer 30

Greenwich meridian, an imaginary line, last established in 1851, that was used to indicate 0° longitude.

Question 31

In which Scottish port was Cutty Sark built?

Answer 31

Dumbarton, Scotland Cutty Sark was built in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869. Its owner John 'Jock' Willis, designer Hercules Linton and many of its crew members over the years were from Scotland. But despite its proud Scottish heritage, London was to be Cutty Sark's home port.

Question 32

Name the architect who rebuilt the chapel of the Royal Hospital for Seamen after the fire of 1779.

Answer 32

James 'Athenian' Stuart The beautiful Chapel of St Peter & St Paul was part Sir Christopher Wren's original design for the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich. After a devastating fire, the Chapel was rebuilt in 1779 by James 'Athenian' Stuart.

Question 33

In which year was the International Meridian Conference held which resulted in the adoption of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) as standard for most countries?

Answer 33

In 1884, the International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C., established the prime meridian at Greenwich. GMT was adopted as the world's standard time. This decision was based on the observatory's long history of accurate timekeeping and its significance in navigation.

Question 34

Which epic historical musical film drama was shot partly on location at the Old Royal Naval College in 2012?

Answer 34

Les Misérables Most memorably, Grand Square was used in the storming of the barricades scene with Marius (Eddie Redmayne) and company bravely defending against the dragoons

Question 35

To whom is the parish church in Greenwich dedicated?

Answer 35

St Alfege is the Anglican parish church in the centre of Greenwich. There has been a church here for over a thousand years, dedicated to the memory of Alfege, the Archbishop of Canterbury who was martyred on this site in year 1012.

Question 36

What relation was Humphrey Duke of Gloucester to King Henry V?

Answer 36

Brother Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester (3 October 1390 – 23 February 1447) was an English prince, soldier and literary patron. He was (as he styled himself) "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of Henry IV of England, the brother of Henry V, and the uncle of Henry VI.

Question 37

Which TWO royal Princesses were born at the Palace of Placentia?

Answer 37

a) Mary, daughter of Katherine of Aragon b) Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn Birthplace of monarchs Henry VIII, Mary I and Elizabeth I.

Question 38

Which institution uses the majority of the Old Royal Naval College buildings now?

Answer 38

The Old Royal Naval College has been home to the University of Greenwich since 1999, with over 10,000 students studying in Queen Anne, Queen Mary and King William Courts.

Question 39

What was the name of Admiral Horatio Nelson’s mistress?

Answer 39

Lady Emma Hamilton

Question 40

Which ship was built in 1869 for the Willis & Sons shipping line?

Answer 40

Cutty Sark

Question 41

What is the name of the fastest boat service from Greenwich Pier? It departs every 20 minutes at peak times.

Answer 41

Uber Boat by Thames Clippers

Question 42

What opened in 1902, so that workers could travel to the docks on the Isle of Dogs more easily?

Answer 42

Greenwich foot tunnel In 1902, the ferry to Greenwich was replaced by the construction of the Greenwich foot tunnel, and Island Gardens park was laid out in 1895, providing views across the river.

Question 43

Name the original palace built by Duke Humphrey in 1433.

Answer 43

Bella Court

Question 44

Which King died at Placentia in 1553?

Answer 44

Edward VI of England

Question 45

Which much-loved visitor attraction at Greenwich was badly damaged by fire in 2007?

Answer 45

Cutty Sark

Question 46

Which childhood home of King Henry VIII, located just a couple of miles from Greenwich, now has an Art Deco house attached to it?

Answer 46

Eltham Palace

Question 47

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is home to the most popular entertainment venue in the world. What is it called?

Answer 47

The O2 (formerly known as the Millennium Dome) is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars, restaurants, and a guided tour to the top of the O2.

Question 48

In which building will you see over 450 works of art including the iconic Armada painting of Queen Elizabeth I?

Answer 48

The Queen’s House The Armada painting is on permanent public display in the Queen's Presence Chamber in the Queen’s House, on the site of the original Greenwich Palace – the birthplace of Elizabeth I Today the Queen's House is an acclaimed art gallery, containing over 450 artworks and featuring pieces by Holbein, L.S. Lowry, Kehinde Wiley and Tania Kovats

Question 49

The oldest of the Observatory buildings is named after which Astronomer Royal?

Answer 49

John Flamsteed The main building in the historic part of the Observatory is still known as Flamsteed House. At the time Flamsteed was known as the King's Astronomical Observator.

Question 50

Who designed the Royal Observatory, which opened in 1675?

Answer 50

Christopher Wren, best known as the architect of St Paul's Cathedral, was tasked with designing the Royal Observatory along with his assistant Robert Hooke. Wren's selection was appropriate: before finding fame as an architect he had been a professor of astronomy at Oxford.

Question 51

Name the music college which now occupies part of the Old Royal Naval College.

Answer 51

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, the UK’s only conservatoire of music and contemporary dance, has been based at the Old Royal Naval College since 2001.

Question 52

Whose statue, a gift from the Canadian people, stands beside the Royal Observatory? (surname only required)

Answer 52

General Wolfe Statue Built in 1930 to commemorate General James Wolfe (1727-1759), this Grade II listed structure was designed by Dr. Tait Mackenzie and a gift from the Canadians. The statue commemorates Wolfe's victory against the French at Quebec which secured Canada for the British.

Question 53

Queen Margaret of Anjou, wife of King Henry VI, extended Bella Court manor to create a lavish palace in Greenwich. What name was given to it?

Answer 53

'Palace of Placentia' (or Palace of Pleasaunce) Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI, took over Bella Court, renaming it the 'Palace of Placentia' (or Palace of Pleasaunce). She embarked on a five-year programme of improvements to turn it into a palace fit for a queen.

Question 54

Which TWO English monarchs are featured on the main ceiling of the Painted Hall?

Answer 54

(i) William III (ii) Mary II William III and Mary II, founders of the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich were the first and only co-monarchs of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Question 55

Why was the Greenwich foot tunnel, opened in 1902, built under the Thames?

Answer 55

The Greenwich and Woolwich Foot Tunnels were originally built in 1902 and 1912 respectively. The purpose of the tunnels was to provide reliable all-weather access by local residents to the London shipyards and docks on the north side of the Thames. Both foot tunnels were built by the former London County Council.

Question 56

Where is the nearest drop off point for coaches to the National Maritime Museum?

Answer 56

Stockwell Street By Coach If travelling as a group by private transport, there’s free parking for coaches on Charlton Way near Blackheath Gate, next to Greenwich Park, or secure 24-hour coach parking at The O2 for a fee with river travel into Greenwich via their Park and Glide service. There are two coach parking spaces in the Park Row car park on the corner of Trafalgar Road and Park Row, as well as a pick-up/drop off point in Stockwell Street, opposite St Alfege Church where there is a waiting time limit of 20 minutes.

Question 57

Why is the Queen’s House important architecturally?

Answer 57

The Queen's House kickstarted a design revolution across Britain, inspiring the classical Georgian architectural style that would come to define the 18th and 19th centuries.

Question 58

Why was the development of John Harrison’s “sea clocks” (H1, H2, H3 and H4) so significant?

Answer 58

It is the machine that helped solve the problem of keeping accurate time at sea and finally won Harrison huge rewards from the Board of Longitude and the British Government. H4's high-energy watch balance was less affected by the movement of a ship and was the design breakthrough that Harrison needed

Question 59

Whose body lay in state for three days in the Painted Hall?

Answer 59

Lord Admiral Nelson's body was brought to Greenwich and lay-in-state for three days in the Painted Hall

Question 60

In Robbie Burns’ poem, what is a “cutty sark”?

Answer 60

Nannie was wearing a 'cutty sark'—a Lowland Scots term for a ladies' short shift—and Tam, overwhelmed by the sight of her in her revealing outfit, cannot help but cry out “Well done Cutty Sark!” The witches then chase Tam who flees for his life on his horse Maggie.

Question 61

How many years did it take James Thornhill to finish painting the Painted Hall?

Answer 61

19 years The epic painting scheme, known as 'Britain's Sistine Chapel' took nineteen years from the start of the commission to its completion in 1726

Question 62

Name the Queen who completed the building of the Queen’s House.

Answer 62

Henrietta Maria Although it was originally commissioned in 1616, the house was not completed until 1638, by which time the Queen in question was not Anne (who died in 1619) but Henrietta Maria, wife of the ill-fated Charles I.

Question 63

Name ONE sporting event which took place at Greenwich Park in the London 2012 Olympics.

Answer 63

Greenwich Park hosted the equestrian events. Medals were awarded in the following competitions: Individual dressage Team dressage Individual Eventing Team Eventing Individual Jumping Team Jumping Also Modern Pentathlon

Question 64

Who built Bella Court in 1433?

Answer 64

The original building was built by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in 1433 and named “Bella Court”

Question 65

Name the Queen for whom the Queen’s House was designed

Answer 65

Queen Anne of Denmark

Question 66

Why did Sir Cloudesley Shovell’s fleet become shipwrecked off the Scilly Isles in 1707?

Answer 66

The disaster has been attributed to a combination of factors, including the navigators' inability to accurately calculate their positions due to not knowing longitude at sea.

Question 67

In what year was the Royal Naval Hospital founded?

Answer 67

1694 The Royal Charter of William and Mary of 25 October 1694 established the Royal Hospital for Seamen. Following the naval battle of La Hogue in May 1692, with horrific casualties amongst mariners, Queen Mary determined to create a Hospital (refuge) for disabled seamen at Greenwich.