Good evening,
Hope you can help me confirm something I was told today.
My grandad is 90 years old and has been round here most of his life, his father also grew up in the area and from what I am told was a promenant character.
We got talking , as we often do , about how the locale was little more than fields with some emphasis on the White Ash trees that Whitnash took its name from.
He then dropped a bomb saying that Morris Drive in Whitnash was named after his father who was a police officer in Leamington / Whitnash. He also stated that Palmer Road was named after Ted Palmer , an old friend of his.
Are there any records of how the street names in Whitnash came about? Specifically Morris Drive and Palmer Road .
Any information or a point in the right direction would be great.
Thank you
Comments
Mick Morris was a Whitnash Councillor; since a number of roads in the area are named after Councillors, I would think that your grandfather is right to say that Morris Drive was named after his father.
I would suggest that you search the Leamington Courier archives as I am sure you will find references to you Great Grandfather both in his role of councillor and that of police officer.
Also, when new roads are being named this is sometimes mentioned in the local press.
Hello, many of the street names were named after people. Anderson Drive was named after a US or Canadian pilot who was shot down. Dobson Lane was named after the policeman, as was another road after PC Gooch. St Helens Rd may have been named after the ancient chapel in Bridge End Warwick which disappeared after the Black Death or perhaps a chapel in the asylum which was on the corner of St, Helens Rd. Ashford Rd and Ashford Gardens perhaps refer back to the tree and the fact that the millpool brook was forded at some point. Palmer I’m sure was one of the farming families. Medley Road on Warwick Gates was named more recently after the 15th century chancellor buried in St. Margaret’s church The best source of info about Whitnash street names is Jean Field’s book on Whitnash. Regards Martin Williams
Similarly Landor Road is named after the Landor family who were prominent land owners in the area and Kirton Close is named after former councilor Bernard Kirton who died earlier this year. Canon Young Road is named after a mid-19th century rector of Whitnash’s parish church.
Some of the names are exceedingly obvious in their origin such as Golf Lane, Fieldgate Lane, Heathcote Road and Home Farm Crescent.
I lived at number 50 Landor Rd from approx 1938 to 1945. We were the end house on a brand new housing development, I well remember the night of the plane crash as he didn’t miss our house by very much. The airmen on board were parachuting out and landing on the road, on rooftops etc. As young kids are want to do we immediately set out to view the crash site. Of course it was just a big hole, but nevertheless, exciting to us. However, I don’t recall that he was shot down, my parents were told something wrong with the plane. My thanks to this wonderful pilot for not crashing on some of the house.
In 1995 I returned to England on a visit with my 15 yr old grandson and I took him to see the house. There was a man in the front who told us that a street had just named after pilot Anderson. It took 50 years but better later than never.
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