Station pronunciation

[61653 HTAFC]

The announcements at Sheffield (both human and machine) seem to think trains for Huddersfield will call at a made-up place called Dod-worth... Barnsley-ites know that it should be pronounced "Dodduth".

 

[prod_pep]

Mels for Meols / Meols Cop

Meols Cop is pronounced 'Meels'.

As a Northerner, Leigh station in Kent was one that surprised me, being pronounced 'lie'. Mind you, on reflection that does sound better than 'Lee'.

 

[pitdiver]

I'm a resident of Flitwick with the silent W. Why is "Gatwick" not pronounced with a silent W?

 

[quarella]

How is Shrewsbury pronounced? The wrong way according to the local you are speaking to whichever option you choose.

Hainult - Anul. The letter H is only used for Hampstead pronounced Hempstead. THe London habit of adding an H where they are not necessary if a place starts with a vowel such as (H)amersham seems to have died out.

Some that I used to have to deal with a lot - Nailsea and B(l)ackwell, Worle and the north/south divide of Bath.

 

[Rick1984]

My wife once asked where my National Express coach was and I had to try to pronounce Wymondham. It was my first time passing through there and had no idea of the correct pronunciation!

Dalrymple in Scotland is an odd one. Pronounced Dalrimple. No station though.

 

[TheEdge]

I know how it should be pronounced. I was born and raised there

So, like me, also a fine product of Shrewsbury you know the correct pronunciation is Shr-ow-sbury. Or just be mature about it and accept that both pronunciations are equally valid with Shr-ew-sbury being the slightly more common.

A train one that always made me giggle was Cwmbrân when said by ATW's auto-announcers. It always seemed to put a really odd stress on the "â" (Cwmbr-aaa-n) that I never heard a native speaker say.

 

[VisualAcid]

That's one of the stations I've often wondered about; is the 'w' silent, as I have always assumed? (Or did Harry Patter make the same mistake? )

Yes it's Flittick. She was on a delayed train stuck there while writing the first book I believe.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There is of course the well-known strange surname "Featherstonehaugh" which is apparently pronounced "Fanshaw". I'm yet to hear any tales of Well-heeled passengers turning up at Wakefield Kirkgate and asking the mobile ticket-sellers for a ticket to "Fan"!

 

[fairysdad]

Plaistow is one I learned quick when I lived nearby! Plaahstow not place-tow. Isn't Hainault just pronounced how its spelt? Hane alt?

Balham!! Haha haven't heard that said funny for a while!

One of the bus routes that runs through the Plaistow area has a couple of interesting announcements on it, it can't seem to work out whether it's 'plar-stow' or 'play-stow', it also struggles with 'Baalam', using both 'Bay-lam' and 'Bar-lam', often in the same announcement. On the subject of that bus (I think it's the 115 that I usually get on when I'm in that area), it also has an announcement on the approach to Prince Regent Lane in Plaistow that's announced as 'Plaistow Prince, Regent Lane'...

 

[TheEdge]

Back to Norfolk names.

Someone has already mentioned Wymondham but one I've noticed catches people out is Attleborough. Acle (Ache-al) if often mispronounced by visitors as Ak-el.

 

[trentside]

The notorious one in my neck of the woods is the Vale of Belvior - which is of course pronounced as 'beaver'. This is of some amusement to me thanks to a letting agent that has set up shop with the name of "Belvior!" - am I to take it this is pronounced in the same way?

Back to stations, I've heard it said that Rolleston should actually be pronounced as Rol-ston. Not sure if this is correct!

 

[backontrack]

Indeed. Slath-wait is acceptable, but Slay-thwaite will see you thrown in the Colne!

Sla - wit

I would have gone for Slay-wait.

 

[PHILIPE]

Leominster. I have heard Lee-o-minster rather than the correct Lemster. Numerous in Wales, one which stands out is Abercynon being pronounced as "Abersinnon".

 

[HH]

Back to Norfolk names.

Someone has already mentioned Wymondham but one I've noticed catches people out is Attleborough. Acle (Ache-al) if often mispronounced by visitors as Ak-el.

Attleborough? I don't understand why that's so difficult. The first o being silent is probably the norm in places ending in -borough.

johnnychips had a couple of good ones earlier. Costessey is pronounced Coss-ey and Happisburgh is pronounced Haze-bruh, which is definitely one of the oddest pronunciations out there.

 

[matchmaker]

Wemyss Bay? (Weems Bay).

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Ex-ton Balshaw Lane for Euxton

That's how it's announced at Preston.
At Liverpool it's announced as Yooks-ton Balshaw Lane.
But it's the same announcer...

 

[swt_passenger]

The long station name of "Alnmouth for Alnwick". The 'L' is pronounced in Alnmouth but not in Alnwick. (The latter being yet another silent W of course...)

 

[TUC]

One annoying aspect of auto-announce systems is how, even if they get a station's name right, they put the emphasis in the wrong place. For example, Brighouse, which should have the emphasis on the first syllable, gets pronounced BrigHOUSE on trains, with the emphasis on the second half of the word-something which I think probably reflects southern pronounciation styles. It surely wouldn't be very difficult for TOCs to play a set of relevant station name announcements to local residents and check whether they are right-or even just play them to local train staff.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

One annoying aspect of auto-announce systems is how, even if they get a station's name right, they put the emphasis in the wrong place. For example, Brighouse, which should have the emphasis on the first syllable, gets pronounced BrigHOUSE on trains, with the emphasis on the second half of the word-something which I think probably reflects southern pronounciation styles. It surely wouldn't be very difficult for TOCs to play a set of relevant station name announcements to local residents and check whether they are right-or even just play them to local train staff.

Holyhead in ATW-land is always HOLLY-head, announced in a bright and cheerful voice.
Makes you quite keen to go there...
Unlike Crewe, which is quite hard to announce in an upbeat way.
Curiously, the Welsh announcer used by ATW is very dry and technical, and gets no emotion into his announcements.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

One annoying aspect of auto-announce systems is how, even if they get a station's name right, they put the emphasis in the wrong place. For example, Brighouse, which should have the emphasis on the first syllable, gets pronounced BrigHOUSE on trains, with the emphasis on the second half of the word-something which I think probably reflects southern pronounciation styles. It surely wouldn't be very difficult for TOCs to play a set of relevant station name announcements to local residents and check whether they are right-or even just play them to local train staff.

We locals say "Briggus"... That said, Slaithwaite was only corrected on the automated announcements at Huddersfield after locals (and the councillor) protested!

 

[quarella]

Gillingham.

From NRES days taking calls from people going to Butlins Penychain (pen-uh-kine not pennychain) the call would go "... changing at Machynlleth..."
"Where?"
"Machynlleth."
"Where?"
"Machynlleth."
"Where?"
"Dovey Junction."

 

[AM9]

I mentioned Cosham and Bosham because it has been debated many times on local radio down there, and despite being less than 10 miles apart, the convention seems to be:

Cosham is pronounced Cosh-um

and Bosham is pronounced Bozzam - not to be confused with bosom
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Plaistow is one I learned quick when I lived nearby! Plaahstow not place-tow. Isn't Hainault just pronounced how its spelt? Hane alt?

Balham!! Haha haven't heard that said funny for a while!

As in Glorious Bal-ham, gateway to the south!*

* spoken in an assertive american accent.

 

[BurtonM]

The CIS at Manchester Piccadilly butchers Buckshaw Parkway a bit, it sounds like Buck Sure Parkway, it's a bit disjointed.

Kirkham and Wesham?

Holborn confuses many not used to London.

 

[HowardGWR]

Plaistow?
Cosham and Bosham?
Hainault?
Theydon Bois?
Redcar?
Swanwick?

I heard a Radio 5 announcer (Peter Allen on a morning programme) pronounce it as Red-kh. Is that right?

 

[southern442]

As a Northerner, Leigh station in Kent was one that surprised me, being pronounced 'lie'. Mind you, on reflection that does sound better than 'Lee'.

Most train announcers pronounce it as 'Lie' except for London Overground who say 'lee', considering the LO announcement system is full of errors (including several allergies including one to dividing trains and one to Banstead) I have always assumed 'lie' was correct.

 

[HowardGWR]

Another one is Avonmouth. I heard Fiona Bruce say Avon (as in the cosmetics Avon ladies) 'muth' (as a Frenchman pronounces moth).

 

[MrPIC]

Cheshunt is one I hear said strangely sometimes, some say Chesh-unt instead of Ches-unt. Not sure if there's a station there but St. Austell in Cornwall I have heard pronounced almost as "sn-ozzle", as opposed to Saint (or St.) Ostell.

 

[AM9]

I heard a Radio 5 announcer (Peter Allen on a morning programme) pronounce it as Red-kh. Is that right?

On the day of the closure announcement Fiona Bruce in London called it Red-Car whereas the local reporter, presumably from the local news team said Red-ka.
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That's how it's announced at Preston.
At Liverpool it's announced as Yooks-ton Balshaw Lane.
But it's the same announcer...

I suppose that makes sense as passengers native to Liverpool or beyond might never have heard the local pronunciation.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

How is Shrewsbury pronounced? The wrong way according to the local you are speaking to whichever option you choose.

Hainult - Anul. The letter H is only used for Hampstead pronounced Hempstead. THe London habit of adding an H where they are not necessary if a place starts with a vowel such as (H)amersham seems to have died out.

Well locally, Hainault is pronounced as Anul with a sharp glottle stop typical of estuary speak.
Maybe a bit OT, but in the south-east, the adding of 'H' in error by those who don't know better, is quite prevalent. Especially the pronunciation of the letter 'H' as haych with a stress on the first consonant.

 

[trainophile]

Grosmont is apparently pronounced Growmont.

 

[AM9]

My wife once asked where my National Express coach was and I had to try to pronounce Wymondham. It was my first time passing through there and had no idea of the correct pronunciation!

There's also Mundesley (munsley), Fakenham (fake-nam), Tivetshall (titsal). Those three stations sadly gone now.