Some of the roads in Nantwich have interesting names. When walking into the town from the canal you travel along
Don’t worry… you haven’t been overdoing the drinking. The photo is actually blurry!
The road runs East-West and therefore points towards Wales. I assume this is the background to the name. At the Nantwich end of Welsh Row is the River Weaver.
It may not look much of an obstacle today, but until Edward I sorted out the dastardly Welsh around 1283 I can envisage a tide of them pouring out of Wales to do some looting and plundering. The river would have formed a natural obstacle channelling the horde towards the few bridges which would have been defended by the English. The river has obvious gotten narrower over the centuries because some distance back and parallel to the river, I found this street.
Many of the older streets are named after their use. It logical to assume this is how streets originally obtained their names. You went to Shoemaker Street to buy footwear or Sheep Lane to purchase your mutton.
Pillory Street for ……….. punishment
Oh Yes…… Bring them back please!
I think this one was named after a boat builder I’ve met.
But then I could be wrong!
3 comments :
Welsh Row heads out of town towards Wales on what used to be the old main coaching route between London and Wales. Further up the road, through the junction, you will see the Crown Hotel, which was rebuilt in 1585, after the great fire, on the site of a much earlier coaching inn that provided rest to weary travellers as they passed through Nantwich. The fire started on 10th. December 1583, in buildings close to that bridge over the Weaver in your image, and burned for 20 days, destroying almost all the buildings in the town. Many of the timber framed buildings you see today date from then. They were rebuilt with the help of cash donated by Queen Elizabeth 1st. using timber from the Royal forests of Delamere, which is just up the road. Here ends today's history lesson - I hope I haven't stolen the subject of a future post!
The Pillory is where you ought to be installed for making racist remarks about the Welsh :)
Well Jan is half welsh so I have to seize the moment whenever I can. Besides.... what's wrong with a little looting and pillage :-)
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