Scots don't know nicknames for towns and cities in the UK

Hotel chain Travelodge surveyed 2,000 British adults across the country to seek the nation’s knowledge to the whereabouts of our popular cities and holiday hotspots by their popular nicknames.

Key research findings revealed that traditional British location nicknames are disappearing from modern lingo.

Around 43 per cent of Scots surveyed struggle to identify some of the UK’s most celebrated cities that have been awarded a nickname due to their historic background, natural beauty or industrial importance.

The research revealed that 18 per cent of those Scots asked don’t know that Aberdeen is dubbed the ‘Granite City’ despite it supplying granite for over 300 years which has been used to contract landmark building worldwide. Iconic buildings include:London Waterloo Bridge, The Houses of Parliament and the New York Opera House.

A third (33 per cent) of Scots are unaware that Sheffield is known as the ‘City of Steel’ and was the UK’s first city to produce the metal which dates back to the 18th century. Steel has completely revolutionised the UK and historically been referred to as the economy’s backbone.

Travelodge’s findings also revealed that over 75 per cent of Scottish adults are unaware of York’s chocolate-producing heritage and the rightful owner of the title ‘Chocolate City’. Yet as many as 35 per cent believe the sweet treat city title belongs to Birmingham. York dates its chocolate history back to 1725 and was home to renowned confectionery families Rowntree and Terry’s – founders of Quality Street, Terry’s Chocolate Orange, Smarties and Fruit Pastels.

The test also revealed that over half (58 per cent) of the Scottish adults cannot identify the location of the ‘Black Country’ – the birthplace of the industrial revolution famous for producing coal, iron and limestone.

Other key findings revealed that a third (35 per cent) of Scots don’t know that ‘Brum’ is a nickname for Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city.

Twenty three percent of Scots could not identify that ‘Auld Reekie’ is a popular nickname for Scotland’s capital city Edinburgh.

Over three quarters of adults are clueless to the location of the British Rivera and think it is in the Lake District rather than Cornwall.

Forty percent of Scottish adults don’t know that ‘The Toon’ is the nickname for Newcastle that has existed for 1,500 years.

Sixteen percent of Scottish adults don’t know that Inverness is the capital of the Highlands and think it is Edinburgh. Also nine out of ten Scots cannot identify that Dundee is the ‘City of Discovery’ – even though Dundee has pioneered radar, keyhole surgery and the adhesive postage stamp, to name but a few – clearly earning the title of ‘One City, Many Discoveries.’

The report also revealed that young adults are the worst offenders when it comes to location lingo, with over a third (34 per cent) of the younger generation not knowing where any of most famous nicknamed cities are in the UK.

Dr Tom Clark, Lecturer in the Department of Sociological Studies at Sheffield University said: “Location nicknames provide valuable points of reference and help us to celebrate the unique heritage associated with the area of landmark. Names like ‘The Toon’ and 'the City of Discovery’ help to evoke a sense of a place - sometimes with a hint of irony, and sometimes with a touch of the grandiose. Without these descriptive adornments - and more importantly, what they represent - we could be in danger of losing a vital sense of ourselves.”

Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge spokeswoman said: “To support our latest hotel openings in iconic nickname locations such as Dudley in The Black Country, York, Newcastle and Inverness we thought it would be interesting to test Scotland’s knowledge on location nicknames. Our findings have revealed that we do need to swot up and experience first-hand the locations that have helped make the United Kingdom so great, especially to help the younger generations appreciate our heritage.”