London Past Papers General

Question 1

Give the month and year of the Great Fire of London.

Question 2

What institution, the oldest in Europe, was founded in Smithfield in 1123?

Question 3

In which year was the Greater London Council abolished?

Question 4

For what type of art work was Mortlake famous in the 17th century?

Question 5

What specific rate of pay was demanded by the Dockers in the strike of 1889?

Question 6

What is the difference between a High Commission and an Embassy?

Question 7

What annual event will be celebrated on Sunday 22nd February 2015 with a colourful parade and performances of dance, music and acrobatics in Trafalgar Square and surrounding streets?

Question 8

A weathervane in the form of which insect can be seen on top of the Royal Exchange?

Question 9

St James’s Palace was built on the site of what kind of institution?

Question 10

At which City church is the annual Lion Sermon preached on the nearest Thursday to 16th October?

Question 11

Name the present Lord Mayor of London.

Question 12

Name the fish market situated in Docklands.

Question 13

What is the name of the in-depth study of pre-set London street routes and points of interest that a taxicab driver must complete in order to obtain a license to operate a black cab?

Question 14

Which art gallery stands on the site of the King’s Mews at Charing Cross?

Question 15

What visitor attraction did Marie Grosholtz open in Baker Street in 1835?

Question 16

How many passenger capsules are there on the London Eye?

Question 17

Which automobile manufacturer, best known for Formula One racing and high-performance sports cars, has a showroom at One Hyde Park?

Question 18

Which ministry has its head office at 102 Petty France?

Question 19

Which premiership football team`s home ground is the Emirates Stadium?

Question 20

Which world cup sporting event kicks off in West London on September 22nd 2015?

Question 21

Television sets were first sold in London in 1928 in which Oxford Street store?

Question 22

What distinguishes the Weavers` Company Charter from those of all other Livery Companies?

Question 23

The Roman Temple of Mithras, excavated in 1954, is due to be incorporated in which modern building?

Question 24

What musical event happened on the roof of 3 Savile Row on 30th January 1969?

Question 25

Name the last purpose-built docks, opened in London in 1921?

Question 26

Who was the last person to be executed on Tower Hill?

Question 27

In which building was the first meeting of the general assembly of the United Nations held in 1946?

Question 28

Which institution was founded by Thomas Coram in 1739?

Question 29

In which year was the first Mayor of London elected? (Not Lord Mayor)

Question 30

What is the name given to French Protestants who came here as refugees in the 16th century?

Question 31

What is Dadabhai Naoroji’s claim to fame?

Question 32

What name was given to the riots that took place in London in 1780?

Question 33

How many times has London hosted the Olympic Games?

Question 34

What was the name of the council block in Newham that collapsed in 1968?

Question 35

Who was Constance Markievicz?

Question 36

The 20th anniversary of which
tragic event will be commemorated
on the 31st August 2017?

Question 37

What is the name given to the
deregulation of the London Stock
Exchange on 27th October 1986,
which significantly changed the
structure of the financial markets?

Question 38

Who did William Walworth, Lord
Mayor of London, stab and kill in
1381?

Question 39

What did Mr Shillibeer introduce to
London in 1829?

Question 40

What took place in 1851, the profits
from which helped to build the
museums of Kensington?

Question 41

1250 houses and a medieval
hospital were demolished in 1827
to build which dock?

Question 42

Name the prison which stood on
the site of the Old Bailey.

Question 43

Which sport is played at Lord’s?

Question 44

Where in London can you pose with vloggers Zoella and Alfie Deyes?

Question 45

Name the biggest biomedical facility under one roof opened in 2016 by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Question 46

What would you be doing at the
Donmar Warehouse?

Question 47

Where is the world’s largest Lego
store situated?

Question 48

What was the original use of 10 Trinity Square, now being converted to a hotel?

Question 49

What important job is currently done by Larry, Palmerston and Gladstone in Whitehall?

Question 50

Which soccer team’s home is The
Emirates Stadium?

Question 51

What is the basic rate of PAYE tax in the United Kingdom for those earning between £11,000 and £43,000?

Question 52

Name the well-known London
landmark which inspired William
Wordsworth to write ‘Earth has
not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who
could pass by, A sight so
touching in its majesty:’

Question 53

Name the building where the first
meeting of the United Nations
General Assembly was held in
1946.

Question 54

Where will you find the STAR
WARS Identities exhibition?

Question 55

Where would you go to hear a
Promenade Concert?

Question 56

Where is the Canadian High
Commission?

Question 57

Name the building in which the
Commonwealth Secretariat is
housed.

Question 58

For whom was a palace built on
Clink Street in the 13th century?
(now in ruins)

Question 59

Name the central London street
which has a worldwide reputation
as a centre of private medical
excellence.

Question 60

Name the shop which opened in
1705 as a small store in St James’s Market and involved a Footman in Queen Anne’s household?

Question 61

Which London landmark’s
restoration is expected to cost
£369 million and take ten years?

Question 62

Which organisation is moving into
the Curtis Green building on the
Victoria Embankment?

Question 63

Who is the current Mayor of
London?

Question 64

Name the popular attraction
located at Leavesden.

Question 65

Which street in the West End was
known as the birthplace of
‘Swinging London’ in the 1960s
and the home of Mods,
Skinheads, Punks and New
Romantics?

Question 66

Which museum may move to West Smithfield?

Question 67

Name the Archbishop of Canterbury’s London home.

Question 68

Where in London will the 2017
World Para athletics Championship be held?

Question 69

Which street directly links
Ludgate Hill/St Paul’s Churchyard
and Monument/Eastcheap?

Question 70

What is the name of the mother
church of the Catholic community
in England and Wales?

Question 71

Name the hospital where Princes
William, Harry, George and
Princess Charlotte were born.

Question 72

Which City of London institution
was founded in a coffee house in
Tower Street?

Question 73

Where in London is Google’s new
headquarters?

Question 74

Who will move into architect
Keiran Timberlake’s building in
Nine Elms, currently reaching
completion?

Question 75

Where in London will Apple’s new
headquarters be located?

Question 76

Name TWO of the three
individual docks which together
form the Royal Docks.

Question 77

The restaurants in Gerrard Street
mostly serve food from which
country?

Question 78

Which important centenary takes
place on the 11th November 2018?

Question 79

Robert Catesby died of wounds
on the 8th November 1605 after
failing to murder King James I.
What is this assassination attempt
usually called?

Question 80

Name the popular rebellion of
1381.

Question 81

By what name was the
deregulation of the financial
markets in 1986 known?

Question 82

2018 is the centenary of which
significant event for women?

Question 83

Which builder developed Pimlico
and Belgravia in the 1820s using
soil excavated from St Katherine’s
Docks?

Question 84

Which MP and administrator of
the English navy wrote a diary
which is a useful source of
information on 17th century
London?

Question 85

What is the name of the oldest
working synagogue in the UK?

Question 86

70 years ago, a boat arrived from
Jamaica bringing one of the first
large groups of West Indian
immigrants to the UK. What was
the name of the boat?

Question 87

Which institution, founded in 1566
by Thomas Gresham, was
declared Royal in 1570?

Question 88

Which London dock opened in
1828?

Question 89

What does a Cordwainer make?

Question 90

What was the name of Queen
Boudica’s tribe?

Question 91

What was significant for
Londoners about the night of 7th
September 1940?

Question 92

The founder of Methodism built a
chapel in City Road in 1778.
What is his name?

Question 93

Name the artist who lived in Holland Park Road whose purpose-built studio house has a collection of sculpture and paintings by him and his contemporaries.

Question 94

Which eminent physician is buried in the churchyard of Chelsea Old Church. He died in 1753 having amassed a vast collection, used to found a famous museum.

Question 95

20 Fenchurch Street is more
commonly known by another
name. What is it?

Question 96

By what name is street artist Robin Gunningham more usually known?

Question 97

What is the name of the retired
sea captain who is responsible
for the Foundling Museum?

Question 98

In which London street will you find the official heraldic authority for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of the Commonwealth?

Question 99

The headquarters of the 18,433
hectare private estate owned by
Her Majesty the Queen is located
in The Strand. What is the estate
called?

Question 100

Which soccer team play at Stamford Bridge?

Question 101

Which team has its home ground
at Allianz Park in Hendon?

Question 102

In which London street is the Charles Dickens Museum located?

Question 103

Which store has the motto
‘Omnia Omnibus Ubique’?

Question 104

Which immigrant community first
based themselves in Limehouse in the 1880s?

Question 105

In 1918 the Duke of Bedford sold
which significant area of central
London?

Question 106

Name the two men who met in
1763 in Tom Davies bookshop.
They were to have a great impact
on each other’s lives.

Question 107

What is the current function of
Marlborough House on the Mall?

Question 108

Northumberland House, demolished in 1874, overlooked which London square?

Question 109

The Hampstead home of which
Romantic poet is now a museum
and literary centre?

Question 110

Who is by far the wealthiest British aristocrat with an international property portfolio worth at least £10bn?

Question 111

Which is UNESCO’s largest World Heritage site in London, located to the west of the city?

Question 112

The runway of London City Airport lies between two docks. Which ones?

Question 113

In which London square will you
find the East India Club?

Question 114

What is the name of the north London house where Judge Lord
Mansfield and his great niece Dido Belle lived?

Question 115

Which central London market can
you visit only on Mondays to Fridays from 02.00 to 07.00?

Question 116

In October 2017 the £1bn European HQ of which global finance company opened in the City?

Question 117

What did Thomas Farriner do for
a living?

Question 118

In which year did the ‘Jack the Ripper’ murders take place?

Question 119

Which philanthropist through his
Donation Fund was responsible
for the first dwellings for ‘artisans
and labouring poor of London’ in
Commercial Street in 1864?

Question 120

Nigel Farage, Laurence Olivier, Eddie Izzard and the Courtaulds are descendants of which refugees?

Question 121

Which Prime Minister’s ashes are
interred at Chelsea Royal Hospital?

Question 122

Name the leader of the Iceni tribe
who revolted against the Romans in
60 AD leading to the destruction of
Londinium.

Question 123

Which livery company was the first
to be granted a charter in 1155?

Question 124

Name the Scottish leader who was
hanged, drawn and quartered in
Smithfield in 1305.

Question 125

Name the founder of the Royal
Exchange in the City of London in
1566.

Question 126

Which disaster hit London in 1665
leading to between 70,000 and
100,000 deaths?

Question 127

Name the anti-Catholic protests of
1780.

Question 128

How big was London’s population
when first recorded in 1801?

Question 129

Name the first Prime Minister to live
and work at 10 Downing St.

Question 130

Name the TWO hospitals which both claim to be the oldest in London.

Answer 130

(i)
(ii)

Question 131

Name the East End vicar who
founded Toynbee Hall in 1884.

Question 132

What is sold in James Fox’s shop
on St James St?

Question 133

Which London football team is
currently hosting its home games
at Wembley Stadium?

Question 134

Name ONE of London’s Roman
Catholic Cathedrals.

Question 135

Name the TWO colleges which
formed London University when it
was founded in 1836.

Answer 135

(i)
(ii)

Question 136

What do the letters GLA stand for?

Question 137

Name Horace Walpole’s Gothic
home in west London which is
displaying its original contents
until 24 February.

Question 138

Name the flower market that takes
place only on Sunday mornings in
Bethnal Green.

Question 139

Name the street artist known for
his stick figures.

Question 140

In which month is the Notting Hill
Carnival?

Question 141

Name the pop group who performed live on a rooftop in Savile Row in January 1969.

Question 142

In which conflict did HMS Belfast
last see active service?

Question 143

How high is the Monument to the
Great Fire of London (feet or metres)?

Question 144

Name the only galleried coaching
inn that still survives in London.

Question 145

In which museum would you find
the Mudlarks Gallery?

Question 146

What time does Harrods close on
Sundays?

Question 147

Name the lane in which the Great
Fire of London started in 1666.

Question 148

What name was given to the
French Protestants who arrived in
London after the Revocation of the
Edict of Nantes in 1685?

Question 149

Name the only building within
Whitehall Palace to survive the fire
of 1698.

Question 150

In which year was the Bank of
England founded?

Question 151

What did George Shillibeer
introduce to London in 1829?

Question 152

Which building was demolished at
the beginning of the 20th century to
make way for today’s Central
Criminal Court?

Question 153

What is the meaning of the Saxon
word ‘Cheap’ in Cheapside?

Question 154

Against which king was the
Gunpowder Plot aimed?

Question 155

What name is given to the
occupants of the Royal Hospital
Chelsea?

Question 156

Where might you hear the Lutine Bell?

Question 157

Name the species of large tree, which sheds its bark and is commonly found in the streets and squares of London.

Question 158

What can you buy at Lock & Co?

Question 159

Name ONE of the two Inns of
Court located between the
Embankment and Fleet Street.

Question 160

Why is there a grasshopper on
top of the Royal Exchange?

Question 161

In which square is the Supreme
Court located?

Question 162

SOAS University of London is
one of London’s leading
universities. What do the letters
SOAS stand for?

Question 163

Trafalgar Square’s Christmas tree
is a present from which country?

Question 164

From which gentleman’s club in
Pall Mall did Phileas Fogg depart
to travel ‘Around the World in
Eighty Days’?

Question 165

Name the arch at the end of the
Mall, which is expected to open
as a hotel in 2022.

Question 166

Name London’s oldest restaurant.

Question 167

In which month is Open House
weekend?

Question 168

What are Brooks, Boodles and
Whites?

Question 169

What does Ede & Ravenscroft supply?

Question 170

Which football team plays at (i)
Stamford Bridge and (ii) the
Emirates Stadium?

Answer 170

(i)
(ii)

Question 171

Apart from the King, which
TWO members of the royal family
are able to grant a supplier a
Royal Warrant?

Answer 171

(i)
(ii)

Question 172

Why would you visit Wigmore Hall?

Question 173

Twickenham Stadium is the
national stadium for which sport?

Question 174

Name one London pub named
after a method of execution.

Question 175

Which charity was founded by the
rector of St Stephen Walbrook, Dr
Chad Varah, in 1953?

Question 176

On which day of the week is
Borough Market normally closed?

Question 177

Name London’s first mayor who
was appointed in 1189.

Question 178

Name the Scottish leader who was
hanged, drawn and quartered in
Smithfield in 1305.

Question 179

Name the Archbishop of
Canterbury who was beheaded at
the Tower of London during the
Peasants’ Revolt.

Question 180

What foodstuff was refined at the
Silvertown refinery, which opened
in 1878?

Question 181

Why is there a Blue Plaque to Dr
John Snow (1813 – 1858) in
Soho?

Question 182

Which royal palace burnt down in
1698?

Question 183

Which future author worked as a
child in a blacking factory by
Hungerford Stairs?

Question 184

Name the Londoner who wrote a
diary from 1660 – 1669.

Question 185

Name the 19th century London
heiress and philanthropist, who
became a pioneer in social
housing and founded Colombia
Road Market in 1869.

Question 186

In which building did the first
meeting of the UN General
Assembly take place in 1946?

Question 187

From which gallery was there an
attempt to steal two Rembrandt
paintings in November 2019?

Question 188

Why is there a Norwegian church
in Rotherhithe?

Question 189

In which City church are
Lutheran services held?

Question 190

Which two livery companies
dispute the 6th and 7th position in
order of precedence?

Answer 190

(i)
(ii)

Question 191

What is Lancaster House used for?

Question 192

Which famous ship was built at
Burrells Wharf?

Question 193

Who did the original Charing
Cross commemorate?

Question 194

Which major awards ceremony
took place in the Royal Albert
Hall on February 2nd 2020?

Question 195

Name London’s first mayor who
was appointed in 1189.

Question 196

Name the Scottish leader who was
hanged, drawn and quartered in
Smithfield in 1305.

Question 197

Name the Archbishop of
Canterbury who was beheaded at
the Tower of London during the
Peasants’ Revolt.

Question 198

What foodstuff was refined at the
Silvertown refinery, which opened
in 1878?

Question 199

Name the London royal residence
in which King Henry VIII died.

Question 200

Which people used to be known as
“Lascars” in the London docks in
the 18th and 19th centuries?

Question 201

Where did the trial of King
Charles I take place?

Question 202

Name the King who commissioned
Admiralty Arch.

Question 203

What did “the Strand” mean in old
English?

Question 204

Name the revolt in which
Archbishop Simon Sudbury was
dragged from the Tower and
beheaded on Tower Hill.

Question 205

What took place at Kensington
Palace on 24 May 1819?

Question 206

What was the symbol of the
Gresham family?

Question 207

What was the population of London
(i) in 1801?
(ii) in 1901?

Answer 207

(i)
(ii)

Question 208

In total, approximately how many
hangings (to the nearest thousand)
took place at the Tyburn Gallows?

Question 209

Give ONE of the causes of the “Gin
Craze” in 18th century London?

Question 210

Name London’s first enclosed dock,
constructed in 1802.

Question 211

Name ONE 19th century
philanthropist involved in social
housing.

Question 212

In the 18th and 19th centuries, which
group of people used to meet
secretly in Molly Houses?

Question 213

What was the name given to the
plague that swept across London in
1348 - 50?

Question 214

In which year was the Bank of
England founded?

Question 215

Name the ship launched at Burrell’s
Wharf in 1858.

Question 216

Name the community of immigrants
who established silk-weaving in
Spitalfields.

Question 217

Who died in a suite in the Ritz
Hotel on 8th April 2013?

Question 218

When Buckingham Palace is
closed, where can you buy
genuine Buckingham Palace
Royal Collection souvenirs?

Question 219

By what name is the Central
Criminal Court more commonly
known?

Question 220

Middle Temple and Inner Temple
are two of the four Inns of Court.
Name the other TWO.

Answer 220

(i)
(ii)

Question 221

Name the home stadium of
Arsenal football club.

Question 222

Which institution meets in the
former Middlesex Guildhall?

Question 223

Name the City church associated
with the Abolition of Slavery.

Question 224

In which year did the Romans
leave London?

Question 225

How many hangings were there at
Tyburn from 1192 to 1783?

Question 226

What was a “wherry”?

Question 227

In which year did the plague known
as the Black Death arrive in
London?

Question 228

At what time on Sundays does
Harrods
(i) open
(ii) close?

Answer 228

(i)
(ii)

Question 229

What is the coat of arms of the
Inner Temple?

Question 230

Who is Nicholas Lyons?

Question 231

Name the most recent Livery
Company.

Question 232

Which City financial institution
was founded in 1694?

Question 233

Name the Lord Mayor associated
with the church of St Michael
Paternoster Royal.

Question 234

Where is the London Stock
Exchange?

Question 235

How many Chelsea Pensioners
live in the Royal Hospital
Chelsea?

Question 236

When does the Notting Hill
Carnival take place?

Question 237

Name the prison where Charles
Dickens’s father was sent for
debt.

Question 238

What is the family name of the
Duke of Bedford?

Question 239

Which football team plays at
Stamford Bridge?

Question 240

In which month does the London
Pride Parade usually take place?

Question 241

Where is Charles Wesley buried?