What's In A Name?
One of the unexpected perks of being a councillor is being consulted and able to influence the choice of names for new roads or developments. This summer Thames Ditton councillors were asked their views on the road off Claygate Lane leading to the Dittons Scouts' "Shack" and the Malden Model Railway, because the businesses at the rear of the houses in Claygate Lane were using the same numbers as the Claygate Lane houses for their address with consequent problems of letters going to the wrong place.Proposed names included "Little Claygate Lane" which could have been confusing since Claygate Lane runs from the Portsmouth Road through Hinchley Wood across the By-Pass up to Telegraph Hill. A visit to the model railway and the name of its station - Willowbank - provided the perfect answer and Willowbank is now the name for this road. The Malden Model Engineers Society, founded in 1936, has been operating their railway on the site since 1948, with public open days on the first Sunday of the month from April to October. They are delighted with the new name.
We had been half tempted to name the road "Railway Cuttings" (shades of Tony Hancock!) as it lies just below the main Portsmouth railway line but were advised that this was not suitable. The same idea occurred when the flats were built beside the level crossing in Summer Road. The developers had suggested Ember Way which could have been confused with Ember Gardens and the other Embers. Councillor David Lowe came up with "Summer Crossing" - a nice mix of "Level Crossing" and "Summer Road" that pleased both the developers and local residents.
As local councillors we try to work with residents and suggest names that reflect local history or the geography of the site. In this we are continuing a tradition. While the early roads in Thames Ditton were called High Street, Portsmouth Road and Station Road, in the last century came Speer Road, St. Leonards Road or Watts Road after distinguished local residents Hannibal Speer, Lord of the Manor of Weston, Lord St. Leonards, Lord Chancellor in 1852 and Dr. C.F. Watts of Copper Hall.
It is amusing to note how developers have set ideas of names that will "sell". They are very fond of "Mews" and "Park", both of which are inappropriate in Thames Ditton. Mews were in London where they stabled their horses and "Park" implies house set amidst green lawns and avenues of trees, not where the garden length is often a bare 10 metres! In the 1970s developers wished to name the road alongside the Thames by the City Arms "Thames Gate Mews" but were persuaded to call it "Ditton Reach" reflecting its position along the reach of the Thames between Molesey and Kingston. Later, when flats were built at the end of Queens Road they were named "Albany Reach". When the old AC Car site between the High Street and the Church was developed in the 1980s, Philip Burchett, our then Residents' Association President and local historian, suggested we name the road "Harvest Lane". George Harvest, Thames Ditton vicar from 1744 to his death in 1780, was the son of a Thames Ditton brewer. He was an eccentric but learned man who preached on two occasions in St. Paul's Cathedral but also twice forgot his own wedding, being "out fishing"!
When the 24 acre Milk Marketing Board site was developed in 1997 I consulted colleagues, the Conservation Area Officer, the Conservation Area Advisory Committee, fellow residents and the nearby Cricket Club and researched local history and the following names for the new estate were adopted- Raphael Drive and Savile Close, named after the Raphael family and Captain the Hon. George Savile JP who both lived at Ditton Lodge, Giggs Hill Green, on the site of the MMB in the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century. The two roads next to the Cricket Club were named Hayward Road and Read Close. Maurice Read was born in Thames Ditton, joined the Cricket Club in 1879 and went on to play for Surrey and England. He was followed by Tom Hayward who also played for England and was a cricketing giant of his day. Atwell Place was named after Rome Atwell, the first Scoutmaster of the Dittons Scouts when they were formed in 1910. Their first meeting place was a lamp post on Giggs Hill Green, just opposite Atwell Place.
From scoutmasters and cricketers to the Lord Chancellor, the names of our roads reflect the rich and varied history of Thames Ditton.
Ruth Lyon