Reply With QuoteJust read that.Originally Posted by the other bob wilson
Very interesting.
I have often wondered about some of our street names.
I must say, a few surprises!
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I found it interesting;-
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/w...mamby-22045939
Just read that.
Very interesting.
I have often wondered about some of our street names.
I must say, a few surprises!
Interesting article.
They could probably write a dozen or more similar articles about the origins of other names used in the city.
As a bit of a social history buff I really enjoy stuff like this.
Cardiff is a fascinating place and the stories behind such street names just adds to overall interest.
Thanks Bob, as I generally avoid this web site so would have missed out on the article.
Re: Womanby Street
The Vikings/Danes left a number of place name suffixes on our island e.g.
......by = dwelling/place to live
......thwaite = clearing or meadow
......thorpe = outlying farmstead
.....holm = island
....zoy = island (as in Middlezoy and Western Zoyland down here in Somerset)
And talking of place names....I recently did a walk that took in the wonderfully named village of 'Nempnett Thrubwell' and I drove through 'Huish Episcopi' last week.
Interesting. My Dad’s family originally came from Somerset (moved to Cardiff mid/late 19th century) - from the villages of Middlezoy, Western Zoyland and Othery. I always thought the first two got their modern names from the Dutch who came over after William Of Orange to drain the Somerset Levels. A Danish origin for the names makes more sense.
I'm not sure the section about "the colonies" is correct.
I think they were all built pre-war, so it seems unlikely that they were named for soldiers returning from a war that hadn't happened yet.
also I grew up in one of those houses and I never heard ANYONE calling it "the colonies" until about 5 years ago, it seems like it is a modern invention, that people have then decided is a bit distasteful as it harks back to colonialism, so have then invented an alternative backstory for the place.
lastly it's clearly not in Heath.
They were built in 1912 and named after the ‘white colonies’ with Africa Gardens running down the middle of them.
Actually, I cocked up on the 'zoy' front: it wasn't passed onto us by as I stated - and it seems that the Flemish engineers may have indeed corrupted the name of the area from Sowi to Zoy.
As I understand it (and I am happy to be corrected by any hostorians in our midst), in the period when the Danes broke out from the Danelaw (the area of England north and east of a line drawn approximately between London and Liverpool they went to battle here in Somerset with the Wessex king, Alfred. The latter led his men onto the marshy levels and behind them they dismantled the supported planks that enabled people to move between what were islands effectively island for much of the winter. The Danes were unable to defeat Alfred, who later broke out and sent them packing.
In short, if it wasn't for the Somerset Levels we would all be speaking Danish and surrounding ourselves with Hygge.
Somerset supposedly means the land of the Summer people - as the low-lying areas between outcrops of land were marshy and of little use in winter. The locals used to get from one
Reference is made to a Local Historian by the name of Dennis Morgan. I was gifted a copy of his book several years ago and it was only when I saw his picture did I realise he was my form teacher from Glanyrafon Juniors, Llanrumney back in about 1962. His favourite disciplinary aid was the dap, which he administered to my poor derriere on more than one occasion. And he was a City fan.
Disappointed that fanny street wasn't mentioned.
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