Britain as a country has been around for centuries. But the earliest human interaction with its lands dates to 900,000 years ago! Over those years, the British Isles were fought over by all manner of peoples and kings until it finally landed in the hands of King William after the Norman Conquest. His invasion laid the groundwork for the Britain we know today.
Do you know everything there is to know about the culture, people, and history of Britain? What about the fashions, popular pastimes, and sports of the past and present? Could you find Glasgow on a map? Do you know where the aptly-named Land’s End is? If your immediate answer isn’t “By George, I’ve got it!”, you might not be the expert you thought you were.
This list of Britain trivia questions and answers will test the knowledge of even the most patriotic Britons (not to mention everyone the world over!). So, test your knowledge with this Britain quiz to see if you have what it takes to call yourself a true Britophile!
Are you looking for more geography trivia quizzes like this? Check out our Asia trivia quiz or Australia trivia!
In the first half of 2009, which cabinet position was held by Jacqui Smith?
Chancellor
Minister for Education
Home Secretary
Foreign Secretary
After her success championing the Gurkhas, Joanna Lumley threw her support behind which party?
Labour
Tory
Lib Dem
Green
Which structure was built by the Romans to prevent raids by Pictish tribes from Scotland?
Stonehenge
Offa’s Dyke
Hadrian’s Wall
Great Wall of China
In approximately which year did the Romans finally leave Britain?
AD 429
AD 439
AD 409
AD 419
Which Claire is a past winner of the ‘Rear of the Year’ award?
Rayner
Sweeney
Short
Balding
A man who was evicted from his site near Stonehenge in 2009 had changed his name to what?
King Arthur Pendragon
Robin Hood
Merlin the Wizard
Sir Lancelot du Lac
In 1958, Bristol’s Susan Cadge was the first winner of which title?
Miss England
Miss Pears
Miss Universe
Miss World
Actor John Mills, painter Thomas Gainsborough and composer Benjamin Britten were all born in which county?
Lincolnshire
Kent
Suffolk
Norfolk
What illness killed Oliver Cromwell?
Malaria
Typhoid
Smallpox
Tuberculosis
Where are the Kingsway & Queensway tunnels?
Glasgow
Birmingham
Liverpool
Bristol
Which of these is NOT the name of a Roman road still used in Britain today?
Coronation Street
Fosse Way
Ermine Street
Watling Street
At what distance did Mo Farah set a new British record during a road race in May 09?
1500 metres
5000 metres
10000 metres
800 metres
Which former Prime Minister said : ‘I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals’?
Harold McMillan
Harold Wilson
Winston Churchill
Edward Heath
Which of these is the administrative capital of Cornwall?
Falmouth
Truro
St Austell
Penzance
In what decade was the last execution at the Tower of London?
1860’s
1910’s
1750’s
1940’s
British statesman William Gladstone was born in which city?
Birmingham
Liverpool
Sheffield
Manchester
Which ancient civilisation invaded Britain in AD43?
Greek
Persian
Egyptian
Roman
Which of these is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London?
Clarence House
Lambeth Palace
Guildhall
Mansion House
Scientist Isaac Newton was born in which county?
Essex
Lincolnshire
Middlesex
Derbyshire
Sutton and Drake are parliamentary constituencies in which English city?
Southampton
Brighton
Plymouth
Portsmouth
When did Margaret Roberts marry Denis Thatcher?
1957
1951
1953
1955
Who championed the Gurkhas in their fight to be allowed to settle in Britain?
Ruby Wax
Joanna Lumley
Dawn French
Jennifer Saunders
Which of these is the name of a Dorset landmark?
Portland Bob
Portland Ben
Portland Bill
Portland Brad
Which area of Britain did the Romans know as Caledonia?
Scotland
Kent
East Anglia
Wales
Reading is the Administration center for which B?
Banffshire
Berkshire
Bedfordshire
Buckinghamshire
Which of these is the home of the Duke of Rutland?
Holkham Hall
Chatsworth House
Belvoir Castle
Woburn Abbey
Which of these Shipping Forecast areas is furthest north?
Shannon
Fastnet
Rockall
Fitzroy
Lerwick is the capital of which British island group?
Outer Hebrides
Shetlands
Orkneys
Channel Islands
At which sport is Ian Bell an England international?
Hockey
Cricket
Football
Rugby Union
What motorway joins the M18 at its west end?
M6
M1
M42
M5
Who ruled England from 1135 to 1154?
Stephen
Henry II
John
Henry I
Which of these is NOT native to Britain?
Bluetit
Okapi
Caterpillar
Beetle
Which of these is England’s most southerly point?
Dodman Point
Start Point
Lizard Point
Spurn Head
Corfe Castle and Studland Bay are in which county?
Dorset
Devon
Cornwall
Sussex
In which British city was the first public lavatory opened in 1852?
Liverpool
Birmingham
Manchester
London
Former PM Winston Churchill and jockey Lester Piggott were both born in which English county?
Hampshire
Oxfordshire
Kent
Buckinghamshire
Who was the first monarch to live in Buckingham Palace?
George V
George IV
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Victoria
Which A-road passes through Wigan,Shrewsbury, and Hereford?
A69
A59
A39
A49
When did Trevor McDonald become the first black newsreader in Britain?
1993
1983
1963
1973
Which actor threatened to leave Britain after tax increases were announced in the 2009 Budget?
Ian Holm
Judi Dench
Jude Law
Michael Caine
Winchester is the Admin center for which H?
Hampshire
Hertfordshire
Huntingdonshire
Humberside
Which of these is the administrative capital of Wiltshire?
Devizes
Trowbridge
chippenham
Swindon
Russell Harty and Anita Roddick both had early careers as what?
Solicitors
Vets
Dentists
Teachers
Trowbridge is the Admin center for which W?
West Midlands
Wigtownshire
Wiltshire
Warwickshire
Which of the following is the administrative capital of Gwynedd?
Caernarvon
Harlech
Bangor
Barmouth
Which of these London Underground lines opened first?
East London
Bakerloo
Jubilee
District
Matlock is the Admin center for which D?
Durham
Devon
Dumfriesshire
Derbyshire
Which of these is native to Britain?
Polar bear
Python
Gazelle
Hedgehog
What is the capital city of England?
London
Liverpool
Birmingham
Manchester
Who was King of England from 1035 to 1040?
Ethelred the Unready
Edward the Confessor
Hardicanute
Harald Harefoot
How much was the ‘scrappage allowance’ announced in the 2009 budget for new car buyers?
£2,000
£200
£1,000
£500
In which city is the University of East Anglia?
Chelmsford
Ipswich
Colchester
Norwich
What political persuasion is Baroness Uddin, who claimed £100,000 expenses on a ‘home’ that was an empty flat?
Tory
Labour
Green
Liberal
Which former Foreign Secretary was slammed for retaining a full security team 2 years after being removed ?
Jacquie Smith
Harriet Harman
Margaret Beckett
David Blunkett
Henry Cooper was one of the British greats in which sport?
Boxing
Cricket
Golf
Rugby Union
Which London Underground line is black?
Bakerloo
Northern
East London
Jubilee
Who is the UK’s Solicitor General?
Alistair Darling
Andrew Smith
Harriet Harmon
Ruth Kelly
What is Britain’s largest species of deer?
Muntjac
Sika
Roe
Red
Iain Duncan Smith took over from who as Tory leader?
William Hague
John Major
Edward Heath
Margaret Thatcher
Which Prime Minister never married?
Edward Heath
Ramsey McDonald
David Lloyd George
Harold Wilson
Which industrialist founded Port Sunlight?
Lord Leverhulme
Lord Proctor
Earl Of Derby
Earl Of Warrington
On which course did Peter Thomson complete his hat-trick of consecutive Open Championship victories in 1956?
Muirfield
Hoylake
Troon
Birkdale
Which of these towns was NOT developed by the Romans during their occupation of Britain?
Bath
St.Alban’s
Milton Keynes
Chester
Indian Queens lies inland from which Cornish resort?
Padstow
St Ives
Penzance
Newquay
What breed were the two dogs who mauled and killed a British man in May 09?
Rottweiler
Caine Corso
Pit bull
German Shepherd
Name the low-lying area of East Anglia
Ranges
Shallows
Fens
Wash
Which of these is NOT considered to be a Spa Town?
Bath
Harrogate
Buxton
Skipton
What was Margaret Thatcher’s surname before she married?
Brown
Johnson
Davis
Roberts
Who would clash with Mods at seaside resorts in the 60s?
Hippies
Rockers
Punks
Teddy boys
Kirkwall is the capital of which island group?
Channel Islands
Orkneys
Shetlands
Outer Hebrides
Which 20th century Prime Minister was known to be a keen sailor?
Edward Heath
Tony Blair
Harold Macmillan
Harold Wilson
In May 09 Michael Martin announced his resignation from which position?
Deputy Tory Leader
Home Secretary
RBS Chairman
Speaker of the House
Which London Underground line is brown?
Northern
Central
Jubilee
Bakerloo
Kirkwall is the capital of which British island group?
Shetlands
Outer Hebrides
Orkneys
Scilly Isles
Ashby de la Zouch is situated in which county?
Derbyshire
Lincolnshire
Leicestershire
Norfolk
Name the gardener who landscaped the park at Chatsworth?
Capability Brown
Practicality Black
Talented Green
Diligence Grey
Cartoon character Andy Capp only worked one half day in his life. Where?
Bursars Office
Brewery
Brothel
Bookmakers
Which English monarch was the first to live in Buckingham Palace?
Victoria
George V
William IV
George IV
Sark is in which island group?
Shetlands
Channel Islands
Outer Hebrides
Scilly Isles
Which town was called ‘Athens of the north’ in Victorian times?
Redcar
Darlington
Stockton
Hartlepool
Which of these was NOT an innovation associated with the Roman occupation of Britain?
Road network
Sewers
Cable TV
Public baths
The National Railway Museum is housed in which city?
York
Dover
Lincoln
Canterbury
Which Michael is a past winner of the ‘Rear of the Year’ award?
Parkinson
Winner
Barrymore
Jackson
Which of these is the administrative capital of Shropshire?
Telford
Market Drayton
Oswestry
Shrewsbury
On which picturesque Scottish loch is the island of Inchmurrin?
Watten
Cambletown
Ness
Lomond
When was the British Broadcasting Corporation officially formed?
1922
1924
1923
1921
Stephen Hawking and Keith Chegwin both graduated from which university?
Cambridge
Bristol
Oxford
Nottingham
Which great British cyclist hails from the Isle of Man?
Mark Cavendish
Bradley Wiggins
Chris Boardman
Chris Hoy
Which London Underground line is pink?
District
Hammersmith
Circle
Metropolitan
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