Westminster is home to many of London’s most famous landmarks and institutions. It has a rich history stretching back over a thousand years. Let’s explore this historic part of London through some riddles!
Riddles about Places in Westminster
Big Ben
Q: I’m a huge clock tower in Westminster that chimes every hour. Who am I?
A: Big Ben
Q: I’m a giant bell that rings loudly from a tall clock tower next to the Houses of Parliament. What’s my name?
A: Big Ben
Q: You can hear my booming bongs from miles away when I mark the hour. I’m one of London’s most iconic landmarks. What am I?
A: Big Ben
Westminster Abbey
Q: I’m an ancient church in Westminster where royal weddings and coronations take place. What famous abbey am I?
A: Westminster Abbey
Q: Kings and queens have been crowned within my old stone walls for centuries. I’m a famous Gothic church in Westminster. What am I?
A: Westminster Abbey
Q: Poets and writers like Chaucer and Dickens are buried beneath my floors. I’m a historic church near Parliament. What’s my name?
A: Westminster Abbey
Buckingham Palace
Q: I’m the London home and office of the British monarch. My changing of the guard ceremony draws crowds every day. What famous royal palace am I?
A: Buckingham Palace
Q: With over 700 rooms, I’m the Queen’s official residence in the heart of Westminster. What palace am I?
A: Buckingham Palace
Q: You can witness my ceremonial Changing of the Guard outside my gates if you visit London. I’ve been home to British royalty for almost 200 years. What palace am I?
A: Buckingham Palace
Westminster Bridge
Q: I’m a famous road bridge over the River Thames connecting Westminster to Lambeth. Monet painted me in murky fog. What London bridge am I?
A: Westminster Bridge
Q: Big Ben looms behind me in picturesque views. I’m a green-painted bridge in central London crossed by thousands daily. What’s my name?
A: Westminster Bridge
Q: Londoners have crossed me for over 250 years on their way to Parliament. I span the Thames with grand neo-Gothic details. What historic bridge am I?
A: Westminster Bridge
The London Eye
Q: I’m a giant Ferris wheel on London’s South Bank that gives riders panoramic views. What am I called?
A: The London Eye
Q: Take a ride in one of my glass capsules to see all of London laid out below. I’m a huge observation wheel and modern landmark. What am I?
A: The London Eye
Q: I slowly rotate over the Thames near Westminster Bridge. Tourists queue for hours to soar in my pods high above London. What giant wheel am I?
A: The London Eye
Westminster Cathedral
Q: I’m a massive Byzantine-style Catholic cathedral decorated with vivid mosaics, located near Westminster Abbey. What am I?
A: Westminster Cathedral
Q: My distinctive neo-Byzantine architecture sets me apart from my Gothic Protestant neighbor. I’m the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster. What cathedral am I?
A: Westminster Cathedral
Q: I’m often overlooked compared to my more famous Anglican namesake, but I’m an impressive sight with my striped red-brick towers. What Catholic cathedral shares its name with Westminster Abbey?
A: Westminster Cathedral
Riddles about Westminster History & Traditions
Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot
Q: My failed attempt to blow up Parliament is remembered every November 5th in Britain. Who am I?
A: Guy Fawkes
Q: In 1605 I tried to kill King James I by blowing up the Houses of Parliament. My treasonous Gunpowder Plot is celebrated and burned in effigy every year. Who am I?
A: Guy Fawkes
Q: British children dress up as me every Bonfire Night, 400 years after I infamously tried to ignite 36 barrels of gunpowder under Westminster. What’s my name?
A: Guy Fawkes
The Line of Succession
Q: I’m the order in which members of the Royal Family inherit the British throne, regulated by Parliament. What am I?
A: The Line of Succession
Q: From the reigning monarch to infants, I stipulate the sequence of heirs to the throne. The Act of Settlement and royal marriages shuffle me over time. What am I?
A: The Line of Succession
Q: Prince William and his children follow Queen Elizabeth II in me, the designated order of who will be the next British ruler. What am I called?
A: The Line of Succession
The State Opening of Parliament
Q: I’m the grand annual event where the British monarch officially opens a new session of Parliament. What am I?
A: The State Opening of Parliament
Q: Queen Elizabeth II rides to Westminster in a carriage, delivers a speech, and wears her Imperial State Crown at me, a British traditional ceremony. What am I?
A: The State Opening of Parliament
Q: With great pageantry I mark the start of a new parliamentary year. The reigning monarch attends me in regalia to deliver her government’s agenda. What royal tradition am I?
A: The State Opening of Parliament
Trooping the Colour
Q: I’m the Queen’s annual birthday parade with marching bands and a RAF flyover. What’s my name?
A: Trooping the Colour
Q: On Horse Guards Parade, soldiers in bearskin hats escort the Queen as bands play and flags are paraded at this royal birthday celebration. What event am I?
A: Trooping the Colour
Q: Crowds line The Mall to watch regiments march with regimental flags hoisted high at this huge military parade in Westminster. What royal spectacle am I?
A: Trooping the Colour
Riddles about Westminster Politics & Government
Houses of Parliament
Q: I’m the historic meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, located on the Thames. What iconic building am I?
A: Houses of Parliament
Q: Big Ben towers over me as MPs debate and pass laws within my century-old chambers. I’m the home of British parliamentary democracy. What am I?
A: Houses of Parliament
Q: Westminster’s Gothic Revival-style landmark where the elected House of Commons and appointed House of Lords convene. What’s my name?
A: Houses of Parliament
Prime Minister’s Questions
Q: I’m the weekly clash between the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition broadcast live from the Commons. What political spectacle am I?
A: Prime Minister’s Questions
Q: The Prime Minister spars with rival MPs every Wednesday at me, facing jeers and cheers from the crowd. What raucous parliamentary session am I?
A: Prime Minister’s Questions
Q: I’m when the PM takes questions from MPs and must defend the government’s policies. My heated debates air live on BBC. What political fixture am I?
A: Prime Minister’s Questions
10 Downing Street
Q: I’m the official residence and office of the British Prime Minister located in Westminster. What’s my address?
A: 10 Downing Street
Q: The British PM lives at Number 10 on me, a street lined with government buildings in Westminster. What’s my name?
A: Downing Street
Q: Larry the Cat prowls outside my black front door, home to decades of British heads of government. I’m found off Whitehall in Westminster. What street number am I?
A: 10 Downing Street
The Supreme Court
Q: I’m the highest court in the UK, located inside the former Middlesex Guildhall on Parliament Square. What am I?
A: The Supreme Court
Q: Twelve judges preside over me, ruling on civil cases and constitutional matters referred from lower British courts. What highest judicial body am I?
A: The Supreme Court
Q: Cases reaching me represent the most complex points of law in the UK. I’m the final court of appeal housed in a neo-Gothic building near Parliament. What court am I?
A: The Supreme Court
Riddles about Westminster People & Culture
John Constable
Q: My Romantic landscape paintings like The Hay Wain depict scenic places around the English countryside. Who am I?
A: John Constable
Q: Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral refused to bury me in the 1830s for being controversial. Today art critics praise my realist paintings of rural British life. Who am I?
A: John Constable
Q: I painted impressionist scenes of the River Stour, Suffolk wheat fields, and towering clouds over Salisbury Cathedral in the early 1800s. Who was I?
A: John Constable
Charles Dickens
Q: I wrote Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and other famous novels that exposed the harsh conditions of Victorian London. Who am I?
A: Charles Dickens
Q: As a young boy, I worked in a boot polish factory near Charing Cross Station. I later became the most popular English novelist of the 1800s. Who am I?
A: Charles Dickens
Q: Westminster Abbey is my final resting place, though in life I depicted the plight of London’s poor and condemned child labor. Name this great British author.
A: Charles Dickens
Clement Attlee
Q: I was UK Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951, enacting major reforms like the NHS and nationalization programs. Who am I?
A: Clement Attlee
Q: Serving under Winston Churchill, I transformed 20th century Britain with the postwar welfare state before the rise of Margaret Thatcher. What Labour PM’s name do I share?
A: Clement Attlee
Q: This former Leader of the Opposition became a transformative British Prime Minister after World War II, pulling troops out of India and founding the NHS. Who was I?
A: Clement Attlee
The Proms
Q: I’m a yearly summer festival of orchestral classical concerts held across Britain, famous for flag-waving at the Last Night. What cultural event am I?
A: The Proms
Q: Since 1895 audiences have gathered at the Royal Albert Hall for me, a series of nightly concerts that conclude on a patriotic Last Night. What classical music festival am I?
A: The Proms
Q: At my celebratory final concert, Union Jack flags are waved as “Rule, Britannia!” is joyfully sung. I’m an iconic British summer music tradition. What am I called?
A: The Proms
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed these riddles exploring the history, culture, and icons of Westminster! Let me know if you need any clarification on the riddles or answers provided. Please feel free to use this content as you see fit for your publishing needs. Thank you!
