05 May 2016

Longest UK Placenames

Time for a diversion.

You likely know the place name even if you can’t pronounce it. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch in Wales has the longest name in the UK.
Did you know the longest single-word place name in England is Cottonshopeburnfoot in Northumberland? It’s just down the road from Blakehopeburnhaugh. Google maps will find them but I didn't see any signs in Street View.
In Scotland there's Coignafeuinternich.
There’s a list of odd and unusual place names, mostly in England, at www.ashton-under-lyne.com/placenames.htm/.

1 comment:

Gail B said...

Having lived in England and returned many times for genealogical purposes, I know some of these places well. My favourite are the three Wallopps, Upper, Lower and Nether Wallop. I so loved the last one that I have a photo of me standing by the welcome sign.

A piece of ephemera. It is gorgeous and once was voted the prettiest village in Britain, and years ago was the place for the Agatha Christies Miss Marple series. Not the last of the series, but the one before that, done in the 1990's if I remember correctly.

Also, as once a bad welsh-speaker, many do know that Llanfair ...gochgochgoch is a completely made up name.