10 Bizarre But Brilliant London Street Names

London is blessed with so many bizarre but brilliant street names. Street names are also often a great window into the history of the area.

Here are 10 of my favourites…

1. Bleeding Heart Yard

Bleeding Heart Yard in Holborn has two stories behind the name. One of which is likely to be the truth and the other; urban legend.

The first is that it was named after an inn located here in the 16th century called The Bleeding Heart. The sign for the inn portrayed the heart of the Virgin Mary being pierced by 5 swords.

The second is that on the night of the 26th January 1626 a gruesome murder took place here.

The story goes that at the famous Hatton ball taking place nearby, a strange man with a hunched shoulder and a clawed hand strides in, charms and dances with Lady Hatton all night.

The next morning her body was found torn limb from limb in the courtyard of, what is now, Bleeding Heart Yard. Her heart was apparently found lying on the cobbles, still pumping out blood. The tale goes that this strange man was in fact the Devil.

2. Turnagain Lane

This unusually-named lane can be found off Farringdon Street and gives a clue to one of London’s lost rivers. The now buried River Fleet once flowed where Farringdon Street now runs, meeting the Thames at Blackfriar’s Bridge.

The Fleet was covered over here in the 18th century but, prior to that, if you had been walking down this lane you would have been presented with a river and no bridge. You therefore would have had to ‘turn again’ to find a different route!

You can read my blog post on the lost River Fleet and its route here.

3. Tweezer’s Alley

The name for this alley between Strand and the Victoria Embankment derives from a forge or blacksmith’s that was on this site in the 13th century. Specifically, the name comes from the tweezers used by blacksmiths to hold hot metal.

Although the forge has not existed for hundreds of years, bizarrely the City of London still pays the Crown the rent of 61 nails and 6 horseshoes in a ceremony known as the Quit Rents Ceremony. Bar the coronation, it is the oldest legal ceremony in England. Find out more about the ceremony here.

4. Wardrobe Place

The name of this quaint courtyard in the City of London comes from the fact that the King’s Wardrobe used to be situated in a building here.

The ‘wardrobe’ was set up on this site in 1359 during the reign of Edward III. It was essentially a secure building to house the royal clothing and personal items of the crown. It had previously been based at the Tower of London but, by this point, had grown too large.

The site burnt down in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the wardrobe was moved to where the Savoy Hotel now is.

5. Frying Pan Alley

The name for this curious alleyway in Spitalfields is thought to come from an ironmongers shop. The shop had a large cast iron frying pan hanging over the doorway as its shop sign.

A story goes that, one day, the sign managed to break free and fell onto an unsuspecting window shopper. From that point onwards shoppers would walk on the other side of the street and the locals started to call the alleyway Frying Pan Alley. The name stuck.

6. Bear Gardens

This cobbled lane in Bankside marks the site of a bear-baiting pit in the Elizabethan period.

Bankside, being outside the City’s authority, was where you could find lots of the entertainment venues of Tudor and Stuart London such as brothels and theatres.

The bear-baiting pit was used for numerous grisly animal blood-sports. ‘Baiting’ essentially involved pitting animals against each other, such as a pack of dogs against a bear. The activities were extremely violent and by the end of the 17th century had gone out of fashion.

7. Passing Alley

This narrow, winding alley in Clerkenwell has been a route since the medieval period back when this area was all fields.

Now on the face of it this one doesn’t sound that interesting, but before it was Passing Alley it was in fact known as, ‘Pissing Alley’. This is likely to be due to its proximity to nearby cesspits or perhaps because it makes a good spot for an inconspicuous wee…

The name was changed in the second half of the 18th century to something a bit more respectable.

8. Knightrider Street

Now for the dramatically named Knightrider Street in the City of London.

It is thought that the name derives from the fact that it was along this route that the knights of medieval London would have ridden on their way from the City to the jousting tournaments at Smithfield.

It is thought they would have been coming from a fortification in the City that no longer exists called Tower Royal, which burnt down in 1666.

9. Neckinger

Neckinger in Southwark is named after another one of London’s lost rivers: the river Neckinger.

The Neckinger flowed through Southwark and joined the Thames at St Saviour’s Dock. It was at St Saviour’s Dock that, right up until the end of the 18th century, pirates would be hanged. It is thought the name ‘Neckinger’ is a derivation of ‘the Devil’s neckcloth’ or ‘neckerchief’: a slang term for a noose.

10. Hanging Sword Alley

Hanging Sword Alley is just South of Fleet Street and dates back to at least the 16th century. It was named Hanging Sword Alley in 1564 after the sign for a fencing school that was located here.

For a time in the 18th century it was known as Blood Bowl Alley, named after an infamous drinking den known as Blood Bowl House.

If you enjoyed that, see below for more London history!