please empty your brain below
I never knew there were so many places in London called Something 🤗

kerspatula | 13.09.21 - 7:08 a.m. | #

Thanks as ever. 8 out of 10 on the final test, perhaps because of a formerly unusual interest in bus routes. But I do like my geography in general.

Robert Butlin | 13.09.21 - 7:11 a.m. | #

In the 5 letter place names list, Hayes appears twice.

Arlu | 13.09.21 - 7:53 a.m. | #

I know there's Hayes in Kent and Hayes in Middlesex, but it's still the same word.

R Lewis | 13.09.21 - 7:56 a.m. | #

Six on the test (also due to bus route knowledge)

Cowley Peachey is well know by Men Who Like Narrowboats - it's the junction with the Slough Branch on the Grand Union Cananl.

Steve | 13.09.21 - 8:05 a.m. | #

Surely London has thousands of towns?

dg writes: Never risk a surely.

I live in somewhere formerly in Kent-Bromley-which must be a town in London, along with Croydon and all the others?

Unless London is just one place, I guess.

Jonathan | 13.09.21 - 8:18 a.m. | #

Sipson made the national news relatively recently. It was the community that was going to be wiped out by Heathrow expansion.

Makes me wonder how many ex-places there are in London using the OS categories.

ap | 13.09.21 - 8:24 a.m. | #

Enfield Island Village might have an identity crisis, being neither a village nor a place for listings editors and marketing departments to note.

Ian | 13.09.21 - 8:25 a.m. | #

That means Acton Town station serves a place which does not exist. I presume there are others.

kev | 13.09.21 - 8:48 a.m. | #

Of the examples that you quote in your first paragraph, I don't understand why the OS should have classified Penge (Other Settlement) differently from Neasden (Suburban Area). The OS's user guide defines 'Suburban Area' as 'A separately named urban area within a larger town or city'. That's exactly what Penge is.

Puzzled | 13.09.21 - 8:50 a.m. | #

Steve - and women who like narrow boats (especially Grand Union ones) - I was going to say the same about Cowley Peachey.

Sarah | Homepage | 13.09.21 - 8:50 a.m. | #

Fine analysis sir. Chambers' London Gazetteer is the go-to volume on my shelf for this sort of thing. Not sure I have the patience or diligence required to produce a comparison, however.

THC | 13.09.21 - 8:56 a.m. | #

I always though Tokyngton sounded like a made-up name given its lexical proximity to Tokyo. It reminds me of the “small slug of the genus A-Rth-Urp-Hil-Ipdenu” in the hitch-hiker’s guide for the galaxy.

Alan | 13.09.21 - 9:06 a.m. | #

I've followed Alasdair since (I think) you pointed us at him, and have taken a couple of courses on Aerialod and QGIS - so thanks for that.

Kind regards, HaP.

Half A Physicist | 13.09.21 - 9:22 a.m. | #

And of course the two "Plaistow"s are pronounced differently.

My years of reading A-Zs and London Bus Maps were clearly not in vain, as I've heard of, and even been to, most of these places.

But Single Street? Never heard of that. I guess it only has one road, though, so. Hill End? Well, that's a generic name for sure. South Street? No idea, as a place as opposed to a road. Farthing Street, Kevingtown I also had no idea about.

Of the new places I don't have a clue where Hallsville Quarter might be, and don't know any of those Tower Hamlets mini-places either. Bandonhill, no idea, Risley Close, Tavern Quay ditto.

Then of the final 10 - yep, been to all of them.

Fascinating list. Trying to guess what the nine "places" in B&D are before checking. I wonder if Marsh Green and Scrattons Farm are among them.

Dominic H | 13.09.21 - 9:56 a.m. | #

After passing Freezywater (seems unclear whether it’s one or two words) countless times on the GA train, I finally got out once and took a walk around to see if it was any good. It wasn’t.

Chris D | 13.09.21 - 9:58 a.m. | #

Well, that's probably added a few more to your list of Places To Visit So We Don't Have To!

I only know Furzedown as my Mum went to college there! Despite living fairly close by I only discovered Tokyngton last year!

Cornish Cockney | 13.09.21 - 10:19 a.m. | #

Re places in London beginning with letter Q; does Queen's Park not classify as an area of London?

dg writes: It's not a 'place'.

Richard | 13.09.21 - 10:24 a.m. | #

I have never seen Bandonhill spelt thus - always Bandon Hill. It has its own eponymous school, cemetery and even has an abandoned railway station.

Pedantic of Purley | 13.09.21 - 10:51 a.m. | #

Seems a bit odd to say that London has 3 cities, when 2 of them (City of London and Westminster) are part of the general "London" one.

And logically can a City include 25 villages and 8 Hamlets?

Mikey C | 13.09.21 - 10:56 a.m. | #

I never fail to consider Vale of Health to be a typo.

Gunnersaurus | 13.09.21 - 11:10 a.m. | #

As someone who spent some formative years in Edgware, and having school friends who lived in the housing estate around Edgwarebury Lane, the last thing I never thought I'd see it mentioned as being a hamlet!

Edgware Native, kinda... | 13.09.21 - 11:11 a.m. | #

24 of London's 25 villages have a TfL bus service - the exception is Hill End.

But only one of London's 8 hamlets - Bopeep - has a TfL bus service (and is due to lose it).

diamond geezer | Homepage | 13.09.21 - 12:18 p.m. | #

I guess there are probably many more places called Village or Town that aren't (Wimbledon, Canning)

Geo_rich | 13.09.21 - 12:53 p.m. | #

There is a Church End in Redbridge too that OS fail to acknowledge.

Alfie | 13.09.21 - 1:02 p.m. | #

I was interested to see the reference to Festubert Place as one of my uncles was wounded at the Battle of Festubert in May 1915. There are other streets named after WW! battles in the same area of Bow.

JohnC | 13.09.21 - 3:03 p.m. | #

Dominic H - Single Street has the notoriety of Nigel Farage living there!

Richard | 13.09.21 - 4:30 p.m. | #

I've been to 75% of the listed places, but as I don't blog about them, I can't remember where around half of them are. Many of my trips have faded into a blur as I only take photos sparingly.

John | 14.09.21 - 5:42 a.m. | #

I think in the case of how can a City contain cities and hamlets, that that is down to Ordnance Survey's own definitions and what they use them for/who the data is for. There are certainly many definitions of city.

Al__S | 14.09.21 - 6:24 p.m. | #

The U9 terminates at Harefield Hospital which is spitting distance from Hill End.

JohnnyC | 14.09.21 - 7:18 p.m. | #











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