Sunday 24 February 2008

Sunday supplement

Museum of Street semiotics:
It's so funny how we don't talk anymore #1:
When street lamps fall out?
Wasted street names:

This idea came up the other day on the radio and crystallized somethings I'd be musing about. That sometimes streets have fantastic dramatic, or poignant names but usually they seem to be given to lanes or cul de sacs that are barely worth naming. The example the chap on the radio gave was one I'd seen which is Orpheus st in Camberwell, which is little more than a bus turn around in the one way system.I'v e ony been through it on the bus but it doesn't look like the gateway to hell (add joke about appropriate south London district). The one pleasing thing is it's across the road from the Dionysus Off licence. Although I think most offies are run by old one eye himself, this bit of Camberwell is rarely Bacchanalian.


Which brings me on to two locals examples:

the first is

which is a short back street notable for having a mound of grass in middle presumably a bomb site or collapsed old building.
Ironically for such a floral bucolic name it's next to Elgar Close which is like most South London a long way from the Malvern hills.


Speewell leads onto Comet st which is little more than a bend in the road and an alley leading on to the high st. Shouldn't Comet st, be something out a children's story; 57 Comet st should be where adventures start.

I don't know maybe I listened to too many Lloyd Cole records but Comet st should be were doe eyed long limbed young things live who smoke foreign fags and pretend to read poetry, may be they do I just haven't seen them coming back from Iceland ( the supermarket that is)


Does anyone have any other suggestions?

and which streets could do with a new glamorous poetic name?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I always thought Hogarth Roundabout was a fitting tribute...

http://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/031005/n031005_24.htm

Mondo said...

Aren't streets named 'Avenue Road' just odd - surely you can't have both it's got to be one or the other.

BLTP said...

Anon: On a similar note I've never thought the "polish war memorial" roundabout was entirely respectful.
PM: what about avenues without trees, or Avenue Park Road.

Anonymous said...

Brian Clough Way is the most moving tribute in my view. It's the A52 between Derby and Nottingham - used to be hated by people in Derby as it led directly to the centre of Satan's lair. Since the re-naming it is now a much cherished Dual carriageway which makes me well up whilst driving on it.


Also "Ampere way" briefly makes my trips to Ikea in Croyden exciting.