Trivia: Stations with non-geographical names

[PTR 444]

Most stations will be named after the place in which they reside in. Some stations get named and then the surrounding area adopts the name (Clapham Junction etc), but are there any stations which have names which bear no geographical resemblance to the area whatsoever? For example a station which happens to be named after a historical figure or generic building but with no mention of the place name.

Two examples of such stations are University and the now closed IBM Halt. Without underlying geographical knowledge, neither of these give the average traveller an idea of where they are located, and would only be solved if a place name suffix was added. Other examples include James Cook and King George V on the DLR, although both of these have structures named after them so may not be so geographically inaccurate.

 

[DelW]

There are stations named after pubs, either with no geographical context, e.g. Bat and Ball (near Sevenoaks) or with a confusingly pseudo-geographical name, e.g. Portsmouth Arms (near Barnstaple).

 

[Basil Jet]

(Edinburgh) Waverley

Didn't Pomona tram stop have a meaningless name before the adjacent road was named after it?

 

[swt_passenger]

(Edinburgh) Waverley

Didn't Pomona tram stop have a meaningless name before the adjacent road was named after it?

Pomona Docks? Or Pomona Lock?

 

[ServerHoster]

Metro Centre

 

[Neo9320]

Pear tree! Like why does one tree need its own station??? (I am well aware of the area before someone chimes in)

 

[pdeaves]

Manchester Metrolink has a stop called, simply, 'Parkway'. Others are 'Imperial War Museum' and 'Velopark', which whilst descriptive are non-geographical.

http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/stations/trivia.shtm#commerce attempts to show stations named after pubs, churches, factories, etc., many of which are (or were) non-geographical, e.g. Acrow, Singer.

 

[Mag_seven]

High Street - could refer to loads of locations but in this case refers to the High Street in Glasgow

 

[weepingwillowb]

There was a station called Park, in the Newton Heath/Phillips Park area, east side of Manchester.

 

[steamybrian]

Swale- No place of that name. It is the name of the channel between Isle Of Sheppey/mainland
Berney Arms- named after the nearby pub
Crystal Palace- station/area named after the glass building which held the Great Exhibition

 

[snowball]

According to Wikipedia, Ashburys is named after the Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Company.

The next Metrolink stop to Parkway, mentioned above, is Village.

 

[thenorthern]

I.B.M which stands for International Business Machines Corporation and Singer which is ultimately named after Issac Singer.

 

[steamybrian]

Suggest- Christs Hospital which was built for the adjacent public school of that name.
There is no place/village with that name

 

[Peter0124]

Exhibition Centre

 

[Ianigsy]

All the Victorias?

Some of the stations on the Liverpool-Southport line were opened in anticipation of high end developments and have fairly generic names as a consequence like Hall Road and Freshfield.

 

[D365]

"University" - without knowing that the station is in Birmingham, which university does it refer to?

 

[mailbyrail]

Warren, with no other distinction - was the stop before New Brighton

 

[Snow1964]

Hampton Court, located in Molesey, but named after a palace across the river Thames

 

[BurtonM]

Meadowhall? If it was geographical surely it'd be called Tinsley?

Similarly, Valley Centertainment on the Supertram.

Salford Central isn't central, in fact it's only just in Salford - right on the boundary of Manchester council and city centre. Salford doesn't technically or officially have a centre, and Salford Shopping Centre (what some consider the centre of Salford) is better served by Salford Crescent...

 

[Basil Jet]

There was a station called Park, in the Newton Heath/Phillips Park area, east side of Manchester.

Northumberland Park Station in Tottenham was called "Park" from 1852 to 1923.

 

[mmh]

The North Wales entry into the competition: Roman Bridge, Valley and (this one may be controversial) Llandudno Junction.

 

[pdeaves]

Salford Central

Llandudno Junction

I would say that both of those have a geographical element to the name, both having a geographical place as the first word. Whether considered appropriate or correct or not, it is still, nonetheless, a geographical term.

 

[Dr Hoo]

(Edinburgh) Waverley

Didn't Pomona tram stop have a meaningless name before the adjacent road was named after it?

Pomona was by no means meaningless. She was the Greek goddess of fruitful abundance (relevant to shipping quays that imported fruit). Her bounty continues with the current controversy over the new Pineapple Road in Birmingham!

 

[snowball]

Pomona was by by no means meaningless. She was the Greek goddess of fruitful abundance (relevant to shipping quays that imported fruit). Her bounty continues with the current controversy over the new Pineapple Road in Birmingham!

I always assumed Pomona Dock was named after the produce that was unloaded there, until I recently discovered that the name pre-dated the dock. There was once a Pomona Botanic Gardens there.

 

[xotGD]

"University" - without knowing that the station is in Birmingham, which university does it refer to?

The best one!


How about "Central Station" on the Metro. A station named after a station.

 

[Western 52]

Bronwydd Arms on the Gwili Railway was named after a pub which was demolished many years ago. The village is known as Bronwydd, but no Arms in its name.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Pomona was by by no means meaningless. She was the Greek goddess of fruitful abundance (relevant to shipping quays that imported fruit).

Believe the area was so named following an exhibition that was held there in the 1850s.

 

[vic-rijrode]

The best one!


How about "Central Station" on the Metro. A station named after a station.

... and further along the T & W Metro "Green Line" is Airport - which is what is shown on the front of the green Line trains. Back in Sunderland is another University. Not to mention Monument in Newcastle.

But then I suppose one should expect these names on a Rapid Transit system.

 

[Roger1973]

King George V (DLR) station was named after the King George V Dock rather than just named after the King (likewise Royal Victoria and Royal Albert, after the Royal Victoria and Royal Albert Docks), but I think the Victoria stations in London and Manchester were named in honour of the Queen, the area in London becoming known as Victoria after the station.

Norwood Junction was opened as 'Jolly Sailor' named after a nearby pub. The area in South London known as New Cross is generally considered to have got its name from the New Cross Inn (after it had replaced the previous Cross Inn) and there's other stations (past and present) named after pubs - Bricklayers Arms, Angel, Elephant and Castle (is a pub a geographic feature?)

St Paul's Underground station opened as 'Post Office' as it was close to the GPO's headquarters, but there must have been quite a lot of post offices in London at the time. Likewise 'Bank', which was called 'City' on the Waterloo and City line when it opened.

Stone Crossing was at least partly named after a railway feature in Stone, Kent, likewise Catford Bridge.

Gillespie Road underground station was re-named after a south London football team who moved in nearby, although it could be argued their stadium was a geographic feature.

Historically, some of the xxxx Central stations were Great Central Railway, rather than necessarily being central in the town or city.

 

[Merthyr Imp]

Strata Florida on the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth line was named after an abbey rather than any of the nearby villages.