Guy Fawkes was bang on

QUESTION If the barrels of gunpowder under the Houses of Parliament had been set off by Guy Fawkes, how much damage would have been done?

In the Gunpowder Plot: exploding the Legend, a 2005 ItV programme, an attempt was made to recreate the planned blast.

the conspirators who schemed to blow up James I and Parliament had, by november 4, 1605, managed to stow 36 barrels of gunpowder in a cellar underneath the Parliament Building, in the old Westminster Castle.

explosives expert Dr Sidney Alford calculated that the three dozen barrels they stockpiled would have contained one metric tonne (2,205lb) of gunpowder.

For the tV show, hosted by Richard hammond, a replica of the original 17th-century houses of Parliament was constructed at Spadeadam test and research site in Cumbria.

Parliamentary curator Simon Carter provided drawings of the original buildings, which were built to size. the second floor was a massive hall spanning 36ft by 75ft and 52ft high, which gives an idea of the size of the set.

the explosives were loaded into identical barrels and fused in the same way Guy Fawkes would have done and placed in a concrete vault under the structure.

the dramatic experiment proved without doubt that the explosion would have obliterated the houses of Parliament.

Its power was such that 7ft deep solid concrete walls were reduced to rubble.

Measuring devices placed in the chamber to calculate the force of the blast were destroyed.

the skull of the mannequin representing King James — which had been placed on a throne inside the chamber surrounded by dummy courtiers, peers and bishops — was found some distance away from the site.

Programme makers concluded that the plotters had at least twice the amount of gunpowder required to do the job.

Ian Marck, London SW13.

QUESTION Who invented the gadget used in hospitals for bed-bound male patients who cannot walk to the toilet? (Has the inventor ever tried this when prone in bed?)

FuRtheR to the earlier answer, I have a plastic version of this device which I bought on the internet for a Kilimanjaro climb.

I used it while in a sleeping bag when it was too cold to leave the tent. I was able to deploy this during the night — making sure to tilt it when bringing it in and out of the sleeping bag. It proved very useful indeed. Norman Wanstall,

Burford, Worcs.