New-York tribune., 1909-04-04
LONDON STREET NAMES.
They Form a Condensed History of the
Expansion of the Metropolis

To the observant eye London street lanes are
the history OF the expansion of the city in highly
condensed form. They give one at glance very
fair idea OF the date which district first
built over. says The London Globe This is es-
pecally the case with streets named after British
victories and British generals. OF course. popular
names which continually recur, such as Yelling
ton and Nelson. OF little for this purpose.
they repeated in every newly built suburb.
but unusual name, or. better still, two such
names for adjoining streets, will generally date
the houses nearly as accurately as II the year Of
erection cut the lintels.
Perhaps the earliest names OF this class are
Great Marlborough street and Families street.
which carry back the building Of Soho. the Geor-
gian Belsravia the early years of the eighteenth
century. Quebec Chapel and Quebec News. Port
man Square. names that tell that the ten
"a Sor OF hS sre or fe the oSaq oa9 as it
then calltd, at a time when Wolfe conquest OF
cannot have been much building north OF the line
Of Holborn. for Gray: the poet, when living In
in his garden and could see Hampstead from mis-
Rodney Road Walworth commentaries the great
admiral who relieved the gloom of the close OF the
fleet In the West indies. 1t also marks the begin
ming Of the great expansion OF London south OF the
heroic death of Sir Ralph Abercromby have left
recalls an otherwise forgotten victory OF Sir John
Stewart in CnlabrIa in the great French war. but
it was the first battle in which British Infantry
showed they could defeat the armies OF Napoleon,
and prepared the way for the triumphs OF the
peninsula. In a recent discussion in contem-
porary il stoutly maintained that the name
was taken from Sir Walter Scott's favorite deer
hound Mazda. But In 1906 one In London had
ever heard OF the dog and the sign OF inn
which still stands in Mazda Vale is The Hero OF
Maida.' and rules out the canine hypothesis.
Sir Hyde Parkers seizure OF the Danish fleet
to prevent it's falling into the hands OF Napoleon
is preserved In the name of Copenhagen street. Is
llngtOn while Vittoria street. in the district
is the only name in London taken from the Pen
insilhr campaign
However builders may have neglected the duke s
earlier victories they made ample amends over
Waterloo. for there fewer than twenty-one
wellington streets and places. and eight named
from Waterloo, while Picton street. Canberwell
recalls Of Wengton's most trusted Ueuten-
ants who fell in the great battle The long peace
furnishes only two names-Exmouth street. Clerk
enwell named after the admiral who hombarded
Algiers and Codrngton Hill Forest HILL which
commemorates the unfortunate incident OF Nava-
rino, the ministry of the day characterized it,
when Sir f. Codrington sank the Turkish fleet in
harbor. and incidentally freed Greece from tbs
Ottoman rule. The Crimean War has left its traces
directly in Balakava street. Bermondsey, and in
directly in Mermora. Scutari and Therapia roads
Forest HILL while the Indian Mutiny has left it's
mark in Havelock and Outram roads, behind
Kings Cross Station
The Afghan War. brought about by the murder
OF the British Resident in cabul. is commemorated