A History of London through Fascinating Street Names 

I worked in London for a few years back in 80s-90s, Commuting from the north, We would work Sunday mornings with the afternoon off, so we would wander around the city, it was deserted except for the people who live there, most pubs and shops closed, I found loads of amazing places, little courtyards and squares, tiny narrow pedestrian only streets, great architecture and street names, the average person would never know they are there if just visiting, It's like a hidden city,

Excellent, I was a cycle courier in London for 18 years ( know every street and alleyway ) and to get a history lesson like this is 'magic' thank you👌

Having a Swedish Mum I often wondered whether there was a connection between The Strand and the word for beach, but I always thought it was a bit too far from the river. You have just put me right.

Very interesting. I'm a clock restorer. Knightrider street was known as "Little Knightrider Street" until the late 19th century. I had a lovely English Fusee clock with that address on the dial.

What a really well-presented and narrated documentary. Thank you very much!

Perfect video; enjoyed immensely. I worked off Fleet Street for few years, at nights, in the Solicitors Law Society press hall printing parliamentary documents overnight. During our lunch break we would sometimes wander around the back alleys climbing forbidden railings to see where places went and in the '70's we didn't get arrested as terrorists. We would also go into the Daily Mirror building across the road that fronted onto Fleet Street and get a good meal, cheap, in their canteen. On an early Friday morning some of us would go to the meat market for weekend fare and sink a pint in the public house that was open (only!) for market porters. Miss the ancient history; although, where I am now, the first Australians can go back 50,000 years.

Wonderful company, fascinating and such a treat. Thank you for posting.

This was like having a little holiday break this afternoon. Thank you! So enjoyable.

Know that I’m a year late but this was utterly fascinating 🧐. Thank you for the history lesson. Enjoyed your video, well done 👍

I enjoyed this very much, thank you Edward. I lived in London in the 70’s and I found it fascinating as I knew nothing of this. You have a lovely natural way of communicating which I like and a good sense of humour😁 Glad to have found you.

London is a fascinating, rich in history city. Knew snippets of what you have spoken about but I have learnt a lot more!

Superbly interesting and well documented video! It came up on my home page, presumably because I enjoy videos about history among other things, and I thought "That looks interesting! I'll save that to my Watch Later list." Very glad I did! Well I'm only halfway through the video. I assume the second half is just as fascinating.

Hi this is an outstanding piece of work I am so pleased I clicked on it just by chance is so well put together it must’ve taken you forever thank you so much for taking the time to produce such a professional piece of work well done👏👏🇬🇧🇬🇧

Thank you so much. A really interesting narrative on the origins of London Street names... 🙏

Thank you so much for sharing. Hearing the historical details really puts the different areas of London into context. So interesting!

Thank you ! That was an interesting selection of history in street name form :) Haven't been to London since the late '90's (unfortunately) so a "tour" is always lovely.

I'm a new visitor to your channel and found it wonderfully educational! Incidentally, I was born in Soho and have a genuine affinity to London.

I lived in a street in Tuai, New Zealand called Rotton Row, and was told it was a street in London. I have just Googled it. Very interesting, and a lovely street alongside Hyde Park and used by royalty, and was lit up at night by torches to discourage highway robbers, before street lighting was an everyday thing g!

Many thanks, Edward! Even though I grew up in London, I found this video fascinating and very enlightening.

Very enjoyable, interesting and informative. Thank you very much.

Great video. I’m a dedicated Anglophile from the States and really enjoyed learning the origins of the words and history of the street names. Another testimony to the UK’s exceptional history.

You missed out the original name of Threadneedle Street. It too was a place of ill repute called Gropecunt Lane. Eminently descriptive and i think my favourite old London street name!

Fascinating stuff, thank you! I love the juxtaposition between old and new architecture in London too, I find it evokes a sense of pride in the rich history of the city and the fact that it’s still vibrant today. Although of course not all of the history is either to be remembered favourably or worthy of any sense of pride whatsoever… nevertheless exploring the origin of these strange place names is so interesting. ☺️

what a fantastic video I thank you for taking the time to do it absolutely brilliant more please

I adore my city- and adore working in London (Shaftesbury Avenue) would not swap it for all the tea in China! And I love tea😂

Absolutely fascinating! Tremendous information, extremely well put together, flawlessly presented Thank you!!!!

Really well done thanks for the time and energy to put it together.

Truly excellent history! 😊👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏😊 I love to visit London and explore it, so this was very educational and helpful😊👍👍

That was a great video. Lovely narration and fascinating content. Thank you!

This was really fascinating! Thanks for all the work put into it. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

A fascinating programme. beautifully filmed. thank you.

Thank you. This was most enjoyable, I worked in the City in the eighties. Wonderful times.

Very informative, thankyou for taking the time to bring it together

Fascinating video, many thanks for sharing it

Interestingly explaining! Thanks a lot! It makes me love London more and more!

This was a most excellent chat! I thoroughly enjoyed learning all the quirky details about London street names. Thank you so much for posting this!

Quite the best "tour" of auld, sometimes very old, London - superbly presented in a clear, relaxed, literate yet historical context. I'm left amused, profoundly respectful of the overlay of history, chuffed to be better educated. Thank you, Mr Calcutt, for this delightful sojourn. I'll be checking out your channel forthwith!

Fantastic tour... learned so much. Very well presented. I look forward to more.

Thank you very much for presenting this, it was so interesting!

This was absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much!

Fantastic history, simply told and presented, like a good book that you can't put down, l couldn't stop watching. I worked in Fleet St years ago. Thank you.

I sure wish there were more videos like this, with great illustrations and fascinating narration

i am pleased to find your you tube channel edward. thank you for putting together these very interesting and informative videos.

I'm so happy I found your channel and videos! Absolutely a delight to listen to your lectures. Thank you for doing them! I've subscribed and now looking forward to more!

While not perhaps relevant to ‘the History of London through it’s Streets’ I was delighted to find during my family history research, that a street name in the Islington area, Beversbrook Road (1884) was, according to ‘Streets with a story’ by Eric A Willats (Islington Local History & Education Society - 1986), named after my Great Great Grandmother’s family home in rural Wiltshire, ‘Beversbrook’. Built by her father, an Architect and at one time the Wiltshire County Surveyor. When she moved from this house on marriage to my Great Great Grandfather in 1861, they moved ‘up to London’, to the Islington area (he had a Medical Practice and Hospital Consultancy) and named their London home ‘Beversbrook’. This house was most likely demolished, but the name ‘lived on’ as a road, probably to the total puzzlement of past and present residents!

Throughly enjoyed the video, thank you! Live in North Carolina, US and have always wanted to visit London. Don’t know if I will ever get the chance but feel like I have had an excellent tour having seen your post! So again, thank you!

Great video, just popped up in my recommended! Really interesting, thank you.

What an awesome and well prepared presentation.loved the comparison of the old and new london in each place 👏👏👏👏👏

Really interesting tour around London's streets. Thank you!

fantastic work! I loved every minute.

Well done and very interesting.

I love your videos. I used to live in Berkshire and went to London often but it's so overwhelming that it's really easy to miss these things and even if not, to know their origin stories. Thank you. 💖🏏

Well done! Many thanks for an interesting angle of presenting history.

This video is excellent! the history of the names behind these streets are fascinating :) how interesting :) thank you

Fascinating - thank you.

Super interesting.I enjoyed every second of that. Thank you !!

Fantastic video. Thoroughly enjoyed

CONGRATULATIONS - on a fascinating lecture. Best wishes. Kenneth.

I thoroughly enjoyed that Edward .. I shall subscribe and watch you other videos .. I lived in London between 1994 and 2006 and used to love going exploring all the old rads and yards and obscure areas .... thank you

I really enjoyed. Watched 3 times in a row.

Fascinating and most interesting !... It's appreciated time the time you must have spent researching and producing this video.

Thank you Edward, I thoroughly enjoyed your tour..................Ray in Dublin

Informative and intelligent video. Thank you.

Remember getting off the tube at Aldwych in the sixties to work at Holborn at a solicitors. Didn’t realise they had closed the line as I don’t live in London now. Thanks for this very interesting video.

Wowza! What a fab collection, explanation/narration ☆☆☆☆☆

I was absolutely rivetted by the narration !! It was very enjoyable and I've saved it so that I can go back to watch it again. I cycle to London from Enfield for pleasure and love exploring the different areas of the square mile. You've given me so many new places to visit !! Thank you.

Really enjoyed this!!

Many thanks for your fascinating talks. Most informative and presented in a very natural and communicative way.

Great video, fascinating subject

Thank you for a wonderful presentation.

I have a theory about the name London. The Lon comes from Lón wich is a lake or a small reservoir and don from tún which means a field or pasture. I’m Icelandic and the etymology fits for me. Icelandic is not only norse but in large part Celtic. Lóntún means the field by the lake or water.

Wonderful Edward, thank you. I live in California so this is quite another world. The present architecture looks so prosaic and dull next to your pictures of the past, I think. Maybe many people feel like that about whatever their contemporary architecture and time are like. Thank you 🌿

That was great, nicely done

Old Holborn was the Jewish money lending area. It was there that a lender served Duke of Wellington with loan to fight Napoleon. Later he paid it back and as Prime minster had the lender made a title of Baron for his faith in Wellington who saved Europe from servitude. The lender was De Rothechild . Baron De Rothechild from that very day

That was very interesting thank you.

really enjoyed this, cheers

Loved this…thanks so much.

Brilliant ! 😊

This was wonderful. I did enjoy learning about the streets and their names. I love London and have been to visit 3 times. Wish I had known some of these names before. A great job 👏 Thank you.

Solid presentation, thank you.

Thanks for your great video.

My family lived in the slums just north of St. Clement Danes for many generations. The area was cleared to make way for the L.S.E.

Very interesting.

Wonderful tour thank you

really interesting, thank you

This is class!

There is a legend about King Lud, he is supposed to have been the father of King Lear. A history of Aviation states that there were several early legends of flight in ancient times. The story is that King Lud thought that he could fly, and one day climbed the Temple of Apollo in London. He then threw himself off the tower and killed himself. Lear was supposedly crowned the next day.

Fantastic and well done. Very interesting.

I remember going to covent garden when it was a fruit and veg market late 60s early 70s it was a great place

37:37 I believe Maypole dancing came from pagan fertility rituals, literally dancing round a big phallic representation. Great video by the way, I worked in the City of London for several years and also know the West End quite well. Fascinating stuff and extremely well presented. Thank you

Very interesting tour. Thank you.

Fabulous. I used to walk from Bank to St Paul's in my lunch hour, when the weather was fine.....or slope into the Green Man if it wasn't. Happy days. Many thanks

Thank you so much for a wonderful vidio entertaining and informative

Thank you. Quiet enjoyable.

I visited London in 1970 and Covent Garden was a great shopping location.

Thank you I like your material it is with a pinch of humour that's why isn't boring 😉 👏

Excellent video!

Interesting video. Thank you.

So interesting. Thank you.

That was interesting, thank you!