So I was just talking with a friend about everybody's favourite board game - Monopoly - when I happened to chance upon an article on the game in today's Guardian. The article mentioned that the game itself will be turning 75 this week, so this seemed as good a time as any to list 75 (or thereabouts) facts about the streets and stations featured on the UK edition. Let's go! (Award yourself £200...)
Old Kent Road:
Originally, Old Kent Road was part of a Roman road which ran from Dover to Holyhead, which is quite a way. Roads were vitally important to the Roman Empire, because they were the lines of communication and supply, the two most important things for a conquering army. Famously, they were built in dead straight lines, with no corners, as this was believed to reduce the number of attacks on lone travellers, as would-be attackers would have nowhere to hide behind, which is quite a sensible idea. I still wouldn't want to walk all the way from Kent to Wales, though... Old Kent Road is the only street in what is considered South London to be included on the Monopoly board, and in 1550, was regarded as the limit of the City of London's authority.
Whitechapel Road:
The oldest manufacturing company in Britain is located on Whitechapel Road - the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which you may not be surprised to learn, makes bells (mostly for churches) and 'bell accessories' (though I'm not quite sure what they are...fancy rope from which to ring the bell? Who knows...). The company officially dates back to 1570 (though there were people making bells there at least as early as 1420) and it has been located in its present premesis since 1670, in a building which is now Grade II listed. The bells in the children's rhyme Oranges and Lemons were all produced here, as were the bells of Westmister Abbey, Big Ben, many churches and cathedrals - some as far away as Australia - and the Liberty Bell.
The Angel Islington:
The only street in Monopoly to not actually be a street, Angel is a district of London which is part of the borough of Islington. The Angel Inn, which lies on the Great North Road, is believed to be where Thomas Paine wrote parts of the Rights of Man (he stayed there for a while after returning from France in 1790), which was a book defending the French Revolution, which states that "popular political revolution is permissible when a government does not safeguard its people, their natural rights, and their national interests", which is something I believe we should all get behind, with this current government...
Euston Road:
Officially opened as part of the New Road in 1756, Euston Road was built in the 1740s as London's first bypass, and its primary function was to allow sheep and cattle to be easily driven to Smithfield Market. It was only given its current name in 1852, by the Fitzroy family, who owned all the terraced houses along it, and who decided that it needed to be named after their luxurious country mansion, Euston Hall, which I'm sure those who were dwelling in the back-to-back housing really appreciated.
Pentonville Road:
Pall Mall:
In the early nineteenth century, Pall Mall was the centre of the arts scene in London. The Royal Academy, the National Gallery and Christie's auction house were all once located along here, but by the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the street had lost its reputation for being a high class arts centre, and gained a reputation for being home to the most Gentleman's clubs in London...
Whitehall:
Whitehall today is synonymous with the civil service and government in Britain, and a lot of very important government buildings are situated along it (Downing Street itself is one of the roads which leads off it). As well as this, it is also famous for being the place of Charles I's execution (royalists still commemorate this regicide every year on the anniversary of his death - 30 January), and housing the UK's principle war memorial - the Cenotaph.
Northumberland Avenue:
Northumberland Avenue was long associated with the Percy family, who later became the Dukes of Northumberland. The first Duke of Northumberland was a Tudor courtier who was Lord Protector to Edward VI when he was too young to rule alone, and father in law to Lady Jane Grey, who often stayed in their London property (the original house was knocked down and replaced in the 1650s). Jane was England's famous 'Queen for nine days' - by all accounts a very reluctant monarch, who was beheaded by the Catholic Mary when she assumed the throne so that she wouldn't prove a Protestant 'rallying point'.
Bow Street:
Bow Street is a thoroughfare in Covent Garden, which today is most famous for the Opera House situated there (which was opened in 1732). The street is also famous for being (surprisingly enough) the foundation point of the Bow Street Runners, London's first professional police force, founded in 1749 by Henry Fielding. They solved petty crimes and made arrests of criminals for a fee, and helped inspire the Metropolitan Police Force. The officers themselves never called themselves 'runners' as they believed the term to be derogatory.
Malborough Street:
Originally a very fashionable area of London, where much of the aristocracy lived, by the mid-Victorian period, Marlborough Street had become very commercial, and remains so today. It's main 'claim to fame' (other than being a Monopoly street) is that Malboro cigarettes' (today the biggest selling brand in the world) original factory was based on the street.
Vine Street:
Poor old Vine Street doesn't seem to have a lot going for it. It's very short and narrow, and mostly contains the back entrances of buildings which open onto more salubrious streets. It is also the only street on the Monopoly board not to have a single pub, which proves very annoying for those who are trying to participate in the Monopoly Pub Crawl (which sounds like a lot of fun...)
Strand:
Another street with a very old History, the Strand was originally part of a Roman road, and is recorded in 1198 as being Stronde and in 1220 as la Stranda, both Old English names which mean bank or shore (referring to the fact that it was originally along the edge of the then much wider River Thames). By the late middle ages however, it had become the main route which linked the City of London (the Civil and Commercial areas of the city) and the Palace of Westminster (the political centre of the city, and the country as a whole). It is also home to a very large number of aristocratic houses and palaces.
Fleet Street:
Obviously Fleet Street's most famous resident is it's demon barber, Sweeney Todd, but it has also become synonymous with the British press. It was the home of British journalism until the 1980s (the last news agency to move out was Reuters, in 2005) with almost all major national papers at one point having an office there. Even today, with no remaining papers situated there, Fleet Street remains a metonym for the press.
Trafalgar Square:
Possibly the most famous Square in the UK, Trafalgar Square was named after the Battle of Trafalgar, Britain's great naval victory in the Napoleonic wars. Today, it doesn't really serve any purpose other than being a tourist attraction - it is often used in background shots of films and TV shows to suggest a generic London location, and for celebrations, such as New Year's Eve parties and welcoming returning sports victors.
Leicester Square:
In the early 17th century, the 2nd Early of Leicester bought the area around what is today Leicester Square, built a house and closed off the grounds to the local residents of St. Martin's Parish. This meant that the commoners were not allowed to use the common land - a tradition which dated back to Norman times - so they appealed to King Charles I in large numbers - such large numbers, in fact, that Charles was supposedly fearful of what would happen to him should he refuse their demands. It was therefore ordered that the area of land surrounding the house be reopened to the public, and it became known as Leicester Square.
Coventry Street:
Apparently, someone has measured that, at the weekend up to 150,000 people walk along Coventry Street. This has to be one of the most random statistics ever... Coventry Street is most famous for being the home of Charles Hirsch's Librairie Parisienne, which between 1890 and 1900, ran a clandestine trade in expensive pornography, with the help of Oscar Wilde. It is claimed that Hirsch and Wilde wrote Teleny, or, The Reverse of the Medal together - the first work of homosexual pornography. The book is still in print, if you are curious...
Piccadilly:
Until the 17th Century, Piccadilly was known as Portugal Street. However, during the later part of this century, a tailor named Robert Baker was able to amass a large fortune by selling piccadills - "stiff collars with scalloped edges and a broad lace or perforated border" - which were very fashionable at the time. He made so much money that he was able to purchase much of the land on the street, and renamed it after his large property, Piccadilly House. Well, I guess they already had a Baker Street...
Regent Street:
After the Great Fire of London in 1666, when a large part of the city was destroyed, there was a desire by leading figures of the day to impose order on the city's medieval streets, which were a complete mess. Whilst some areas were rebuilt quickly, the Regent Street area wasn't touched until 1811, when the architect John Nash designed and built a new area of London, which completely ignored the old street layout and redesigned the streets so they lay parallel and perpendicular to each other. This idea didn't really catch on in Britain, but really took off in the new cities which were being built over in America. It was also one of the very first areas of London to be built primarily as a shopping district.
Oxford Street:
Like it's neighbouring street, Oxford Street has been known as a shopping district since the nineteenth century and today is home to 548 stores, making it the busiest shopping area in Europe. Most of the UK's flagship stores are situated along it, and it is also home to Marble Arch, one of London's most famous landmarks.
Bond Street:
Bond Street technically does not exist - it is actually two separate sections, Old Bond Street - the southern section - and New Bond Street - the northern section - (though you can see why no one really bothers to differentiate between the two). Originally just consisting of Old Bond Street, which was named after Sir Thomas Bond who developed the area in the late 1600s, New Bond Street was tacked onto the end in later years when it became clear just how fashionable thegreen squares area was becoming.
Park Lane:
Considering it is the second most expensive property on the Monopoly board, Park Lane doesn't actually have that much going for it. Until the early nineteenth century, it was literally just a lane on the edge of Hyde Park, where it became a fashionable residential address and later home to Grosvenor House, the residence of the Duke of Westminster, which, when it was first built, was the largest privately owned home in London. And that is literally it - today it's famous for being a place where rich people lived, and being a free through route in the congestion charge zone, which feels slightly anticlimactic...
Mayfair:
As on the Monopoly board, the Mayfair area has one of the highest rent prices in the UK. These days, it is home to many commercial and corporate headquarters; private banks and hedge funds and government embassies - most famously the United States' UK embassy. Though the area is so obsessed with wealth, it is actually named after the May Fair which originally happened annually in the area until the residents complained that it 'lowered the tone of the area' and demanded it move elsewhere. The fair organisers obliged, but the name had already stuck.
If you got to the end of that, I would like to take a moment to congratulate you, and offer you a further £200 - you deserve it!
Northumberland Avenue:
Northumberland Avenue was long associated with the Percy family, who later became the Dukes of Northumberland. The first Duke of Northumberland was a Tudor courtier who was Lord Protector to Edward VI when he was too young to rule alone, and father in law to Lady Jane Grey, who often stayed in their London property (the original house was knocked down and replaced in the 1650s). Jane was England's famous 'Queen for nine days' - by all accounts a very reluctant monarch, who was beheaded by the Catholic Mary when she assumed the throne so that she wouldn't prove a Protestant 'rallying point'.
Bow Street:
Bow Street is a thoroughfare in Covent Garden, which today is most famous for the Opera House situated there (which was opened in 1732). The street is also famous for being (surprisingly enough) the foundation point of the Bow Street Runners, London's first professional police force, founded in 1749 by Henry Fielding. They solved petty crimes and made arrests of criminals for a fee, and helped inspire the Metropolitan Police Force. The officers themselves never called themselves 'runners' as they believed the term to be derogatory.
Malborough Street:
Originally a very fashionable area of London, where much of the aristocracy lived, by the mid-Victorian period, Marlborough Street had become very commercial, and remains so today. It's main 'claim to fame' (other than being a Monopoly street) is that Malboro cigarettes' (today the biggest selling brand in the world) original factory was based on the street.
Vine Street:
Poor old Vine Street doesn't seem to have a lot going for it. It's very short and narrow, and mostly contains the back entrances of buildings which open onto more salubrious streets. It is also the only street on the Monopoly board not to have a single pub, which proves very annoying for those who are trying to participate in the Monopoly Pub Crawl (which sounds like a lot of fun...)
Strand:
Another street with a very old History, the Strand was originally part of a Roman road, and is recorded in 1198 as being Stronde and in 1220 as la Stranda, both Old English names which mean bank or shore (referring to the fact that it was originally along the edge of the then much wider River Thames). By the late middle ages however, it had become the main route which linked the City of London (the Civil and Commercial areas of the city) and the Palace of Westminster (the political centre of the city, and the country as a whole). It is also home to a very large number of aristocratic houses and palaces.
Fleet Street:
Obviously Fleet Street's most famous resident is it's demon barber, Sweeney Todd, but it has also become synonymous with the British press. It was the home of British journalism until the 1980s (the last news agency to move out was Reuters, in 2005) with almost all major national papers at one point having an office there. Even today, with no remaining papers situated there, Fleet Street remains a metonym for the press.
Trafalgar Square:
Possibly the most famous Square in the UK, Trafalgar Square was named after the Battle of Trafalgar, Britain's great naval victory in the Napoleonic wars. Today, it doesn't really serve any purpose other than being a tourist attraction - it is often used in background shots of films and TV shows to suggest a generic London location, and for celebrations, such as New Year's Eve parties and welcoming returning sports victors.
Leicester Square:
In the early 17th century, the 2nd Early of Leicester bought the area around what is today Leicester Square, built a house and closed off the grounds to the local residents of St. Martin's Parish. This meant that the commoners were not allowed to use the common land - a tradition which dated back to Norman times - so they appealed to King Charles I in large numbers - such large numbers, in fact, that Charles was supposedly fearful of what would happen to him should he refuse their demands. It was therefore ordered that the area of land surrounding the house be reopened to the public, and it became known as Leicester Square.
Coventry Street:
Apparently, someone has measured that, at the weekend up to 150,000 people walk along Coventry Street. This has to be one of the most random statistics ever... Coventry Street is most famous for being the home of Charles Hirsch's Librairie Parisienne, which between 1890 and 1900, ran a clandestine trade in expensive pornography, with the help of Oscar Wilde. It is claimed that Hirsch and Wilde wrote Teleny, or, The Reverse of the Medal together - the first work of homosexual pornography. The book is still in print, if you are curious...
Piccadilly:
Until the 17th Century, Piccadilly was known as Portugal Street. However, during the later part of this century, a tailor named Robert Baker was able to amass a large fortune by selling piccadills - "stiff collars with scalloped edges and a broad lace or perforated border" - which were very fashionable at the time. He made so much money that he was able to purchase much of the land on the street, and renamed it after his large property, Piccadilly House. Well, I guess they already had a Baker Street...
Regent Street:
After the Great Fire of London in 1666, when a large part of the city was destroyed, there was a desire by leading figures of the day to impose order on the city's medieval streets, which were a complete mess. Whilst some areas were rebuilt quickly, the Regent Street area wasn't touched until 1811, when the architect John Nash designed and built a new area of London, which completely ignored the old street layout and redesigned the streets so they lay parallel and perpendicular to each other. This idea didn't really catch on in Britain, but really took off in the new cities which were being built over in America. It was also one of the very first areas of London to be built primarily as a shopping district.
Oxford Street:
Like it's neighbouring street, Oxford Street has been known as a shopping district since the nineteenth century and today is home to 548 stores, making it the busiest shopping area in Europe. Most of the UK's flagship stores are situated along it, and it is also home to Marble Arch, one of London's most famous landmarks.
Bond Street:
Bond Street technically does not exist - it is actually two separate sections, Old Bond Street - the southern section - and New Bond Street - the northern section - (though you can see why no one really bothers to differentiate between the two). Originally just consisting of Old Bond Street, which was named after Sir Thomas Bond who developed the area in the late 1600s, New Bond Street was tacked onto the end in later years when it became clear just how fashionable the
Park Lane:
Considering it is the second most expensive property on the Monopoly board, Park Lane doesn't actually have that much going for it. Until the early nineteenth century, it was literally just a lane on the edge of Hyde Park, where it became a fashionable residential address and later home to Grosvenor House, the residence of the Duke of Westminster, which, when it was first built, was the largest privately owned home in London. And that is literally it - today it's famous for being a place where rich people lived, and being a free through route in the congestion charge zone, which feels slightly anticlimactic...
Mayfair:
As on the Monopoly board, the Mayfair area has one of the highest rent prices in the UK. These days, it is home to many commercial and corporate headquarters; private banks and hedge funds and government embassies - most famously the United States' UK embassy. Though the area is so obsessed with wealth, it is actually named after the May Fair which originally happened annually in the area until the residents complained that it 'lowered the tone of the area' and demanded it move elsewhere. The fair organisers obliged, but the name had already stuck.
If you got to the end of that, I would like to take a moment to congratulate you, and offer you a further £200 - you deserve it!
No comments:
Post a Comment