Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Street Names Talk for Model Engineers

I gave a talk recently on "Street Names of Leicester", for the Leicester Society of Model Engineers.

This is the organisation which runs the smashing little trains in Abbey Park.

The talk was originally to have been at the Cricketers, beside the Leicestershire County Cricket Club ground in Grace Road, but a last minute change saw the venue being changed to the Bassett Centre at South Wigston.

Leicester is one of the oldest towns in the country, and has a delightfully eccentric collection of street names.

I talked about the streets ending in "gate", which have nothing whatever to do with gateways, but refer to the Danish occupation a thousand years ago, this being an old word from their language simply meaning street. Examples are Belgrave Gate, Church Gate and Gallowtree Gate.

Some of the other streets discussed were Butt Close Lane, Cank Street, Cheapside, Every Street, Grey Friars, Pocklingtons Walk and Belvoir Street, one of a cluster referring to the Dukes of Rutland.

This is always a popular talk, and I will be happy to arrange to deliver it to your club.

Posted by colin on Monday 3rd November, 2008 at 9:15am