Quiz Tour: #4 The Princess of Wales, NW1

Having come from glorious victory at the Junction Tavern we knew the only way was down but to fall so far and so fast was galling to say the least. In our defence it was a skeleton crew of 3 men and a dog that arrived early at the Princess of Wales in Primrose Hill. The unusually late start time of 9pm allowed for a relaxed pre-quiz supper (a large selection of pub staples and interesting Italian options). The pub itself is a fine establishment catering to a colourful crowd of the local gentry and manages to feel both spacious and cosy at the same time.

Despite coming last, the quiz itself was thoroughly enjoyable. It reminded me how a good quiz should feel with challenging questions, a friendly atmosphere and teams that are obviously regulars. One of the barmaids did a fine job as a pleasant (if unspectacular) quizmaster. The format was good, 5 themed rounds of 10 questions and a picture round where the highest scoring team gets a free round of drinks. There was also a welcome appearance of a joker option (surprisingly the first of the tour) which we thoroughly squandered on our lowest scoring round!

All in all, a quiz that left us itching to return with a full team to give the regulars a run for their money with only one big fly in the ointment, the 9pm start. The quiz ran at an enjoyable pace but didn't finish until about 11:15 meaning it was gone midnight by the time I got home. I hate to admit it but just the timing makes it an impractical venue for most of the Conquiztadores, otherwise, it could have been a contender...




Good in a blizzard, not so hot in the General Knowledge round.








Quiz Master: 7
Question Quality: 9
Competition: 9
Refreshments: 8
Pace: 4* *marked down for late start
Format: 7
Prizes: 5
Ambience: 7


The High Point:
Not much to choose from here but a good 'connections' round saw us spotting the connection early and getting all but one of the Olympic cities.


The Low Point:
Our joker round, 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' which showed up our deficient knowledge of Frank Sinatra World War II movies, yacht races and most embarrassingly of all crediting the Vengaboys with a little too much originality for 'We're going to Ibiza'.





What We Learnt:
The names of the Stephenson Rocket's competition in the Rainhill Trials¹, who was appointed in 2009 as the youngest ever Chief Scout² and who loved their horse so much they turned it into some very collectable beer jugs³.






¹ - Cycloped, Perseverance, Novelty and San Pareil
² - Bear Grylls
³ - Oliver Cromwell