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Some of them evoke excitement. Others simply sound mysterious while many leave you with a feeling of spiritualism but yet none is really what it suggests.
Angel, Seven Sisters, Whitechapel, Blackfriars, Upminster, King's Cross at St. Pancras, Elephant and Castle to name but a few, all sound somehow weird and may make you begin to wonder what they mean and how they came about. But don't be deceived into thinking that Angel Tube station has anything to do with the Heavenly Angels or that Seven Sisters has anything to do with women."Those stations are named after the areas of London they serve", says Nathan Fletcher, Head of Transport for London Press Desk Communities.
I used to feel somehow about the names but my doubts began to fade after going through a book by Cyril M. Harris on the origin of the tube names.
Angel for instance, according to Harris, takes its name from a once famous coaching inn that dates from 1638 and was one of the commonest mediaeval inns on City Road in mid 18th century.
I used to feel somehow about the names but my doubts began to fade after going through a book by Cyril M. Harris on the origin of the tube names.
Angel for instance, according to Harris, takes its name from a once famous coaching inn that dates from 1638 and was one of the commonest mediaeval inns on City Road in mid 18th century.
Think about Seven Sisters: It is said to have emanated from seven elms trees, which stood near Page Green where seven sisters Road built in 1831-1833 joined old Ermine Street in London. Worried about Upminster? It evolved from Upminster in 1602, a church served by several clergy rather than a monastery. The prefix ‘up' means ‘higher ground' although the town does not rise above 60 ft.
Similarly, Whitechapel derives its name from the white stone chapel of St. Mary Malfelon first built in 1329, bombed in 1940 and demolished in 1952. Today, there is no trace of the church that gave rise to the name
Perhaps, King's Cross at St. Pancras is close to what it connotes: It gets its name from Battlebridge-site of one of the battles between Boudicca, The British Queen of Iceni and the Romans about AD 59 or AD 61 at the Bridge near the River Fleet. The district later took its name from the famous King George 1V stature which stood from 1830-1845 at a crossroads. St Pancras was once a solitary village later granted a manor by Ethelbert to St Paul's Cathedral and recorded as Sanctium Pancrutiu and dedicated to a boy martyr named St Pancras.
Perhaps, King's Cross at St. Pancras is close to what it connotes: It gets its name from Battlebridge-site of one of the battles between Boudicca, The British Queen of Iceni and the Romans about AD 59 or AD 61 at the Bridge near the River Fleet. The district later took its name from the famous King George 1V stature which stood from 1830-1845 at a crossroads. St Pancras was once a solitary village later granted a manor by Ethelbert to St Paul's Cathedral and recorded as Sanctium Pancrutiu and dedicated to a boy martyr named St Pancras.
Blackfriars takes its roots from the colour of the habits worn by the friars of a Dominican Domesday monastery known as Blackfriars, established by the Earl of Kent in the 13 century. Arsenal is named after the famous Arsenal Football Club, which relocated from Woolwich in 1913 where it founded its Royal Arsenal Factory in1884, while Elephant and Castle is named after a tavern that became popular in the 16 century and later hosted the Newington Theatre that featured Shakespeare plays in the 18th century.
I came off with the feeling that the more one reads the book, the more curious and awed they become because the small book has not cleared all the mysteries behind the tube station names.
I came off with the feeling that the more one reads the book, the more curious and awed they become because the small book has not cleared all the mysteries behind the tube station names.
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