EIGHT per cent of Londoners believe the London Eye was Gunpowder Plot leader Guy Fawkes’ target on that fateful 5 November day back in 1605, a new survey has found.


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According to most accounts, the Eye wasn’t around 400 years ago, not even a version made out of thatched straw, whale bone and ladies’ garters.

Others in the poll for burns relief product company Acriflex Cooling Burns thought Fawkes and his co-conspirators wanted to take a match to Stonehenge and/or 10 Downing Street.

We can laugh or furrow our brows at the ignorance, but the fact nearly 90% of people still know that the Catholic insurrectionist had his eye on the Houses of Parliament sounds pretty impressive, given the four century gap.

It’s true that Bonfire Night has been overshadowed by Halloween in recent years, but there is still a huge turnout at displays up and down the country and even in countries like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

There are fireworks displays all over London coming up. Here are six of the best, chosen partly so that fireworks fans can get their fix for four nights on the trot:

Thursday 5 November

Clapham Common
Fireworks at 7.30pm, Free

Friday 6 November

Bishop’s Park
Children’s Fireworks at 7.15pm, main display at 8pm, £6

Saturday 7 November

Alexandra Palace
Fireworks at 7.30pm, £4

Battersea Park
Fireworks at 8pm, £6

Victoria Park
Fireworks at 7.30pm, Free

Sunday 8 November

Richmond Athletic Ground
Fireworks at 6.15pm, £10