Plymouth Street Names (Part 1)

Ever wondered why our roads, streets, lanes, avenues, crofts, cul-de-sacs and crescents are named as they are? Who named them and why? Which streets remember those first colonists on the Mayflower; the Wrigley’s chewing gum factory; a recipient of the Victoria Cross and commander of a midget submarine; inspired by the marvellously-named Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle Drax? Within these pages the author examines the origins of those street names with which we are otherwise so familiar. People, trades, early place names, the military, politicians, and many more sources too numerous to mention have all contributed to the simple road sign seen at each end of every street. As the reader will soon discover, defining street names is a new and very different way of revealing the history of a place. The definitions are supported by anecdotal evidence, bringing to life the individuals and events which have influenced the places and the way these names have developed. This is not simply a dictionary but a history and will prove invaluable not only for those who live and work in the city but also visitors and tourists, historians and former inhabitants, indeed anyone with an interest in Plymouth.