Poetic place names . . . ?

Tuesday 10th January 2012 6:06 pm

Hi Everyone,

I just thought I'd post this purely for the picture, which I stopped to take on my travels today. I'm sure there must be other place names with a poetic connection - if you know of any why not add them?

Here's the link to the origins of the name:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryme_Intrinseca

Incidentally it's not far from East Coker - of T S Eliot fame:

http://www.tristan.icom43.net/quartets/coker.html

Or why not just let everyone know of any other interesting place names?

(I would have put this on the discussion thread, which I guess would be a better place, but isn't enabled for the posting of pics.)

Regards,

A.E.

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Comments

Anthony Emmerson

Fri 9th Mar 2012 16:27

An old friend of mine from Hyde told the tale of of his boyhood cycling days. Apparently he was quite a "sturdy" youngster (he could still eat two more taters than a pig) and more than filled his grey school shorts. He and a friend had been out on an afternoon cycle ride. On returning to his friend's house; no doubt puffing and panting from the exertion, his friend's father inquired as to where they had been. "Broadbottom" was my friends reply. No doubt he was slightly crestfallen at the retort - "Aye, and it looks like tha's brought it back wi' thee!"

http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/newsgroupview.php?NewsGroupsID=32&NewsThreadsID=1343#msgcontent_14711

Nick Coleman

Fri 9th Mar 2012 12:42

Hey Julian, I live just off Lower Dicker, next to Upper Dicker! A certain cocky little right wing comic got unceremoniously booted out our pub for taking the piss out of us over the names. Nearest towns are 'uckfield and Horam.
For real poetry look to the names of woods and shaws: Tweazle Wood, Boggy Wood, Flitterbrook and Black Shaw, Pickley, Annes, Clappers, and Crabs, Old Hag, and of course Nobody's Wood.

Julian (Admin)

Fri 9th Mar 2012 11:11

Oh, and in the 1970s the M5 was closed and I was diverted through a Worcestershire town - forget which - where there was a solicitors called Doolittle and Dalley.
Ha, here they are: http://www.doolittle-dalley.co.uk/

Julian (Admin)

Fri 9th Mar 2012 11:07

Upper Dicker, near Lewes, my favourite, though I once frequently drove past Bullyhole Bottom, near Chepstow. Mind you, Ramsbottom, near Bury (Lancs, not St Edmonds) has a hamlet up the hill called Upper Ramsbottom: where do you live? Upper Rams...

Clement Freud, when first elected MP for Ely, began a speech in the other Bury town with: I come to Bury St Edmunds, not to praise it.

Marnanel Thurman

Thu 8th Mar 2012 14:23

When my girlfriend and I were driving though the Peak District recently, she noticed a sign to a place called The Devil's Bottom. Out of the blue she said to me, "Can you get to Wikipedia on your phone? Can you look up The Devil's Bottom?"

John Duffus

Thu 8th Mar 2012 14:19

This topic is very close to my heart as I have a lexicon of curious place-names mostly from the North East of Scotland. It all started 10 years ago as I passed by a sign to Memus, a village in the county of Angus. This led me to pouring over maps of the region to gather fresh weirdness of place-names - and there are lots! Here's just a few.
Bulg
Carrot
Clatt
Colpy
Craik
Cults
Finfan
Flobbit
Glack

Dave Bradley

Wed 11th Jan 2012 23:42

Fascinating - and hilarious. It doesn't include Wigan's Scotsman's Flash!

Anthony Emmerson

Wed 11th Jan 2012 23:37

Take a look at this list - all for real apparently. Few things make me laugh out loud nowadays - but some of these are priceless . . .

http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/placenames.htm

Someone good at constructing humorous poetry (no names) could have a field day with these. Favourites anyone?

Dave Bradley

Wed 11th Jan 2012 23:25

Not that it's poetic, but one of my favourites is World's End. There are two...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_End,_Denbighshire

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_End,_Berkshire

How can the world have two ends?

There is also Sodom in North Wales. http://www.british-towns.net/cy/level_4_display.asp?GetL3=16254

Who on earth wanted to call a place Sodom?

Anthony Emmerson

Wed 11th Jan 2012 22:50

We have Westward Ho! nearby. Apparently the only English place name with an exclamation mark. (Trust me, it really doesn't deserve one.)

One of my favourites inspired me to write a poem. I'm originally from the Derbyshire Peak District where there's a Water-cum-Jolly Dale.

http://www.knowledge.me.uk/photos/peaks/water_cum_jolly_dale.html

And then, of course there's S****horpe. I always wanted te meet someone I didn't like from there, just to be able to say, "So you're the one who put the **** in S****horpe."

Dave Bradley

Wed 11th Jan 2012 22:32

Incorrigible (-: How about Limerick?

Isobel

Wed 11th Jan 2012 12:59

Sorry to get anal again :) but there is a place called 'Croucher's Bottom'. I've never been there but my mum and dad did and they took a picture of themselves crouching down/over, next to the sign.

You can see where I get my sense of humour from now :)

Laura Taylor

Wed 11th Jan 2012 10:10

Interesting place names...well, Clit-heroe still makes me laugh. But then I still laugh at my own farts.

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