Place Names

[leefer]

As a nomad(lorry driver) one of the perks of the job,come to think of it the only perk is visiting places and people of interest,in particular i feel the peek district is abit of an unknown jewell,anyway i digress and i am fascinated by place names.
Alot of places are named after rivers and many major towns and cities started as small dwellings near the obviously important river..obvious ones being Cambridge after the River Cam,and Taunton formerly Toneton named after the River Tone.
Did you know that dwellings were named Ham Duns in very old times and over the years the dialect changed so instead of South Ham Dun you got Southampton and Nothampton..any place name with Ponty at the begining like Pontypridd,Pontypool etc meant bridge....interestingly Pontefract literally means in old gallic Fractured Bridge..in old times the bridge over a river was a focal point and very important,so whenever you cross an old bridge ware ever you are rest assured its full of past history...many a fortune was made by a brave person building a bridge then charging locals and travellers to cross it.
So finally to Swindon ware i grew up...originally Swine don...meaning pigs on the hill!

 

[JMR]

Hi Lee,

I love your geography/history gems. I left England when I was 16 and there's so much I haven't seen/didn't know. Thanks for sharing, you're lucky to get around and see so much in the line of work. And you get paid for it too!!! :2fun:

 

[pejay]

very interesting, thanks for sharing

 

[benny1982]

Hi

Places that end in "Ham" usually mean town.

Many settlements that end in "by" "thorpe" or "holme" are Viking settlements.

Ben

 

[leefer]

Hi Lee,

I love your geography/history gems. I left England when I was 16 and there's so much I haven't seen/didn't know. Thanks for sharing, you're lucky to get around and see so much in the line of work. And you get paid for it too!!! :2fun:

Only in bread and dripping Jill..

 

[p.risboy]

Only in bread and dripping Jill..

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, bread and dripping.

You swine leefer, and I'm on a diet.:biggrin: :biggrin:

Steve.

 

[leefer]

With a touch of pepper eh Steve.

 

[p.risboy]

With a touch of pepper eh Steve.

And spread on some hot toast in the morning, and watch the jelly melt.

I'm off to the butchers. A bit can't hurt can it.

Anyway, back to your travels.
How many miles a week on average do you travel.?
I don't envy the job, but I do envy the places you go to. Well done mate.O0

Steve.

 

[leefer]

About 100,000 a year Steve..ive always been fascinated with places,history,and culture of our country...find it amazing in our country that so many accents and different ways of life can be confined to such a small island...regards Lee.

 

[JMR]

you're making me jealous Lee! I want to be in England! And especially because Burnley are only 90 minutes away from the Premiership - fingers crossed!!!!

 

[p.risboy]

you're making me jealous Lee! I want to be in England! And especially because Burnley are only 90 minutes away from the Premiership - fingers crossed!!!!

And only one season to go back down.:biggrin: :biggrin:

My father-in-law is a Burnley man, and has followed the teams fortunes for the last 70 odd years. I hope they do go up, It will put a huge smile on his face.

Hey Leefer, do you ever take your camera on the road. I'm sure you would have a unique collection of pics if you do.

Steve.

 

[leefer]

you're making me jealous Lee! I want to be in England! And especially because Burnley are only 90 minutes away from the Premiership - fingers crossed!!!!

Yes Jill..good team,my team Swindon used to have Peter Noble years ago who was a burnley player also....i visit Burnley and got to say it has a great community feel still...abit like Stoke on Trent.
Sometimes take photos Steve but usually look up old and interesting places online..went to Slough today..not a nice place nowadays but i passed an okld building with Leopald Coffee House 1889..a beautifull red bricked house that stood out on the High Street..its now a Kebab,but it used to be someones pride and joy...so will try and find out abit about it..and if interesting will let you know...Regards.Lee

 

[leefer]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/94409933@N00/342521486/

The only pic i could find was this of the coffee house in Slough..grade 2 listed now and found out the Grande Union Canal runs close by and it was popular with the bargeman and traders...so a normal drive in Slough was turned into a little peice of history for me..i know its not everyones cup of tea but it keeps my job interesting...regards Lee.