London, like many cities has plenty off odd sounding street names, but what exactly do they all mean and where did they come from?
Many street names you can figure out such as “Butcher’s Lane” or “Cobblers Alley”, but then there are those which seem to defy any normal explanation.
Here are a few of the weirder ones and their original reasons for existing.
Frying Pan Alley – If New York can have Tin Pan Alley, then why not, but in London this road wasn’t so much about down and out musicians, but more connected with the ironmungers who used to use their wares as signs.
In Frying Pan Alley one of the most popular “signs” used was, as you might guess, cast iron frying pans which was especially useful as most of the population wouldn’t have been able to read the normal signs anyway.
Wrestler’s Court isn’t so much where Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks (ask your parents if under 30) used to hang out, but as with many names it was the pub which provided the ale in this area. The pub was called The Wresters and so the name stuck.
Wardrobe Terrace would perhaps bring up images of an early Saville Row and you wouldn’t be entirely off-mark, but it was actually the place where King Edward III used to keep his royal gowns. Exactly why he would do that is a little mysterious, but apparently they were moved from the Tower of London to this street in 1359.
Hopefully later monarchs changed the location of the robes as the area was severely damaged by the Great Fire of London in 1666.
Pope’s Head Alley might sound a little worrying to the Catholic Church, but so far as we’re aware there was never an anti-catholic uprising here. The Pope’s Head Tavern used to be found here, so the name naturally stuck.
Turnagain Lane has to be one of the most blindly obvious names the people of the area could come up with. This is simply a dead-end road with a river blocking the passageway through, so naturally you have to “turn again” to exit the street. We do wonder how many privy council meetings were held to decide on this name.
Crutched Friars was again nothing to do with violence against the clergy, although there is an Italian connection. It was where the Fratres Cruciferi had their monestry in the 13th Century. The name translates as “Crutched Friars”, at least according to Wikipedia.
Rotten Row could have been used to describe many streets in London before the clean air and clean water bills were passed, but this particular one in the fashionable W1 district was likely rather overrun by rats. Not something perhaps that the estate agents of today would like you to know.
Adam and Eve Court isn’t religious and doesn’t appear to have anything to do with Cockney slang “Adam and Eve it” meaning “do you believe it”. The name comes from the Adam and Eve Tavern which was found just off Oxford Street in the centre of London. We suspect the “court” part was added later to make it sound more posh.
Catherine Wheel Alley could have been named after Guy Falkes, but unfortunately at the time it doesn’t appear anyone knew much about fireworks. However it is reported to be linked to a tavern which the famous Dick Turpin used to frequent, so all is not lost in terms of notoriety and history.
Passing Alley was a slightly gentrified name which doesn’t exactly give a clue as to it’s origin. However, if you consider that this once called Pissing Alley, well you’ll get the picture. In essence it was an open public convenience, or “face the wall” toilet which was eventually closed down after Londoners cleaned up the city and the sewers.
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