There was a good article in the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, titled, "London's Odd Street Names Speak Volumes," but I couldn't find it on the Internet to link to.

The author cites a book, "The London Compendium: A Street-by-Street Exploration of the Hidden Metropolis" by Ed Gilnert. Has anyone read it?

For example, Piccadilly Circus came from a tailor who specialized in stiff collars, called "picadils." Also Cheapside has nothing to do with being inexpensive. It originates from "cheap," but "cheap" comes from an Old English word meaning "market" and "side" and derives from a street running alongside the stalls. There are also streets that indicate what is sold here, such as Milk Street, Bread Street, and Poultry Street.

quote:

Milk Street, Bread Street, and Poultry Street

Unless there's been a new one built, the street in the City is simply called "Poultry"

I like the origins of Houndsditch. It used to lie outside the (walled) city and the locals used it for garbage disposal, including dead dogs.

There's a useful reference here.

And of course, Clerkenwell, which means "The well of the clerks". "Clerken" is the old plural form, now only common in "children",

The cleks' well still exists and can be seen in the foyer of a modern building.