The AnswerBank Articles

Freemason’s Hall

Freemason’s Hall in London is the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England and a meeting place for the Masonic Lodges in the London area. It has been a Masonic meeting place since 1775. The buildings are frequently used as sets for TV and film productions such as Spooks, Poirot and Johnny English. The s...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Imperial War Museum London

The Imperial War Museum London is unique in its coverage of conflicts, especially those involving Britain and the Commonwealth, from the First World War to the present day. The Museum spans a huge range of activities not only at its main London location but also at its four further branches. The Imperial War Museum wa...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Royal Festival Hall

Royal Festival Hall is one of the world’s leading performance venues. The foyers of the Royal Festival Hall are opened to the public all day, seven days a week, with free exhibitions, lunchtime concerts, evening jazz performances, shops, bars and buffets. The Hall is part of the Southbank Centre. The Hall is fam...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Royal College Of Physicians

The Royal College Of Physicians of London provides a huge range of services to its 20,000 Members and Fellows and other medical professionals. These include delivering examinations, training courses, continuous professional development and conferences; undertaking clinical audits; publishing newsletters, guidelines and...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Museum Of London

The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Prehistoric to the present day. The museum is one of the world’s largest urban history museums and cares for over two million objects in its collection. The Museum also holds the largest archaeological archive in Europe of this wealth of information. ...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Syon Park

Syon Park is situated in West London and it belongs to the Duke of Northumberland and is now his family's London residence. The park is the last privately owned country estate in London. The gardens at Syon are renowned for their extensive collection of rare trees and plants since 'Capability' Brown landscaped the park...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of history. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the tenth century. The present church is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country. The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seve...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace is a grand royal palace in Richmond upon Thames. It was once lived in by the kings and queens of England including Henry VIII, William, Mary and James. Much of the building was designed by the architect Sir Christopher Wren. The palace is most notable for its famous maze, the annual Hampton Court P...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Guildhall London

Guildhall has been the heart of the administration of the City since the twelfth century. This was an era when the Lord Mayor of London rivalled the monarch for influence and prestige. The Guildhall was where he and the ruling merchant class held court and helped create London’s wealth. Today, 800 years on, Guil...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Farewell to a genuine history-maker

Cornelius Whalen died peacefully in hopsital on September 14, 2003 at the age of 93. Q: How was he a history-maker A: He was the last survivor of the Jarrow March. Q: Which did what A:01:00 Mon 22nd Sep 2003

Who was CB Fry and what did he do

It's easier to say what he didn't do: invent the Internet, split the atom, discover the source of the Nile, appear on Celebrity Big Brother, hitch-hike round South America, DJ at the Ministry of01:00 Thu 03rd Oct 2002

Abraham Lincoln - how unlucky can one President be

Let's start at the beginning. Lincoln was born on 12 February 1809 born in a one room log cabin on Sinking Spring Farm near Hodgenville, Kentucky to Thomas Lincoln and his wife Nancy. Little Abe's01:00 Wed 07th Aug 2002

Independence Day USA

July 4th - that's Independence Day in the USA It certainly is: the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. On that day in 1776 the 'United Colonies' declared their resolve to break away once01:00 Tue 02nd Apr 2002

A Monster's What

Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry in Monster's Ball Halle Berry won her Best Actress Oscar for her role in Monster's Ball, recently released to widespread acclaim in the UK. It is a dark01:00 Fri 07th Jun 2002

Everything you ever wanted to know about Paraguay

All I know about Paraguay is that they've qualified for the World Cup Don't worry, you're not alone. If Paraguay gets mentioned at all in the UK, it's usually because of their football team and in01:00 Tue 28th May 2002

The Battle of Kohima

The Battle of Kohima has been compared to the siege of Stalingrad and, from another war, to the Somme. It stands as one of the great turning-points of the Second World War, and as testament to the01:00 Mon 29th Apr 2002

I've got a rare £2 coin where the Queen is wearing a necklet. How much is it worth

A. 2. And it's not rare. Q. Don't believe you. A. Try going to see a coin dealer, then. You're likely to emerge with a black eye, too, for wasting their time. It's an urban myth that seems to01:00 Mon 29th Apr 2002

Bubonic plague didn't cause the Black Death

A. No. The Black Death - the pandemic that killed more than a quarter of the population of 14th-Century Europe, was not bubonic plague, according to new research from America. It was previously01:00 Mon 22nd Apr 2002

So the true King of England is alive after all

A. Steady on - we don't want that sort of treasonous talk on the Answerbank. I think you must be referring to claims in a book that a direct descendant of Bonnie Prince Charlie have been discovered01:00 Mon 22nd Apr 2002

I'm interested in this new gold cup that's been found.

A. I think you mean old gold cup. The Bronze Age vessel, dating from the same time as Stonehenge, was been unearthed in a cornfield at Woodnesborough, near Sandwich, in Kent. That makes it between01:00 Mon 15th Apr 2002