"The" London street names

[HushabyeMountainGoat]

Anyone know why there is a custom sometimes to refer to streets in London using "the". E.g. "the Tottenham Court Road". I don't ever hear it used when referring to anywhere else.

Just reading a novel set in London and the author is doing it a lot. Got me wondering.

I live in London and have done for 17 years. It definitely is a thing. Usually only for well known main roads though eg The Fulham Road, The Golborne Road.

I agree with Apileofballyhoo . I don't think it is related to London particularly but more about 'the' road to ...

We use it in modern life for motorways and A roads, eg the M4, the A1. Actually B roads too.

So it probably applies to significant roads because of their destination or construction. Possibly originated from when roads didn't have formal names but were just being described, eg the road to Kent being called "the Kent Road". Then when road maps and street signs necessitated naming all streets and roads, the "the" was dropped and the description became a proper name, eg Old Kent Road.

Does it apply only to roads and not streets (apart from high street)? "The Oxford Road" but not "the Oxford Street"?

It's not an exclusively London thing - for instance, Bristol has the Haymarket and the Horsefair and the Gloucester Road

However, having lived in London for years I've never heard anyone refer to the TCR or the Holloway Road... Evidently there's some variation!

Don't forget it is The Regent's Park.

Lived in London all my life and it's definitely a thing. The King St, The Kings Road, The Westway, The Cromwell Rd, The Fulham Rd, The Haymarket, The Strand, The Old Kent Rd...
Elephant and Castle is just 'Elephant'
though.

I suspect we're from the same neck of the woods, @AndNoneForGretchenWieners!

As for the "The" debate, when I was at uni a certain type of person referred to the King's Road as just "The KR"

Yes, definitely a thing - when I read your OP the three which came to mind were the Old Kent Rd, the Walworth Rd and the Elephant (short for the Elephant and Castle). I also say the Angel and the Kings Rd. I grew up in London.

Oh I'd say the Holloway Road!

When I lived in London it was usual for travel news reporters on the radio to say the Westway, the Old Kent Road, the East India Dock road etc, so it seems normal to me. Also hear it in Birmingham - the Stratford Road, the Coventry Road. It gets used locally to me in rural Hampshire too for certain roads - it does usually seem to be for those leading to a place.

The Edgware Road

I think it's something to do with the word Road. I can't think of any similar examples of Avenue, Street etc. with the most obvious exception of Strand, which is always called "the" Strand.

It's not consistent, either. In some sentences, I'd say "the" and in others, I wouldn't. Traffic's bad on the Cromwell Road, the King's Road, the Old Kent Road... You have to go via Cromwell Road. Yup, I could say either.

"The" Holloway Road is very common, as is the Finchley Road. Yet I have never heard anyone say the Belsize Road, the Brixton Road, or the Stockwell Road.

Lived in London 40 years.

I am enjoying the book yes, thanks! I liked The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters as well.

Sounds like it must be a local custom. My town (like many I'm sure) has a London Road but it's never called The London Road here

Ive often wondered this. I've noticed it in Northern Ireland too 'the falls rd' 'the shankill road'

...don't think it's a London thing ...

Brum has "the Hagley Road", "the Cov(entry) Road", "the Bristol Road", "the Wolverhampton Road" (or "the Birmingham New Road" ) ....

Just had a nostalgia twinge seeing "the Westway" mentioned. I was born not far from there. There's a Clash documentary "Westway to the World", and I think it was Mick Jones that said he wanted their music to sound "like a car screaming over the Westway".

(goes off to find Clash CDs.....)

I’ve never heard this about TCR but definitely people say ‘the Euston road’ and probably others.

Odd it is just "roads" though. Not "streets" ?

I wonder if it's because roads "go somewhere", whereas streets are more side-shoots off roads ?

I vaguely recall there are no "roads" in the City of London ????

Yes you never hear people say ‘the Baker street’

I’m trying to think of whether I say the Marylebone road but the more I think about it now the more it sounds wrong!

Used to live near enough under the Westway! We used to take the children to the sports centre under there for PE as we had no space...

My current town of residence has a London Road which I call 'the London Road' - I've just realised I have no idea if anybody local does.

And a previous place I lived (before London) had 'the Arbury Road', but not 'the Histon Road' or 'the Milton Road'. It's quite fascinating really.

Definitely not a London thing as it happens in Scotland too.

There's the Perth Road and the Forfar Road in Dundee (roads going out of the city to Perth and Forfar), the Cleppington Road and the Lochee Road (staying inside the city going to what once were separate villages) the Hilltown... there are tons.

Doesn't everyone do this? I didn't realise it was a London thing. I grew up on The King's Road, it can not be "King's Road" without the "The". Someone up thread said "Angel" it's weird, it's "The Angel". I'm not not old either.

7YearsOfBlood isn't that because it's known as The Arbury Estate, whereas Histon and Milton are just villages?

Sorry, it’s not just a ‘... Road’ thing. In Cardiff, it’s ‘The Western Avenue’, or it was when I was a kid!

We do it in Birmingham too, the Soho Road, the Stratford Road etc. Only main roads though never quiet residential streets. It is a bit odd!

QueenOfThorns Damn, that's a good theory out of the window!

We do it in Birmingham too, the Soho Road, the Stratford Road etc.

The Warwick Road ... all ones I learned when I moved up to Brum

Also, places (of work ?). "The Rover", "The Austin".

Maybe it's a landmarking thing ? Like pubs are quite often "the" ???