What’s in a name?

We look at the stories behind the names of some of London's best known areas and streets.

London Focus

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Baker Street is so-called because it was once home to a great many charming bakeries, now usurped by branches of Pret and Eat. But not so, as It was named after William Baker, the man responsible for laying out the street in the 18th century. Sloane Street is also named after a person, in this case Sir Hans Sloane, the physician whose private collections started the British Museum - if only he’d known that hundreds of years later his name would give rise to the term “Sloane ranger”. But does Piccadilly mean anything, and did Cowcross Street once have herds of cows cautiously crossing the road?

Fleet Street
Fleet Street was named after the river Fleet, which runs from Hampstead Ponds down to the Thames, but was gradually diverted underground from the 1730s onwards as it was prone to flooding with disastrous, and often very unhygienic consequences. In 1737 the section between Holborn and Ludgate Hill was built over to make way for the Fleet Market; around the same time Fleet Street was starting to become synonymous with the print press as 31 different newspaper headquarters were based here. There is little left of its publishing past here now, with many papers having moved to the Docklands. Today Fleet Street is more commonly associated with the legal profession, as it’s close to the Royal Courts of Justice and the Old Bailey.

Cowcross Street
One of the more obvious road names, Cowcross Street’s proximity to the cattle market at nearby Smithfields meant it was frequented by cows and their herders. In medieval times the area now known as Clerkenwell was largely rural with the exception of mills, farms and tanneries after they were banished from the city’s borders (in other words, anywhere beyond the London Wall) due to their noxious smells - once upon a time hair was removed from animal skin by soaking it in urine for hours at a time, which is not something you want happening next door.

Old Street
Another literal name, as this was an ancient road first recorded in the 13th century as Ealdestrate. In
the days of the Roman empire it linked Colchester, then the capital of Britain, to the City, the country’s
main hub of commerce.
\n\nThreadneedle Street
There are several theories as to the origins of this moniker; one is that it comes from a child’s game where two children hold hands while others run through them, like threading a needle. A more plausible one is that it’s named after two local livery companies: the Needle Makers and the Merchant Tailors. Find out more about what livery companies are here.

Cheapside
In the olden days, a “cheap” was a market, and so the streets called Eastcheap and Cheapside were places where people went to barter for food, clothing and other goods. In the 18th century Cheapside was considered the highly fashionable; it’s located at the centre of the banking district and is home to One New Change, a shopping centre with upmarket high street brands like Reiss and Karen Millen.

Clerkenwell Road
The Clerk’s Well was a water pump where men of the clergy performed “miracles”. It was believed the water had healing powers, and the religious men performed their magic while nuns chanted and an organ played in the background. This was normal behaviour at a time when women found exhibiting behaviour deemed out of the ordinary were persecuted for being witches. The remains of the well are in the basement of a building called Well Court, on Farringdon Lane.

Piccadilly
Piccadilly gets its name from ‘piccadills’, a frilly lace collar that was popular in the early 17th century. Robert Baker made his fortune by making the collars, and moved to a house here which he called Pickadilly Hall. Nearby Jermyn Street is still populated by old school tailors.
\n\nPortobello Road
Puerto Bellos, meaning “pretty port”, was a town owned by the Spanish till the British captured it in the War of Jenkins’ Ear, a battle over the severed ear of captain Robert Jenkins. It was originally called Porto Bello Lane when it was constructed in Notting Hill in 1740, but it wasn’t till the mid-19th century when market stalls started to appear. Initially the stalls sold fruit and veg, but soon traders of antique furniture and other household items realised the wealthier residents had money to spend on luxury goods. Today it continues to host shops and stalls selling antiques, costume jewellery and vintage clothing.

King’s Road
This was literally the king’s road. Charles II commissioned the street to connect Hampton Court Road to the Palace of Westminster (it still does, but changes its name at various points along the journey). King’s Road was ultra-exclusive until 1830, after which a pass was no longer required to access the road. That didn’t stop it being a playground for the rich, till the Swinging 60s made it trendy. Read more about its history here.

Name changers
Plenty of street names have been sanitised in cases where they described an insalubrious past. It’s unimaginable that anywhere would be called Gropecunt Lane these days, but in the Middle Ages there were several of these, including just off Cheapside, near St. Pancras station, and by Bank station. No prize for guessing what went on here.

There was also a Pissing Alley, which again needs no further explanation, and has since been amalgamated by Cannon Street. Shite-burn Lane is now Sherborne Lane, and sadly Puppekirty Lane (meaning to poke a skirt) no longer exists, but if you find those amusing you can still visit Cock Lane by the Holborn Viaduct and Fine Bush Lane in Ruislip.

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