oak. The eponymous tree is long gone, but was first alluded to in 1754 in the name of a field.
The name Colindale sounds topographical — cols and dales are both landscape features. But this particular Colindale takes its name from the Colinn family who owned the land in the 16th century. Whoever hoards the freeholds today must be raking it in. Few areas of London have seen so many new residential developments in the past decade.
Hendon is an Anglo-Saxon name, simply meaning 'high hill' or even 'at the highest hill' (Wikipedia). This seems a little fishy. Nearby hills to the north (Mill Hill), south (Hampstead), east (Finchley) and west (Harrow) are all significantly higher.
The River Brent carries a truly ancient name, pre-dating the Romans. It's a Celtic word that could have various meanings, including 'elevated' or associated with the goddess Brigantia. The river has in turn given its name to the borough of Brent, Brentford and the area of Brent Cross (plus its shopping centre). The 'Cross' refers to a nearby crossroads.
Golders Green was originally Godyere's Green — an open space adjacent to land held by the Godyere family in the 14th century.
The deepest platforms on the network can be found at Hampstead. I give you this fact to compensate for the boring etymology that follows. Hampstead simply comes from the Anglo-Saxon term for homestead. Berkhamsted and Wheathampstead are similar examples.
Frank Skinner once claimed to have bought a house in Belsize Park simply because he liked the naughty sound of its name — the most expensive joke he'd ever made. Sadly, Belsize does not have a lewd etymology. It derives from the 14th century name Bel-assis, meaning 'beautifully situated'. It most certainly is beautifully situated, unless you try and reach it by bicycle, in which case Haverstock Hill will slay you.
What kind of maniac farms chalk? It will grow, but the process takes millions of years. Actually, the name's a corruption of Chalcot Farm, which was the main landmark here 200 years ago. This in turn is thought to derive from Caldicot, from the Anglo-Saxon for 'cold cottages', though no one can really explain what that means.
Charing cross section
Did you know that Mornington Crescent is named after the Duke of Wellington's brother? Richard Wellesley, though forever in the shadow of his younger sibling, was no slouch. He served as Foreign Secretary, Governor General of India and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was also the eldest son of a peer, and so succeeded to the title of Earl of Mornington. Mornington was also great-great-great grandfather of Elizabeth II. This tiny tube station really does have hidden connections... even before we consider its status as the ultimate insider joke on Radio 4.
The station was built on land owned by the Dukes of Grafton, whose ancestral home is Euston Hall in Suffolk, situated near the village of Euston. The village name was first recorded in Domesday Book, suggesting an Anglo-Saxon origin, and perhaps deriving from 'Efe's Tun', a farmstead belonging to a person called Efe.
Another station deriving from a personal name, though this one's unusual in being (a) not Anglo-Saxon, and (b) female. Anne Warren (1737–1807) was the wife of Charles Fitzroy, first Baron Southampton, who owned and developed the land.
To continue the run of stations named after people, this one remembers John Goodge who built up the land here — formerly known as Crab Tree Field — from 1746.
Tottenham Court Road
Curiously, the names of Tottenham in north London and Tottenham Court Road are not directly related. TCR was formerly the road that led to the manor of Tothele, later Tottenhall, situated roughly where this road intersects the Euston Road. Like Tottenham, the manor was named after a local land holder called something like Tota.
The square was developed in the 1670s on land belonging to the Earl of Leicester. His title ultimately derives from the Ligore, a Celtic tribe about which little is known, who occupied the area around Leicester before the Romans built their town (cester).
A name of two halves. For th