Birmingham's streets, roads and lanes are an absorbing aspect of our
history. They call out to us about long dead landowners, notable figures
from the history of England, Brummies long forgotten, farms that have
been swept away by the outpouring of our city, remarkable physical
features, distant battles, intriguing foreign places and mysterious
happenings. Questions as to their origins leap out from a multitude of
Birmingham's street names. Why was Fawdry Street first called Noah's Ark
Passage? Was treasure to be found in Golden Hillock Road? How did
Foulemoreslone become Formans Road? Did Gate Street have a gate? What
has Franchise Street got to do with the battle for working-class rights?
Where was The Froggery? What connection is there between creatures of
mythology and Hob Moor Road? And why should the Holte, Gooch and Gough
families have so many streets and roads named after them? In this deeply
researched book, Carl Chinn looks at scores of street names, bringing to
life their meaning and those people who belonged to them.
