General Knowledge Quiz

[Nick_C]

On the subject of Victorian road transport - from where to where was the first UK motor car journey?

 

[MotCO]

Delete - duplicate entry

 

[MotCO]

On the subject of Victorian road transport - from where to where was the first UK motor car journey?

London to Brighton?

 

[Nick_C]

Not London to Brighton (or vice versa)

 

[MotCO]

From someone's garage (where it was made) to the petrol station

 

[Nick_C]

Neither garages nor petrol stations existed at the time!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I would bet really good money that it is somewhere in the south. At the very least south of Watford.

 

[SteveM70]

I’d imagine the car wasn’t built in the UK, so on that basis from whichever port it arrived at to wherever the lucky owner lived. So Dover to some Manor House or hall.

 

[Nick_C]

It was in the south, and it was from an offloading point (not a port!) to the owner's home (or at least, the town in which he lived).

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I'll hazard a guess, based purely on the presence of there being a good motor museum there and that the Montague family have long been involved in motoring, that the town might have been Beaulieu and if by offloading point that implies the car was transported to the area by rail, Brockenhurst might be the place in question?

 

[Nick_C]

You're in the right part of the country, and it was indeed transported by rail. But not Brokenhurst or Beaulieu.

 

[MotCO]

Goodwood has a history of motoring, so is that the answer? Maybe from Portsmouth to Goodwood?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Lets narrow down the counties first - I will go for Wiltshire to Berkshire

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Was a re-enactment of this not featured on one of Michael Portillo's early series episodes of "Great British Railway Journeys"?

 

[John Griffiths]

Let me guess... he was either wearing a stripy blazer and straw boater, or a leather helmet and goggles.

 

[MotCO]

Let me guess... he was either wearing a stripy blazer and straw boater, or a leather helmet and goggles.

Who - Michael Portillo? More likely to be a bright coloured jacket.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Featured in Series 3 Episode 7 apparently!

 

[Nick_C]

Lets narrow down the counties first - I will go for Wiltshire to Berkshire

half right - it was to Berkshire, but not from Wiltshire.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

To Berkshire?

It wasn't Highclere House ( the Caernarvon's seat just south of Newbury ) was it?

Now the "to" implies it was from another county. Hampshire, maybe...?

 

[Nick_C]

It wasn't Highclere. It wasn't a named house at all (at least not as far as I can see), so I'm just looking for the town.

It was from Hampshire.

I expected this to be an easy one! obviously not as well known as I thought...

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Then I'll guess Reading on the scattershot principle as it's the biggest town in Berkshire...

 

[Nick_C]

Much smaller, and further down river. I've juect checked wikipedia, and while the settlement in question is now part of Berkshire, it wasn't at the time.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Hampshire - Micheldever ?

 

[MotCO]

Berkshire - Newbury?

 

[341o2]

I looked it up. Micheldever is right.

 

[Nick_C]

Micheldever is correct; Newbury isn't

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Cant think of the name of any stately homes in Berkshire - there must be loads though.

 

[Nick_C]

Cant think of the name of any stately homes in Berkshire - there must be loads though.

I did point out earlier that it wasn't a stately home (or at least isn't mentioned as such in anytihng I've read), just the owner's home in a town (probably then a village) in what's now berkshire, but wasn't then. As a further clue, it's very near the river, and was on the LSWR.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I did point out earlier that it wasn't a stately home (or at least isn't mentioned as such in anytihng I've read), just the owner's home in a town (probably then a village) in what's now berkshire, but wasn't then. As a further clue, it's very near the river, and was on the LSWR.

Windsor?

Or has that always been Berkshire?

 

[MotCO]

I'm thinking why would a town move from one county to another between approx. 1900 and today. I would therefore assume that the place we are looking for was in Middlesex before it was abolished, or maybe moved from somewhere like Surrey for convenience. I'm also looking for somewhere on the A30 given that its predecessors were the main route from Micheldever to London. I'm therefore looking for somewhere near Staines or the M25/A30 junction, but Staines is in Surrey. Maybe Stanwell?