londonist.com Grange Hill A grange was simply a farm with a granary, here located on a hill. The tube stop has no connection to the well-known children's show of the same name, which was originally filmed in Willesden, Kingsbury and Boreha…

londonist.com Hainault We were convinced this one had to have French/Norman origins. C'est faux. The name stems from an Old English way of saying a wood belonging to a religious community, and is first recorded in 1221 as Henehout. The mod…

londonist.com Fairlop If the name conjures images of chopped trees, then you're along the right lines. From around 1725, Fairlop became a popular destination for its fairs, held around a great oak tree with lopped limbs. The tree was badly…

londonist.com Newbury Park The name is medieval and has a simple derivation from 'new borough'. Barkingside First recorded in 1538, the name is a reference to Hainault Forest. The settlement here was on the same side as Barking. Barking's …

londonist.com Gants Hill Not to be confused with Grange Hill down the line, nor Dickens's former home of Gad's Hill in Kent. The name probably derives from the le Gant family, stewards of Barking Abbey from the 13th century. ◆単語の意味 Ga…

londonist.com Redbridge Quite simply, named for a red bridge which bestrode the River Roding from the 17th century, until it was knocked down for road improvement in 1922. Here's the modern replacement. The tube station name (1947) predate…

londonist.com Wanstead The name was first recorded as Wenstede on the eve of the Norman invasion. The 'stead' part indicates a settlement, but there is some uncertainty as to whether Wan or Wen means a hill or a wagon. ◆単語の意味 eve 前日…

londonist.com Leyton and Leytonstone London's second river had still further influences on place names. Both Leyton and Leytonstone grew from the idea of a settlement (ton) on the Lea/Ley. The 'stone' part refers to an ancient distance-mar…

londonist.com Stratford The same ancient road to Mile End carried on across the River Lea. The crossing point was originally a ford, and hence Stratford — the ford of the street — arose. A later bow-shaped bridge over the river gave us the…

londonist.com Mile End Known thus since the 13th century, Mile End is a mile from Aldgate pump, one of the traditional locations for measuring distance. ◆単語の意味 thus かくして thus since 従って、以来 ↓↓↓ ◆訳してみる マイル エンド13世紀…

londonist.com Bethnal Green Bethnal Green has one of the most charming derivations on the map. It's thought to come from the Anglo-Saxon for 'happy corner'. If you've ever visited one of the area's many fine pubs or bars or, indeed, the Mu…

londonist.com Bank We'll give you one guess. That's right. Liverpool Street The mainline station dates back to 1864 and takes its name from the local road. This itself was only named in 1827, in honour of Prime Minister Lord Liverpool. If …

londonist.com St Paul's The nearest stop to St Paul's cathedral. Simple as. The apostle has been commemorated on this spot since the seventh century. ◆単語の意味 apostle 使徒、キリストの伝道者 commemorate 祝う、偲ぶ、追悼する ↓↓↓ ◆訳してみ…

londonist.com Chancery Lane In medieval times, this lane was home to the Court of Chancery, which dealt with matters of equity. 850 years later, the street is still intimately associated with the legal professions. ◆単語の意味 medieval 中…

londonist.com Holborn Traditionally pronounced with as few letters as possible (O'b'n), Holborn's name has watery origins. It stems from either 'old bourne' or 'holl bourne' (old brook or hollow brook), and probably describes a long-lost t…

londonist.com Tottenham Court Road Curiously, the names of Tottenham in north London and Tottenham Court Road are not directly related. TCR was formerly the road that led to the manor of Tothele, later Tottenhall, situated roughly where th…

londonist.com Oxford Circus You may well have noticed, but there is no circus at Oxford Circus. The word, also used in St Giles Circus and Piccadilly Circus, means a place where traffic circulates — even though you can't exactly U-turn at …

londonist.com Bond Street Named after Thomas Bond (ancestor of the fictional James) who owned the land on which the street was laid out in the 17th century. Curiously, Bond Street itself is fictional — only New Bond Street and Old Bond Str…

londonist.com Marble Arch Rather obviously, this station is named after the ornamental arch that stands nearby. The classical confection arrived here in 1851, having previously graced Buckingham Palace. The station and arch lie right besid…

londonist.com Lancaster Gate Another station to take its cue from Queen Vic, albeit indirectly. The station is close to the Lancaster Gate into Kensington Gardens. The Queen also held the title of the Duke of Lancaster (as does the present…

londonist.com Queensway Named in honour of Queen Victoria soon after her accession. It's said that, as a child, Victoria would ride horses along the lane from her nearby home of Kensington Palace. She'd have a job today. Because she's dead…

londonist.com Notting Hill Gate A bit of a mystery on Hugh Grant's doorstep. Notting Hill is recorded from the 14th century under various knutting, nutting and knotting guises. The most likely origin is from a personal name such as Cnotta,…

londonist.com Holland Park Nothing Dutch about this place. Its name comes from Lord Holland (1773-1840) upon whose land the park and estate were built. The great man is commemorated with a statue in the park, upon whose head the pigeons ar…

londonist.com Shepherd's Bush The origins of this name are seemingly obvious, yet murky. Shepherd's Bush is likely to have been a rest stop for sheep farmers making their way to Smithfield Market. On the other hand, the name could recall a…

londonist.com White City White City is neither particularly white in colour, nor a city. Step back to the early 2oth century, and the name felt more appropriate. This was home to a series of remarkable exhibition pavilions, all clad in whi…

londonist.com West, North and East Acton The Actons are legion. The name comes from Old English meaning an enclosure surrounded by oaks. ◆単語の意味 legion 軍隊、部隊、群衆 enclosure 囲い込むこと ↓↓↓ ◆訳してみる ウエスト、ノース、アンド イ…

londonist.com Ealing Broadway One of the oldest names in the London region, Ealing is attested from around 700 CE. There once, it seems, was a local chieftain known as Gilla, whose people were the Gillingas. This slowly transmuted into Yll…

londonist.com Hanger Lane The lane and nearby Hanger Hill derive from the Old English word hangra, meaning wooded slope. ◆単語の意味 lane 小道、路地 ↓↓↓ ◆訳してみる ハンガーレーンこの小道と近くのハンガーヒルは古い英語の木の多い坂という意味…

londonist.com Perivale This delightful name is first recorded in the early 16th century as Pyryvale. It's thought to derive from a vale of pear trees, although a corruption of the area's original name, Greenford Parva, is also possible. ◆…

londonist.com Greenford Greenford was simply a place where the River Brent, which still meanders through the area, could be forded in particularly verdant surroundings. ◆単語の意味 meander 川などが曲がりくねる ford 浅瀬 particularly 特に、…