Had to share this: Strange Place Names 🇬🇧

Dull, in Perthshire, is twinned with Boring in Oregon, USA. They also have some link with Bland in Australia.

J52

There’s a main road in Derbyshire called The Ditch. Recently our sat nav told us to take a right turn into The Ditch.

and of course, The Fosse! (ditch in French) which we use all the time.

Nobottle in Northamptonshire - it used to be next to a firing range (closed by MOD 20 years ago) but this isn't where it got it's name - apparently, it meant 'new building '

Years ago lwhen female genitalia were called c--t or c--te without much offence each town had streets described as gropec--t Lane , where ladies offered their services for a price .
C--nt can be documented back to the 13th century .
These lanes existed during Georgian times , but by Victotian times the name caused deep offence .
Renamed streets are often called Grape Lane sometimes romantically Love Lane .
Petticoat Lane in London was also an area popular with prostitutes .

Sorry for typos - blame my neighbour's cat in for his late night cuddle !

There is a Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate in York. Would love to see what went on there!

Other weird names in Greater Manchester

Besses o'th 'Barn, Bury

There is also a Pityme in Cornwall near Rock. I think someone told us it was so named after people on boats crossing the Camel estuary to Padstow.

Esmay, there's a road in Guildford that locals used to nickname "Boat Alley" - because it had "oars" on both sides!

Near a long-gone GM’s house in Hertfordshire, close to what used to be called The Great North Road, was a ‘Turpin’s Ride’, but the one we liked best as kids was ‘Robbery Bottom’.

I’ve never heard of any ghostly Dick Turpin haunting the area and trying to hold up massive SUVs, but it’s a nice thought.

Piddletrenthide in Dorset is another piddle, Nempnet Thrubwell in North Somerset, The Wallops in Hampshire,
Peasedown St John in Bath & NE Somerset, The Three Legged Man near the New Forest.

And there is Diss in Norfolk. When you near it Dissappears.

What? No Ugley (Essex) which may or may not have a Women's Institute?

Bare (a district between Lancaster and Morecambe in Lancashire, was said to have a Townswomen's Guild at one time (do the Townswomen's Guilds still exist? My mum used to belong to one).

Idle, a suburb of Bradford, most certainly has a Working Men's Club. I know this because I have seen it.

I wonder where all the piddles originate from?

Pratts Bottom (I think in Kent)

My nephew lives in Sexy in Somerset and we once had a holiday in Fryup in Yorkshire

I love poring over OS maps when visiting a new area to find all those wonderful place names. We have such a rich and varied history in Britain (yes I know our current history is totally rubbish), and the fact that place names reflect that.

No particular favourite but there are ones that I don’t like eg in Bromsgrove is an enormous housing estate called “The Oakalls” - say it quickly. And in nearby Droitwich on another enormous housing estate is “Enid Blyton Corner” which sounds like the children’s section in the local library. Developers chose naff names.

Mind you Wasn’t “Nelson Mandela Court” quite popular one time?

Here in Devon we have a hamlet called Nomansland.

I used to live in Love Lane near Dorchester.

Quite a few odd ones in Lancashire i noticed when i was house hunting.

Shropshire has Wigwig

what about the Piddles in Worcestershire? (wyre piddle), several Nomanslands, Zeal Monachorum, East by the Water

Theres a Titty Ho lane, somewhere, I think.

Condom and Seix in the French Pyrenees (not neighbours!)

We live near Sandwich in Kent which is very near Ham!