THE STREET NAMES OF ENGLAND
Adrian Room's pioneer study of English street names will be welcomed by local historians throughout the country. It categorises the different types of street name for the first time and discusses them in detail. As well as discerning general patterns, over three and a half thousand individual street names are discussed, the emphasis throughout being on explaining the meanings of the names.
The book begins with a detailed discussion of the different names for street, ranging from the ordinary (road, way, avenue, gate etc) to more localised and unusual names like rigg and drove. The names of Roman roads and ancient trackways (and modern long-distance walks) follow, and then eleven chapters, each discussing a specific category of medieval or modern names. Included here is a pioneer study of the names of bridges. The book concludes with a chapter of practical guidance on studying street names and detailed appendices on the frequencies of different names in London and Manchester. There is a full index.
