The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-02-11
London street Natness

The Metropolitan Board OF Works has Just
issued a Blue Book which was really required,
and Will probably save the citizens money,
besides serving as a most useful Directory tor
all people with extensive correspondence in
London. So vast has been the growth of the
metropolis that no Directory can quite keep
pace with its street nomenclature; which again,
partly from the imperfect organization of. the
city as a whole, partly from the practice of
naming streets before they are built, and
partly from the marvellous want of inventive
ness and taste which often distinguishes the
successful Briton has fallen into great confu'
sion. There are very often scores of streets in
London Of precisely the same pame-for in
stance, eighty seoen John stree's-and though
the comparatively novel and desperately
vulgar eXpedent of dividing London
into vast cities named from the points of the
compass and the relation of the points to the
centre has slightly relieved the Post Office it
has not relieved those who are hunting after an
address. Everybody thinks his correspondent
lives in the only street OF that name, or at best,
knows oi only one more, whereas there may be
a hundred such streets, while very few indeed
are absolutely unique. The Marquis OF West
minister has not had the grace to mmortalize
the very cute attorney through whose daugh-
| ter the GrosVenors obtained their magnificent
| London property, aud by an odd freak of for
tune the name Ot Davies, who acquired for
| them that estate, is recorded only IN a single
street near Berkeley Square; but the Grosve.
nora, and Bussels, and Cavendish Bentincks
! have proceeded upon some sort of a reasonable
| system--Ieasonable at all events as to names,
! Tor as to descriptions their agents have been as
stupid as any suburban builders. What on
earth they originally Intended by the
word place" as distinct from street,
or what was their, idea OF lane
| as contradstngushed from street, or why
| they adhered 10 the four definitions, square"
| 'st1eet," place" and 'lane,n 1t is hard TO un-
! deTstand; while there were at least eight words
| -road, walk, rlde, route, causeWay, way, high
| way, and thorOug ghlare-Which would have done
as well, and eight or ten more which would have
done indiferently. Had they all been used,
! every street, place, lane, alley, and court
touching or bearing towards any square, might
! have been named from it, TO the lndeinite SIM
| plifcalion Of London geography. The people
! OF Hampstead road, we have heard, Threatened
regular 6nleute rather than endure change OF
name. Their residences are not in Hampstead,
! but hampstead has a breezy sound, and Camden
town has maTshy sound, and they were not
| going TO lose their ConCelyaOe chances of profit
| from their nominal sal lbrity, There are streets
| with associations which are odorherOus, and to
fling other streets into them is rulnous, aud
| there are streets IN which rents are raised by
sort Of reflex scent OF fashion. Change Park
| street into Park lane back, aud try uo ~ much,
| AGAIN, 10 put al LO,hCr extreme case, would 1T
| cost the prOprietoIs Of Lombard street If the
board were 10 change It's name Tor any other
! imaginable designation, PaCtolus cause way, tor
| example, or the Banker crs' walk? Aud what is true
and admitted OF Lombard street, i5 true in its
degree OF every other street, down to the hum
blest court. Then remember the local inConVe-
nielce. Just let any one OF our readers who Is
proud of his originality name an imaginary
stIeet, and then try this wonderful list. TIE
chances are three to one that II he has any idea
! in the anne at all " has been alrea0y adopted
dd ndusednl Most builders give up the effort in
despair at least that is the way we should
account for three pages Of "Groves," l34 repeti-
tons of Grove street, road, row, lane, place,
! terrace, and so on, IN bewildeIing variety OF
similarity; for some 200 forms beginning with
Park; for endless "Elms,n '0aks,n Beeches,"
aud, apparently, every other Er glish tree except
the laich; tor nearly every fruit, and for every
flower we have been able to think OF In five
| minutes. 1he multiplication OF historic names
we can account for, though Is Victoria Cottages
is q large number, when some 80 varieties OF