Bishopgate Street

[tyke bhoy]

So the redundant "St." was added in pre-Victorian times.
To be fair to our ancestors we often make the same type of mistake, especially with acronyms.
How often do we say PIN number, LCD display, HIV virus etc.?

PAT Test(ing)

[Leodian]

Thanks all .
As gate is an old word for street the names of many Leeds roads and areas can now be even more interesting. For example Crossgates could be Cross streets where streets once crossed. Ludgate Hill (by Leeds market) could be Lud street on a hill. Though its houses are modern perhaps Lydgate (off Stony Rock Road) could be Lyd street based on an old name for the area (Lyd and Lud might have a similar origin).

[jma]

It's only necessary to think of the straight streets in Leeds called "Crescent" to appreciate that our forefathers weren't too bothered about strict terminology when they had a lot of new streets to name. The same goes for a lot of avenues, views, drives, groves etc.

It's worth noting that more recent street namers in Leeds have been even dafter. Hunslet Grange AKA Leek Street flats had some belters: Pottery Vale, Ledsham Dene, Milner Chase, Ashbourne Croft. It may not be long before people are looking at what will be by then old pictures looking for some logic in all that.

[jim]

Interesting thinking jma. Pottery Vale might have referred to the once famous pottery situated between Dewsbury Road Gas Works and the area where the Middleton Railway crossed Jack Lane. Anyone any clues as to the other names?

[jma]

AFAIK, all the Leek Street names were based on the names of the streets that were demolished to build that blot on the landscape. If we take it that most streets have two elements then the first part might be from a range of origins eg it's reasonable to assume that a Gasholder Street was near a gasholder and York Road goes to York - although that's not conclusive. I presume that Wellington Street was nothing to do with a boot, but rather the famous duke. When the victorian terraces were being built they must have had to be inventive. Once they'd picked a name they often flogged it to death by adding street, avenue, place, grove etc.

[dogduke]

Thanks all .
As gate is an old word for street the names of many Leeds roads and areas can now be even more interesting. For example Crossgates could be Cross streets where streets once crossed. Ludgate Hill (by Leeds market) could be Lud street on a hill. Though its houses are modern perhaps Lydgate (off Stony Rock Road) could be Lyd street based on an old name for the area (Lyd and Lud might have a similar origin).

Re Lydgate near Stoney Rock Lane.
I once heard that name was a form of Lychgate,a covered gate to a. church yard.
St Agnes Church is across the road but I can't find much in the way of images to confirm a lychgate

[Leodian]

Thanks dogduke for that interesting possibility for the Lydgate name.
Thanks also to everyone for their comments relating to streets, roads etc names.

[blackprince]

I used to go to school on Whingate for 7 years without ever giving a moment's thought to the meaning of the name. This is what I found.

Whin mainly northern British means gorse or furze
It comes from Late middle english probably of Scandinavian origin.

In old Norse gata can mean either street or road.

So there we have it Gorse Street (or Road).

[shutthatdoor]

I've lived near Whingate most of my life. Still do. Another thought that occured to me some years back was, could Whingate be a corruption of 'Wind'
I have on a number of occasions stood at the bus stop waiting for the number 4 bus into town. On a windy day it is eye watering. You have to hide behind something solid and peep out occasionally for the bus.The fact that the 'Windmill Dental Surgery' is so called, I think, is because it would have been an ideal place to situate windmills. Somebody please tell there were windmills there.

[blackprince]

There is a list of West Yorkshire windmills here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_w ... _Yorkshire
No idea how complete it is but no mention of windmills in the Armley/Whingate area.

Interestingly the Seacroft Windmill was called the Whin Moor mill.