Why do Shepherds Need a Bush? London's Underground History of Tube Station Names

by David Hilliam

Who traveling through Totteridge and Whetstone is aware that the station got its name from the medieval soldiers who sharpened their swords at the whetstone before the bloody battle of Barnet? Or that Canary Wharf was built for importing fruit from the Canary Islands? Or that Shepherd’s Bush was previously known as Gagglegoose Green? The names of the 300 hundred or so underground stations are part of everyday life for Londoners, but we hardly ever question their meanings or history. This entertaining book will ensure you never view your journey beneath the city in the same way again.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, London, Travel, Trivia

168 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jen]

Dream book. Thoroughly enjoyed but repeated some of the same facts and there were also spelling mistakes etc throughout.

Thank u Ollie!

[David Ellcock]

Diverting without being fascinating.

[Simon]

Interesting facts and trivia, name derivations and a potted history of each London Underground Station in alphabetical order, then some famous place names with similar treatment.

Honestly, I found it less interesting than I expected, surprisingly, as I'm a fan of the London Transport Museum and the brilliant TV Series, 'Secrets of the London Underground.

By the way, if you can access YouTube, look out for their channels....there are some fun Underground tours to watch. If you are coming to London there are Secret London tours of hidden parts of many Underground stations, also run by the LTM.

London Underground has a rich and complicated history and I was hoping for something more from this book. A map of London Underground would have helped, as would something more about the respective histories of the twin cities of London and Westminster, even if brief.

So, I'm left a little disappointed! I can see other readers are too. I'd rate it at 3.5 stars, generously in my opinion - thus 4-stars here. There were a few worthwhile facts I discovered but it was also a bit tedious a read to get to those facts.

[Lauren Morgan]

Could have been improved with the inclusion of a map of the London Underground and more basis in verifiable sources than 'x has been described as...' (Who by?!). Still contains quite a few interesting facts though.

[Tim Caines]

Really fascinating. Incredible how the Saxon languages sit behind so many place names - all across the UK not just London.

[Getter de Jonge]

After reading this book I can probably add to my resume that I have A1 level in Saxon. 😅 There were several interesting facts and stories, but I found most of it a bit boring-ish..

[Laurence]

Gazeteer rather than book really. Some interesting Saxon links. Perhaps mixing in just a little of the history of the tube as well would have brought alive stoke o of the more repetitive entries.

[Ryan Forrest]

I went into this book so excited to learn about all the station names, being quite a fan of the underground. However this felt like a quite long slog, this isn’t down to the fault of the author though as he didn’t name the stations.

It was very repetitive to be honest, lots of stations named after Saxons etc. there was the odd station where I found something interesting but after about halfway I’ve just rushed through it.

Very interesting as a point of reference but not to read through as a whole.

[Nick Sanders]

A funny and interesting booklet, ideal toilet reading... Promises and delivers what it says on the tin. Funny and incomprehensible underground station's names explained.

[Lucy]

Not especially engaging or inspiring.

[Reds_reads]

Well, the title says it all. Bought on a whim, this was not as interesting as I thought it would be, but maybe that's because the names are not that interesting! Some interesting facts, especially about English place names, but an awful lot of obscure Saxon chiefs.

[Sally]

Fun book. Interesting detail regarding the names. Also tells you what line the station is on, when the station opened, and what tourist spots are within walking distance of the station. One to take on your London vacation.

[Wsclai]

Bought it in London Transport Museum and was virtually reading it while I was travelling on the tube. Interesting!

[Candy]

Just fun info. Nice to know how the tubes got their names.

[andrea.ruttergmail.com]

Very informative

[Barbara]

Undemanding, interesting little book. Occasionally I think the explanations dubious, and I'd have liked a picture of a Shepherd's Bush as I can't quite visualise it from the description.

[Sasha]

Amazing book, names in London go all the way to 18-19 centuries and some even to Roman times! Absolutely loved it and learned a lot about familiar areas