On 4 Jan 2009 at 10:49am Spinster Of This Parish wrote:
An interesting article in the Telegraph on-line reads,
"Lewd-less Lewes"
A council has launched a ludicrous, and futile, campaign against potentially naughty place name.
There must be a limit to the silliness of local councils. But if there is, it has not yet been reached. Lewes District Council has just decided to ban street names which officials think might be susceptible to a "lewd" interpretation. So in an heroic effort to emulate the spirit of those Victorian prudes who put drapes over piano legs for fear of generating lustful thoughts in young people, names such as Hoare Road and Lady Gardens are to be banned by council officials.
Tragically, the battle against potentially naughty place names is bound to end in defeat, not only because of the deplorable tendency of ordinary folk to refer to locations by their established names, even when they sound impure, but also because there is no limit to the human capacity for coming up with a rude interpretation of a long-hallowed name. Britain is littered with entire villages with names such as Littleness, Laid, Mucking, Hard Hills, Ripe, Moans and Dancing Dick. What can be done about them? Nothing, of course, But the utter futility of a project has never deterred local councillors from attempting it.
On 4 Jan 2009 at 10:59am Mr Bone wrote:
heard about this on the radio last night, nothing surprises me with the lot we have in at the moment. Lewes a laughing stock again.
On 4 Jan 2009 at 11:11am sashimi wrote:
Don't take the Torygraph, Spinster, so I'm pleased you have brought this important news item to my attention. The square sign on the A22 for "River Uck" (in two lines) used to be amended and painted out almost daily till ESCC changed the sign to a T shape to leave less space for 'vandalism'. I was glad to see that a graphitti artist was back in action fitting in an 'F' into the restricted space last week.
Kaddy got into trouble a few years ago with her BBC bosses for setting up the weather map with a dozen naughty names like Pratts Bottom and Pease Pottage.
But it could be quite fun working in the naught names department at LDC thinking up new words to ban. Anyone know how I should apply?
On 4 Jan 2009 at 12:27pm ExiledfromLewes wrote:
News to me, not heard anything on the Grapevine either!!! Also road signage and motorway stuff is the responsibility of the ESCC. I suppose I'll wait and see, however I would be surprised if Cockshut Road will end up being renamed.
On 4 Jan 2009 at 12:28pm Spinster Of This Parish wrote:
I hope they leave Pope's Passage alone
On 4 Jan 2009 at 12:29pm Spinster Of This Parish wrote:
I hope they don't interfer with Pope's Passage!
On 4 Jan 2009 at 1:41pm Literal Larry wrote:
oh how I laugh at the drug reference every time I walk up the High Street - hope they change that one first - although slghtly different category I often think this could encourage drug misuse
On 4 Jan 2009 at 2:05pm Minx. wrote:
Here's my list...Any more I've forgotten?
Bell Lane
Juggs Close / Road.
Mount Harry Road.
Queens Road.
The Dicklands.
Mount Pleasant.
English's Passage.
I wonder who is going to decide what's naughty and what's not?
On 4 Jan 2009 at 2:16pm ExiledfromLewes wrote:
Aha, I got it now. The cabinet has a policy that means rude words can't be use for NEW roads etc.... The Argus reports that if this new policy would of been in place 100 years ago than many road names wouldn't of come into place, however vernacular and slang changes over the decades so that is not really true.
There is no policy to change old place names, so as with quite common with Telegraph/Mail type articles there is a small element of truth which has been exagerrated. Alas there will be no purge on old place names.
On 4 Jan 2009 at 2:34pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
If I was a developer, I'd take that as a challenge! Some dog breeders will try and get dubious names registered with the kennel club and I've heard of a dog rejoicing in the name Titus Aduxarss.
I think there are plenty of village names that sound rude. Fulking, Filching and Climping all sounds like dubious carnal practices to me, and as for Lickfold........
On 4 Jan 2009 at 3:21pm Frankie Howard wrote:
What about Upper and Lower Dicker (tee hee) and of course Bell End.
On 4 Jan 2009 at 3:35pm Mystic Mog wrote:
Read the more balanced Argus article rather than the poor Tory reporting in the Telegraph.
On 4 Jan 2009 at 3:44pm cliffebimbo wrote:
I'm sorry Spinster, but are you sure you didn't read that in The Sun? First I've heard of this.
On 4 Jan 2009 at 3:46pm Minx wrote:
I googled it.It was in the Telegraph and the Argus....
On 4 Jan 2009 at 4:08pm ExiledfromLewes wrote:
But as Mystic Mog says the articles are different from the Argus to the Telegraph.
On 4 Jan 2009 at 4:37pm Earl of Lewes wrote:
I love the specially designed sign for the River Uck, with no room for any extra consonants (although I notice that someone's had a good stab at it).
On 4 Jan 2009 at 4:55pm Northern Bigot wrote:
Havent they got anything better to do? Leave traditional names alone!
Some will find a double entendre anywhere!! I fear for Mount Place and Juggs Lane! Enemies of Lewes will be chuckling again, all we need now is for Britains oldest mother to announce she is pregnant again
PS For anyone visiting London, Big Ben is a clock!
On 4 Jan 2009 at 5:03pm Rachel wrote:
Love to see what they make of Pipes Passage, doesnt bear thinking about does it?
On 4 Jan 2009 at 11:49pm Zebedee wrote:
Big Ben is a bell - as any fule no.
On 5 Jan 2009 at 9:05am Mystic Mog wrote:
NB, they are doing NOTHING with existing names. It is for NEW names. Do read the Argus article rather than middle England Tory rubbish. Also it has not been passd by the Councillors yet.
On 5 Jan 2009 at 10:29am sashimi wrote:
Mystic Mog, you seem to be well connected. I can't even come up with the Argus or Telegraph stories through Google. How do I apply to become LDC Naughty Names Czar? I have my blue pencil at the ready.
On 5 Jan 2009 at 2:51pm Its Not Rocket Science wrote:
Surprised nobody has mentioned Cockshut (presumably in the fridge door) road !
On 5 Jan 2009 at 10:07pm Outsider wrote:
Mystic Mog is correct. The Cabinet report whuich is available is not proposing to do anything with existing names, another media misinformation stunt, in fact lies by journalists for effect, just for a change.Truth not allowed to stand in the way of a good story.
On 6 Jan 2009 at 8:40pm Spinster Of This Parish wrote:
BBC says,
Street names for new roads in an East Sussex town such as "Hoare Road" and "Typple Avenue" are to be banned under a new policy set out by Lewes council.
Guidelines set to be approved by the district council cabinet on Tuesday said names "capable of deliberate misinterpretation" are to be avoided.
A council report said the area "has never had a formal policy on street naming and numbering".
It said that had led to inconsistencies in road names throughout the district.
'Tip House'
The new guidelines would provide standard procedures for dealing with requests, it added.
"Aesthetically unsuitable" names such as Gaswork Road, Tip House and Coalpit Lane must also be avoided, it said.
Councillors have been advised to adopt and publish the policy, after which new software for street naming will be bought.
The council said maintaining a high standard for naming streets would help emergency services find properties, allow mail to be delivered efficiently and lead to reliable deliveries of goods and services.
On 7 Jan 2009 at 1:27am Angry of Lewes (Retd) wrote:
please God tell me what is software for street naming?
BOUGHT at what cost and why? what absolute rot - when will our elected councils start doing what they're elected to do and stop R-sing around with insignificant no-essential trivia
I know lets raze the town buildnew streets on a grid and number them call the E-W ones Streets and the N-S ones avenues
On 7 Jan 2009 at 9:31am mirror reader wrote:
The same story was in The Daily Mirror Mon 5th Jan 2009
so must be true ?
On 7 Jan 2009 at 9:57am Sylvia wrote:
LDC has a legal responsibility for street naming, they do not choose the names, developers/landowners propose them.
On 7 Jan 2009 at 12:40pm Roly Mo wrote:
Mmm, could the councillors have an alterior motive??? Gardiner Avenue perhaps? De Vecchi Road? Eiolart Street? Suspicious.
On 7 Jan 2009 at 1:38pm Taff wrote:
those 3 live in Tw*t L*ne dont they?
Fill in the missing letters yourselves, a or i
On 7 Jan 2009 at 10:25pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
We'll all be in Sh!t Street soon, what with the recession and all, so it's a bit academic!