The City of London hides its medieval past quite well, partly due to the effect of the Great Fire of London which destroyed almost the entire city in 1666.
But if you look at a map, you can detect the medieval past in the twistiness of the streets, the absence of straight lines (and many that do exist, like Queen Victoria Street, are post-medieval), and above all, the street names.
Cheapside comes from the old English word ‘to cheapen’, meaning to bargain or to buy. It was the main market street, therefore - the place where things could be bought.
And you’ll see all around it streets with names that remind you of what was sold there - Bread Street, Milk Street, Honey Lane. In the medieval market each trade had its own alleyway, just as they do in the Arab souk or in Istanbul’s bazaar today.
And the last little bit of Cheapside before it meets the junction at Bank is called Poultry. You can easily guess what was sold there!
Photo credit - Steve Cadman on Flickr
Tags: Cheapside, etymologyShare This
