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The Street Names of Dover - S to Z

Saxon Street - So called probably because it was close to Norman Street and leading to the Norman Refectory which rude style of architecture is sometimes confused with Saxon work.

Selborne Terrace - This terrace in Clarendon Road was named after a famous lawyer Roundell Palmer Q. C. who in the year these houses were built 1872 was Lord Chancellor and created Baron Selborne.

Seven Star Street - This is a narrow thoroughfare, which runs at the rear of Beach Street. This narrow row was for many years the dwelling place of mariners, and it is easy to suppose that “Seven Star Street” (at one time notorious in the town) was a mariner’s fancy since fair Pleiades conspicuous in the midnight sky was a favourite guide to the sailor seeking a friendly shore.    

Shrubbery Cottages - Between Dodd’s Lane and Mangers Place probably took their name from “The Shrubbery” better known between the wars as the Coleman Convalescent Home and now the residential quarters for nurses at the local hospitals. The Shrubbery is the oldest house in the neighbourhood having been built it is believed in the 18th century for Vice-Admiral Sir John Bentley the then owner of Buckland Manor.

Slip Passage - This little street opposite where the Dover Express office was merged into the wider Snargate Street where there was a turning leading to “The Slip” where ships were repaired. 

Snargate Street - This did not as some have supposed take its name from Snar Gate in the old town wall.  There was a Snargate Ward long before the gate was built in 1370. One plausible suggestion is that the word came from a snare which engineers may have devised to trap rubbish which came down the Dour and tendered to block the river mouth and the Pent into which the Dour discharged. Another version is that there was overhanging rocks above the street resembling a snare - to which added the gate that stood by Mr. Grossman's and their you have Snargate Street.

Spring Gardens - This name derives from a Chalyheate Spring discovered here in the early part of the last century probably from the same source of the well in Ladywell. Many years ago there was a brewery in this street.

Spring Place - Was another of the streets laid out on the reclaimed Paradise Pent but now gone under improvement schemes.  It was the site of a spring of fresh water, which discharged into Paradise Harbour.

Squires Way - The Squire in Chaucer's “Canterbury Tales.”

St. Alphege Road - St. Alphege succeeded Aelfris as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1006 when Canterbury was sacked by the Danes in 1011. Alphege was captured and refusing to pay a ransom was murdered at Greenwich the following year.

St. Andrews Terrace - This name is now confined to the larger terrace of houses in Crabble Avenue, which in some respects is a pity.  At one time the whole street was generally known as St. Andrews Terrace.  The name Crabble although purely local and therefore very acceptable is already well represented by Crabble Close, Hill, Lane and Road.  On the other hand St. Andrew gets no other acknowledgement in local streets, although St. Andrews Church approached from this road via Crabble Arch is the only existing Dover Parish mentioned in the Doomsday Book.

St. Catherine’s Place  - This was one of the streets laid out towards the middle of the last century on the site at Charlton of St. Mary’s Poor House. St. Catherine was an early Christian martyr who gave her name to the Catherine Wheel because it is said she was tortured on a spiked wheel before execution.

St. David’s Avenue - When a few years ago the corporation began to develop their new housing estate at Aycliffe it was decided to name the roads after saints associated with the United Kingdom. Wales patron saint is thus commemorated here.

St. Edmund’s Walk - This is a short thoroughfare linking Biggin Street to Priory Road where the 13th century Chapel of St. Edmund stands. This chapel was restored in 1968.

St. George’s Crescent - In the 14th century George became the patron saint of England and of the Order of the Garter his name was given to this road on the Aycliffe estate.

St. Giles Road - When it was proposed to name new streets on the Aycliffe Estate after national saints of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland , it was thought that confusion might arise with St. Andrew’s Terrace if Scotland’s patron saint was called into service.  St. Giles the Patron Saint of beggars, lepers and cripples, after whom St Giles Cathedral Edinburgh is named, was therefore chosen.

St. James Street - So named because it leads directly up to St. James Church, the old one as we now call it. Until about the year 1856 the old rectory stood just opposite at the corner of Woolcomber Street making the road so narrow there that a white stone was placed against the Rectory wall to prevent carts in passing from striking the house.  In our grandfather’s days St. James Street was the route taken by the coaches from Deal.  One can hardly imagine four horse coaches dashing down that narrow street and turning a sharp corner into St. James Lane and thence into the Market Square.  It was then the fashionable part the “West End of Dover” and there are remains in it of many of the good houses where the “elite” lived.  Some of the houses at the lower end of the street are probably of the 13th or 15th century and are very picturesque.  One of the houses has a curious ceiling in one room, with the letter E. and R. introduced into a pattern showing that the house was built in the days of Elizabeth Regina. The first Meeting House for Quakers was in the street opposite St. Margaret's Place.

St. John’s Road - This short row of houses off Folkestone Road was built on land belonging to Lord Beaumont who was a Knight of the order of St. John of Jerusalem. At one time Lord Beaumont hoped to build a monastery on the land surrounding West Mount.  When the road was first laid out it was intended taking it round behind the Folkestone Road houses but the remainder of the site was taken for the Ordnance Stores.  

St. Lawrence Way - The river, which forms the outlet of the Great Lakes and the boundary between New York State and the Canadian Province of Ontario gives its name to this street on the Buckland Valley estate.

St. Margaret’s Place - This neat little row of houses was built in the stone yard of one Mr. Iodine a builder.  He combined the office of schoolmaster at St. Margaret’s-at-Cliff with that of builder and gave the name of that village to his houses.

St. Martin’s Hill - Still used occasionally by the older residents for that part of Folkestone Road from the “Red Cow” corner to Priory Station.  This name is a reference to St. Martin’s Priory, which formerly occupied a large area of ground where now, stands Dover College, Saxon Street and Norman Street.    

St. Martin’s Terrace - St. Martin may be said to be the Patron Saint of the town and the scene where he is dividing his cloak to give half to a beggar forms part of the Coat of Arms of the Town and the Port of Dover. This terrace is close to St. Martin’s Priory, which is better known now as the Dover College.

St. Patrick’s Road - St. Patrick’s reported use of the shamrock as an illustration of the Trinity led to it’s being regarded as the Irish national symbol.  This road leads from Old Folkestone Road to St. David's Avenue .

St. Radigund’s Road - Radegund (520- 587) was a Queen of France who renounced her crown.  She was the daughter of Berthane who with his two brothers shared the Kingdom of Thuringia. One brother Hermanfrid murdered the others but himself was killed in battle.  Radegund and her brothers were seized by the cruel Clotaine and although he already had four wives, he forced her to marry him.  Clotaine, whose rule eventually spread to part of Germany and who even extracted a tribute of five hundred cattle from the men of Romney Marsh, burnt alive his own son and when he murdered Radegund’s brother she fled and took the veil.  In Poitiers she founded a Nunnery and later the Monastery of Our Lady of Poitiers. St. Radigund’s Abbey outside Dover was built in 1191 and until the dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII christian teaching and culture as well as the practice and development of crafts was spread through the countryside by the monks who built the churches of St. Andrew at Alkham and St. Mary at Capel.  St. Radegund is twice depicted in the stained glass windows of the Chapel of Jesus College, Cambridge. One shows her in monastic garb with the crown of France lying at her feet.  The other shows her standing amid growing corn.  This is reference to a legend that when she was escaping Clotaine she came to a field of young oats which immediately sprang up to hide her from her pursuers.      

Stanhope Road - Stanhope is a well known Kentish name the Earldom of Stanhope having been cremated in 1718. Captain R. H. Stanhope R.N. a member of this family was M. P. for Dover in 1831.

Stembrook - A large mill at the entrance to this little road “stems the brook” or river in its course to the sea, and the word takes us back to the time when there was no Castle Street or in fact any road at all.  The only access for carriage traffic from Charlton to St. James Street via the town was through a water-splash where Stembrook now joins Castle Street and then by road crossing Dolphin Lane into St. James Street. Castle Street was planned and the river therefore arched over in 1832 doing away with the primitive arrangements.

Strond Street - This is no doubt a mis-spelling of the word Strand for when the sea washed up to the foot of the cliffs (where Snargate and Limekiln Street now are) this part would be the Strand or Shore.

Taswell Street - This street is built on land, which at one time belonged to a Captain Taswell.

Tavenor’s Lane - Samuel Tavenor at the time of the Commonwealth was a captain of a troop under Cromwell. He came into possession of land just of  Market Square, which had formerly belonged to the Monastery of St. Martin-le-Grand. He had a house there.  Captain Tavenor who was converted by the Baptists, was imprisoned in the Castle for his faith and upon release, became pastor to the Dover congregation.  In 1692 he obtained a license for his house to be used as a meeting house and he ministered there until his death in 1696.  The Baptists continued to meet in his house until 1745.    

Texas Way - Leads from Green lane to Roosevelt Road on the Buckland Estate and takes its name from the cotton-producing south-west state of the U.S.A.

Templar Street - Brings a reference to the fact that the Knights Templar had a church on the Western Heights.

Tennessee Vale - Is another of the Buckland Valley roads named after an American State.

The Esplanade - Now contains only a few commercial buildings, at its extreme end the main block that included the Esplanade Hotel having been demolished following war damage. The houses were built in 1833 a little later than Marine Parade but the year before Waterloo Crescent.

The Linces - This was the only street on the new Buckland Valley estate, which really has local associations.  It is taken from a name given to land in this area on large scale ordnance maps.  In Anglo Saxon times a Hlinc was a hill, and a Lynchet a strip of grass-land between cultivated fields where there were no hedges. 

The Paddock - The adoption of this name for the small cul-de-sac off Maison Dieu Road is a reminder that little more than a century ago the whole of this area was agricultural land.  Just after the opening of Eastbrook Place “into the fields” in 1830 the land hereabouts was offered for building sites but there were no takers.  An effort was made to buy or lease the whole area as a public recreation ground and botanical gardens, but there was insufficient public spirit to bring the idea to fruition.  What were known as promenade and subscription enterprise for a while on the rising ground to the east of Maison Dieu Road.  In the meantime the Town Council took in hand the opening up of Maison Dieu Road and Mr. William Moxon, the contractor for the town drainage and Western Heights fortifications built Brook House for himself.  The row of houses now known as The Paddock stands on what was the paddock of Brook House. 

Thornton's Lane - Town Wall Lane was probably its original name, The Rev. Monge Thornton (1549) was the first regularly appointed Minister in charge of St. Mary’s Church and it is possible that he or the church may have held some property in the lane.  

Tinkers Close - Through the many centuries of the history of Dover Castle and long before the new Castle Hill was made there was a piece of sloping ground between the present Laureston Place and Ashen Tree Lane where a market was held for the supply of the soldiers of the Garrison.  The peddlers and tinkers who frequented the market gave it the name, which lingered long after the market had ceased to be held.

Toronto Way - When it was decided to give Commonwealth names to certain roads on the Buckland Valley estate preference was given as far as possible to names which had some local associations such as the war of troops from particular parts of the Dominions.  In the case of Toronto Way one of the smaller terraces on the estate which had not been laid out for vehicular traffic the name was taken from the capital of the Canadian Province of Ontario which is also the headquarters of the Queens Own Rifles of Canada the allied regiment of the Royal East Kent Regiment. (The Buffs).

Tower Hamlets Road - This road which was known as Black Horse Lane until 1866 leads to the district known as Tower Hamlets a name originally given to this portion of land rather as a joke. The owners of Brickfields up there Messrs J. and S. Finnis built a tower as a base of a mill for procuring water and said “let’s call this place Tower Hamlets” and that name was adopted.  The “real” Tower Hamlets was a thickly populated part of London and at the time of which we are speaking there were no houses at all in the Dover Tower Hamlets.  The Brickfield Tower still remains though for many years it has been converted into a dwelling.

Tower Hamlets Street.

Tower Hill - Like Tower Hamlets took its name from the old water tower which before the developers of the past 100 years was the only distinguishing feature of the area.

Townwall Street - Within the memory of man much of the old Town Wall was visible on the south side of the street.  It was well to give it this name to mark the boundary of our ancient town for future generations, for when houses were built the old wall was pulled down and no trace left above ground of the old solid masonry.  Part of the materials was used in building Kearsney Abbey in 1821.  It was also a quarry from which materials were taken for a good many other buildings in the town.

Trafalgar Place - Was the name of a row of cottages at the foot of Priory Hill, which were built at the time of the battle of Trafalgar.

Trevanion Street - One John Trevanion came as a visitor to Dover in the last century and much interested himself in the welfare of the town.  He arranged and kept up his own expense a school for the education of fifty poor boys in Council House Street.  He lived in Dover many years and was our representative in Parliament several times.  He died in 1810 and was buried in a vault in old St. James Church where there used to be a tablet which bore a long inscription setting forth his virtues in glowing terms.

Under-Cliff Cottages - Three little cottages, which with another were known as Colliery Cottage, nestle in the cleft of the Chalk Cliffs at Shakespeare Halt.

Underdown Road - Two of the Underdown family were Mayors of Dover in the eighteenth century.  Thomas in 1731 and 1733 and Vincent in 1743 and 1745 the latter being expelled from the corporation during his second term of office for absenting himself from meetings.  Whether the family gave their name to this road or whether it was merely so-called from being under the downs is unknown.

Union Road - Three times this word appears in Dover’s Street and each time with a different signification.  This road is so called because it leads to the Union or Workhouse now used as Buckland Hospital for Dover and Districts adjoining.

Union Row - So called because it is the connection or union between Military Road and Bowling Green Hill.

Union Street - Old people still call the road, which connects the esplanade with Strond Street by this name though the houses which formed the street have been demolished at different times when alterations were made in the harbour and docks.  The hotel, which once stood at the end of the road and was called Union Hotel, gave the name to the street.  Before this it was called Snargate Street over the sluice. 

Vale View Road - Indicates the magnificent view, which could be obtained from the upper part of this road before the Elms Valley became so much built up.

Valley Road - Is another of those, which has received the obvious if uninspired name as one of those in the basin of the pretty Dover valley.

Vancouver Road - Is another of the turnings off  Ottawa Crescent but goes to the western seaboard of Canada for its name.  The Vancouver Regiment was among those who served in World War II and whose personnel were seen in this district during that war.

Victoria Crescent and Row - These unpretending houses were built about the time that Her Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria came to the throne the builder evidently being a loyal man and thinking that he could not do better than give her name to the houses.

Victoria ParkWas laid out and named in 1864 when Queen Victoria had already been 27 years on the throne.  It occupies land formerly known at Stringers Field between the old and the new roads to the Castle. 

Virginia Walk - From Boston Rise to Georgia Way on the Buckland Valley estate is named after the famous tobacco producing state of America.

Wall Passage - Was a narrow lane containing three or four cottages, which ran from St. James Street to Townwall Street.  It may have got it’s name from it’s proximity to the old town wall but more likely from that wall having been the quarry for stones from which the cottages were built  - a not unusual procedure up to the early part of the last century.

Washington Way - On the “American” portion of the Buckland estate is named after the capital city of the U.S.A.  

Waterloo Crescent - This was begun in 1834 but the great battle of Waterloo was still fresh in the people’s minds partly owing to the fact of the Iron Duke’s presence in and about Dover. The crescent is built on land, which was occupied by extensive rope walks owned by a man named Jell.  The date of the start of the buildings was in 1834 and the famous battle was still fresh in people’s minds especially as the Duke of Wellington was often in Dover .

Water Lane - Connected Elizabeth Street with the old Harbour Station. After Paradise Harbour was re-claimed and used as building land a fresh water spring, which formerly flowed, into the harbour was diverted along the line of this lane and emptied into the tidal dock at the Crosswall.  This miserable little lane was so often flooded when a high tide affected the water in the harbour that this name was given it owing to the amount of water often in it. Dover Fire Station was at one time in this lane.

Weavers Way - Named after the weaver whose story is another of those in the “Canterbury Tales.”

Wellesley Road - Arthur Wellesley Duke of Wellington after his military career was appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1829 and took a great deal of interest in the affairs of Dover Harbour although he never bothered to be installed as Lord Warden.  The first name for the terrace of houses, which faced Granville Gardens and was later transformed into the Grand Hotel.

Wellington Gardens - This terrace of old peoples houses in Sheridan Road takes the name from the Duke of Wellington out of the capital of New Zealand.  Thus together with a number of other streets on the Buckland Valley estate such as Vancouver Way, Auckland Crescent, and Hobart Crescent is commemorated the part played by the commonwealth in the war.

Wellington Passage - Now disappeared this short lane joined Snargate Street to Northampton Street and was yet another instance where the Duke of Wellington gave his name to a local public place. 

Whinless Road - This cul-de-sac off Union Road takes its name from between there and Elms Vale known as Whinless Down. Whin is an old name for gorse and Whinless Down meant a hill, which was bare of gorse.

Widred Road - This road was named after Withred King of Kent who in the seventh century did a lot of building in the town of Dover and he founded the old church of St. Martin's. 

Winant Way - Forms with Roosevelt Road two sides of the triangle on the Buckland Estate within which all the streets have American names.  John G. Winant was American Ambassador to Great Britain during a large part of the war period and although there is no record of him having visited Dover. Mrs. Winant was here on July 22nd 1942.  Her name appears in the Distinguished Visitors book at the Town Hall just below that of Archbishop Temple who came on July 5th.  On the opposite page are the signatures of Sir Winston Churchill, Mr. Averill Harriman, Mr. Stimson (the United States Secretary for war.) Dr. Hewlett Johnson, Mrs. Roosevelt, and Mrs. Churchill who all came in October that year.  

Winchelsea Street - This name is another instance of a Lord Wardens name being used for our streets. In the reign of Charles II we read of one George Finch Earl of Winchelsea as being Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. A descendant of his married daughter of Edward Rice Esq. our representative in Parliament in 1837.

Windsor House - This is another of the modern blocks of council flats at Durham Hill named after Royal Dukes in this case the former King Edward VIII.

Winnipeg Way - Is another of the Buckland Estate roads, which bear Canadian names, associated with troops who were stationed in Kent during the 1939-45 war.  The Winnipeg Light Infantry are allied to the Durham Light Infantry. 

Wood Street - It might be reasonable to assume that the thoroughfare was so called because it leads to the timber yard where Messrs William Crundall and Co. had there yard for almost a century.  But in fact the area had long before that, been known as Woods Meadow.  Earlier on the area now occupied by the timber yard stood Dickinson’s Paper Mill.  This incorporated a tower with a clock having four faces, which could be seen from all parts of Charlton.  Mr. R. Dickinson built for his own occupation a residence that now forms the nurse’s home at the Royal Victoria Hospital buildings.  It was then known as Brook House.

Wood’s Place - In the nineteenth century the Woods were some landowners in the Buckland and Crabble district. Mr. William Wood’s residence at Crabble Corner being the only habitation in Crabble Meadows.

Woolcomber Street - This little street was built on land, which had gradually been formed since 1500 when an old harbour situated here had became useless.  Before houses were built the lower part of the street was occupied by Saltpans where the sea water was evaporated by different processes and salt made.  Long after these works had been done away with the spot was called “Salt's” or “Saltpans.”  In the days when a great deal of smuggling was done in Dover there was a portion of this where smugglers hoards were put and ingeniously covered with piles of sand and rubbish, the sand being brought on the back of donkeys who had to cross a little bridge which spanned a small stream flowing towards the river.  Opposite the smuggler’s hiding place on the ground now occupied by Bussey’s coal store the Quakers had a burying place till 1830. The rest of the street consisted chiefly of premises for wool-combing belonging to wool merchants in the town.  When the industry was no longer carried on in Dover and houses were built the name Woolcomber was given to the street.

Worthington Lane - The premises of some wool-staplers of this name nearly filled the Lane at one time and caused it to be called by the name of Worthington.  They were a large family living in Dover one being a wool stapler the other the owner of the Ship Inn and wine vaults in Snargate Street, and another was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy who devised plans for improving the harbour making an elaborate model to show what he thought was needed and writing a book on the subject.  There are tombstones of some of the family in St. Mary’s Churchyard close to the passage known as Standens Passage.

Wycherley Crescent -  Another English dramatist, William Wycherley (1640-1715) is commemorated by this short street in “poet’s corner” or the upper part of the Buckland Valley estate.

Wyndham Road - The first built of the streets laid out by Sir William Crundall during the second stage of developing Tower Hamlets, this road was named after the then M. P. for Dover the Rt. Hon. George Wyndham.  He succeeded as local M. P. Major A. G. Dickson who is commemorated in the nearby Dickson Road.  This then is the fifth street in the area named after Kent Members of Parliament (Major Dickson and Lord Astor one from St. Augustine's Division. (Mr. Douglas) and one from Thanet (Mr. Lowther).

York Street - In an earlier edition it was suggested that this road was named after Philip Yorke one time Town Clerk of Dover who became Lord Hardwicke and Lord Chancellor of England.  Doubt has been cast upon the accuracy of this statement and the final “e” to the family’s name lends it weight to the doubt.  Originally the street was called Priory Lane.  Then it became known as the Black Ditch because a stream there carried away the storm water from the Western Heights and the surface water from houses between the lane and Cowgate.  A row of cottages there was known York Terrace long before York Street was adopted as the name for the whole length of the street.  Many years ago a York Hotel stood towards the seaward end of Union Street and it seems probable that the name for both the hotel and the street derived from the fact that James Duke of York, later James II was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1683 and as such was very popular in Dover.  

Youden’s Court - A builder and mason of this name gave his name to this court (see St. Margaret’s Place.)  The name is nowadays spelt Uden and there are several families in Dover bearing that name. Recently demolished in connection with the changes in Market Street.


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