Angel
Angel is the first in the alphabet of five subway stations named after local pubs with centuries of history. The Elephant & Castle, Manor House, Royal Oak and Swiss Cottage are next on the list. The Angel of Annunciation pub has existed since the 15th century and closed in the 1920s. And the mystical flavor of the name still floats in the subway.
Blackfriars
Since XII century this area of London began to develop actively Dominican priory: over white cassocks Dominican monks wore black cloaks, that’s why they were nicknamed Black Friars or black friars (from French “frère” – brother). The Priory ceased to exist in 1538 under the edict of the effeminate Henry XVIII, who abolished Catholicism in Britain; but the name has survived to this day.
Blackhorse Road.
Out of the house came a horse. It sounds strange, but you can’t take words out of thin air. Blackhorse Road is a modified name of the Black House Lane. The street has existed since the Saxon conquest: in its southern part there was a mysterious black mansion about which no historical evidence remains. And it could have been a gothic tale…
Canada Water
The name of this subway station was given by the local lake. It, in turn, was named so because of one of the port docks where ships from Canada came. Merchant ships from Russia, Norway, and Sweden docked nearby at Russia Dock. And Canary Wharf got its name because of the connection with the Canary Islands, where London was supplied with fruit.
Charing Cross
The most romantic story. King Edward I was deeply in love with his wife Eleanor of Castile and grieved deeply when she died of malaria. To express his grief and to magnify the memory of the queen, who was not very popular during her lifetime because of her bad temper and greed, Edward erected twelve crosses at night stops of the funeral procession that made its way to Westminster Abbey from Nottinghamshire. One was erected near the village of Charing, hence Charing Cross.
Cockfosters
The name of this station gives a smirk not only to connoisseurs of English slang. But not without reason: historians assert that it is connected with nearby estate, which served as a residence to some enigmatic chief forester (aka cock forester) four hundred years ago.
Covent Garden
Contemporary Covent Garden, where cultural life is thriving, doesn’t resemble a “convent garden” at all. And that’s how the name of the station and the neighborhood translates. In medieval times there was a vast enclosed garden owned by Benedictine monks.
Elephant and Castle
The magical combination Elephant and Castle appeared on the map of the London Underground thanks to the inn/pub of the same name recorded in chronicles in 1765. Before that there was a forge and a workshop where cutlery was made. It is just the elephant (elephant) with a palanquin (castle) on his back that was on their signboard: it was at that time that the handles on knives and forks were made of ivory. Shakespeare mentions Elephant and Castle in Twelfth Night: “In the south suburbs, at the Elephant, is best to lodge. You can’t argue with the classic – the neighborhood isn’t bad now, either…
Gospel Oak
The legendary “Gospel Oak,” under which St. Augustine and even St. Paul are said to have preached, grew on the border between the two parishes. And it was under it that believers from the surrounding villages gathered, because the nearest churches were too far away. Sometime in the middle of the 19th century, the century-old tree disappeared. Perhaps it was burned down by lightning, or cut down by a local Herostratus. History is silent.
Knightsbridge
Alas, this respectable neighborhood (and with it, the name of the station) has nothing to do with noble knights. True, the bridge is still in the name. It refers to the crossing of the river Westbourne – one of the many “lost” London rivers, which in the XIX century was tucked into an underground pipe. Knight, in the historical context of that era, is a boy or young man in the service of someone. “One version is that there were many young loafers hanging around Knightbridge,” writes historian Carolyn Taggart.
Maida Vale.
If that name leads you to think of English maids and verdant valleys, you’re half right. Vale is indeed a valley or ravine. But it has nothing to do with girls in aprons. Maida is a town in Italian Calabria, where the British defeated Napoleon’s allies in 1806. Waterloo and Trafalgar Square stations are also named after British victories in the war against the audacious Corsican.
Piccadilly Circus
Those wanting to go to the Piccadilly Circus are in for a rude awakening: the name of the station (and the district) is Latin for “circle”. Circus is an open circular space at the intersection of the streets. The word Piccadilly itself originated in the high-collar Piccadillys: in 1626 Piccadilly Hall, the house of a famous tailor, an expert in such accessories, appeared in the area.
The Seven Sisters.
The history of the name is quite poetic. “Seven Sisters” was the name given to the seven elm trees planted around a mysterious walnut tree on Page Green land. Local vicar and historian William Bedwell, in his Brief Description of Tottenham dating from as early as the 17th century, mentions the tree in praise of its beauty and splendour. There is a theory that the walnut tree has been growing here since the Roman conquest and was the center of a sacred grove or pagan temple. The Seven Elms appear on London maps from 1619 until 1955: they are repeatedly planted and replanted. In 1997 there was a digital apotheosis: the Seven Sisters planted seven hornbeam trees on the same mystical site.
Shepherd’s Bush.
It is believed that shepherds really did sybaritize under this bush (and they certainly ate shepherd’s pie)! It was a long way from the surrounding villages to Smithfield Market in the City; it was parked on a patch of communal land, under a hawthorn bushes, hence the nickname “Shepherd’s Bush”.
Swiss Cottage
The neighborhood and subway station were named after The Swiss Tavern. It was built in 1804 in an extremely fashionable at the time rustic style: it was almost a full replica of a Swiss chalet. Subsequently, the courtyard was renamed Swiss Cottage. Despite active urban development, the building has survived to this day and now houses the Ye Olde Swiss Cottage pub. It serves mainly beer and English cuisine.