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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 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
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
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. George’s Crescent
-
In the 14th century George
became the patron saint of
St. Giles Road
-
When it was proposed to name new
streets on the Aycliffe Estate after national saints of
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
St. John’s Road
-
This short row of houses off
St. Lawrence Way
-
The river, which forms the
outlet of the Great Lakes and the boundary between 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 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 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 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
Tennessee
Vale
-
Is another of the 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
Thornton's 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 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
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. 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 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 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 Road -
Is another of those, which has
received the obvious if uninspired name as one of those in the basin of the
pretty 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 Park - Was 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 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.”
Wellington
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 Winant Way
- Forms with
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 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 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 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
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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