he name have been offered (Infanta da Castilla, anyone?), but in all probability Elephant and Castle is simply named after a pub. We've got more detail here.
Kennington to Morden
Kennington is first recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as Chenintune. Like Kensington, it probably comes from the personal name of a local land owner; Mr Cena (probably not John), let's call him.
It's the nearest station to the Oval cricket ground, which got its name from its oval plan. That's the obvious explanation, but it's not quite correct. In fact, the Oval name goes back to a 1790s housing development arranged in an oval shape. The sports ground came later and took the name of the development. Perhaps equally surprisingly, a Lord's tube station could once be found on the Met line near the St John's Wood cricket ground.
A 'stoc', in Old English, is a post or tree stump. A well is a well. So this south London area is named for a stump beside a well. The idea has modern resonance. One of Stockwell's most obvious landmarks is a stumpy building at the top of a well or shaft. It is the entrance to the deep-level shelter dug during the Second World War.
Clapham North, Common and South
The trio of Claphams may owe their name to a former land owner called something like Cloppa. A derivation from the Old English Cloppaham, a home on a stubby hill, is also possible.
Belgo should open a branch in Balham, for the name was first recorded in the Domesday Book as Belgeham. It probably means something like 'homestead in a rounded (bal) enclosure'.
Tooting Bec and Broadway
"You should have seen the traffic on the A24 yesterday."
"Yeah, most of 'em. People should have more patience."
Poor Tooting's been the butt of many a joke thanks to its unusual name. By contrast, its derivation is both disappointing and uncertain. It may refer to a place governed by a chap called Tota (yes, another one), or else stem from the Old English verb tout, indicating a look-out tower. The Bec of Tooting Bec comes from Bec Abbey in Normandy, which gained the land after the Conquest. Broadway comes from the generic name for the high street that passes by the station.
There was once a wood in Colliers Wood, to the east of the high street (an old Roman road). It lasted into the late 19th century, when it was cleared for development. The first part of the name has nothing to do with mining, but instead references charcoal burning.
The 'don' of Wimbledon denotes a sizeable hill, which is still very noticeable. The name predates the Conquest, and is first referred to as Wimbedounyng in 967. It probably harks back to a personal name — Wynnman has been suggested.
We complete our journey south at Morden, thought to derive from Mawr (great or large) and Dun (fort). Alternatively, it may mean 'the town on the moor'.
Northern line extension
Battersea Power Station
Self evidently, this new tube stop is named after the nearby power-station-turned-housing-development, which was originally designed by Giles Gilbert Scott. The name Battersea is one of the oldest recorded in London. It was first mentioned in the seventh century as Badrices īeg, meaning Badric's island. Badric sounds like the name of a man accustomed to thrashing people. Wonder what he'd make of the changes to his manor.
Like Seven Sisters, Nine Elms undoubtedly gets its name from a group of trees. The name was first recorded around 1645.
Other etymological explorations on Londonist
- How the Victoria line stations got their names
- How London got its name
- How London's terminal stations got their names
- How the tube lines got their names
- How London's parks got their names
- How London's rivers got their names
- How London's bridges got their names
- How London's odd suburbs got their names
- How London's churches got their names
- How London's markets got their names
- How London's alleyways got their names
- How London's castles and palaces got their names
- How London's squares got their names
- How London's hills got their names
- How London's football teams got their names
- How London's airports got their names