Continents & CountriesGeography

89 Britain Trivia Questions for the English Expert

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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