Street Names Of London

London Street Names uncovers the stories behind over 100 streets in locations such as Byron, Lambeth, and Westminster township. This book contains contributions from more than 25 of the city's leading local historians.

Londoners and tourists alike probably wonder about the meaning of such street names as Piccadilly, Pall Mall, Old Bailey, Houndsditch and Crutched Friars. John Wittich explains the origins of these and many other London street names which can reveal unsuspected facts about the history of the area, which occasionally dates back to Saxon times. Apparently straightforward names are not always what they seem: Cannon Street was once Candlewick Street, where the candlemakers dwelt, and Bunhill Row is 'bone hill', where human remains from St Paul's Cathedral were reinterred after its destruction in the Great Fire.

A useful aid to local historians, Room's pioneering study categorises the different types of street name for the first time, discusses them in detail, and explains the meaning of over 3500 examples.