hetismij

Earls Court is where the Earls of Oxford held manorial court - right by the current underground station.

PalenQ

SHEPHERD'S BUSH

'either takes its name from the shepherds who uses this place as a meadow or more likely from a personal name of someone so called.. It was recorded as Shepherds Bush Green in 1635."

(Shepherd's would imply someone named Shepherd? Shepherds' would imply many shepherds?)

tot ziens hetismij

Cholmondley_Warner

Shepherds bush was indeed where shepherds would "park" (or whatever it is you do with sheeps) their sheeps prior to herding them into the city. It was suprisingly rural until the late 19th Centuray.

PatrickLondon

There was a dairy farm at the bottom of the Mall till quite late in the 19th century.

Cholmondley_Warner

The "Nursery End" at Lords isn't called that for nothing...

PalenQ

How about household names such as Paddington, Euston, Knightsbridge?>

and PICCADILLY? - "Piccadilly probably comes from the name of a house built in 1600s - of a tailor who made a fortune in sales of 'pickadillies' - a kind of collar or ruff"

PADDINGTON?
'Padintune in 959 - dervied from personal name of Anglo-Saxon chieftan Padda and the OE tun (farm) - the farm of Padda - became Patyngton by 1398 and evolved over time to Paddington Bear.

EUSTON
'from mainline station whose name comes from Euston Grove and Euston Square, property of Duke of Grafton, whose seat was Euston hall, Suffolk - Melton Street was proposed as well but Euston was selected as the name - Euston Square station opened as Gower Street but was later re-named.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE
'Chihtebridge in 1046 - bridge of the young men who were responsible for the bridge's upkeep and defense - bridge over the Westbourne Stream where it cross the Great West Road. Knyghtesbrugg in 1364 (Dutch???) the stream is now underground in a sewer pipe'
Note the author says: One story has it that this was the place where knights had their jousting tournaments in days gone by but that this should taken with a 'pinch of salt'.

NEXT ELEPHANT & CASTLE

flanneruk

Be very, very careful about the Elephant and Castle.

Even hint at the Infanta de Castilla and we'll be down on you like a ton of full paint tins.

PalenQ

Well the book does say that that is just an Urban Myth - now you've ruined my suspense!

Cholmondley_Warner

Be very, very careful about the Elephant and Castle.

Even hint at the Infanta de Castilla and we'll be down on you like a ton of full paint tins.>>>>>

Think cutlery and all will be well.

PalenQ

ELEPHANT & CASTLE

'The theory that the name is a corruption of The Infanta of Castile has no historical foundation'

But this Tube stop in a rather dour area not far from London Bridge Station nevertheless has an intriguing history:

"In the early 1800s a circus often put up near today's tube station and shopping centre of the same name. The Circus featured a Castle-like tent for cover in winter. Elephants to be used in the circus performance were stabled outside the large castle-like tent. A pub opposite the Castle-tent took the name Elephant & Castle and the rest is history. The tavern had a guilt model of an elephant and castle, which was preserved when the tavern was demolished in 1959 and is now displayed in the nearby Elephant & Castle shopping centre (mall). The present day pub of the same name stands a short distance from the old site."

Robespierre

TOOTING BEC

ONGAR (in Chipping Ongar)

PalenQ

Ah yeh TOOTING BEC is a rather weird-sounding name

'the word totinge was recorded in the Doomsday Book - from c. 1082 it comprised two manors - that of upper Tooting and Tooting Bec, held in 1086 by the Abbey of St Mary of Bec, in Normandy. Tooting is dervied from a personal name of the Saxon tota and the OE place name word ending 'ing', literally 'the people who lived at'

Opened as Trinity Road station in 1926, renamed Tooting Bec in 1950.

PalenQ

Oh - No Onger or Chipping Onger in the book.

Robespierre

Ongar was the eastern terminus of the Central Line until its closure in 1994.

flanneruk

"Chipping" is a Nordic term meaning 'market'. Cognate with 'koping' (pronounced sherping) in Swedish towns like Norkoping (which has exactly the same meaning as Chipping Norton). Also from the same root as 'cheap', both as in Cheapside AND cheapskate, and ultimately from the same root as 'shop'

Ongar, I believe, means grassland, which really means 'not wooded'.

Robespierre

Two things Tubular:

"Ghost" stations: http://underground-history.co.uk

Why are there so many stations with "Acton" in their names?

North
South
East
West
Central
Town
Main Line

PalenQ

I think simply because so many different tube and rail lines run thru the area. Some of those stations are very close to each other and today may have been built as a unified station perhaps. It's not a really densely populated area with high-rises or such so a very good question.

I think it was one of the Who who once said 'It was really an East Acton type of thing' - he came from here i guess. Anyway it's a very boring part of London - i stayed in Tent City there for some years in the 70s and early 80s.

willit

Sorry, Cannot resist any longer...........

MORNINGTON CRESENT.

PalenQ

'Mornington Crescent was begun in 1921 by Ferdinand, 2nd Lord Southampton - was named for his sis-in-law Anne Wellesley's maiden name - Mornington - daughter of the Earl of Mornington and Duke of Wellington. Seymour Street was also proposed for the name - the station was to be permanently closed when closed in 1992 but re-opened following refurbishment in 1998.'

Yeh i was think Mornington Crescent had something to do with the sun rising, etc. Like Good morning.

willit

Thanks PalenQ

Something just Wooshed by, I think it was the ghost of Humphrey Lyttelton