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Street names in Cambridge

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koster | 08:22 Mon 18th Oct 2010 | History
6 Answers
Does anyone know where these streets in Trumpington, Cambridge, got there names? They were bulit around the same time, so I imagine there's a connection.

Beverley Way
Scotsdowne Road

Other streets nearby are Anstey Way, Paget Road and Alpha Terrace.
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The Count might have heard of a Scotsdowne racecourse but I haven't - and neither has Google!

Indeed an advanced search on Google for 'Scotsdowne' (eliminating all references to 'Scotsdowne Road' and 'Scotsdown') effectively draws a blank. It doesn't appear, for example, as someone's surname or as the name of a stately home. There are simply no...
21:29 Mon 18th Oct 2010
This lot might be able to help
http://www.cambridgehistory.org/

http://www.trumpingto...esources_archive.html

Beverley and Scotsdowne both have horse racing courses but other than that.....
Our local council named all the roads around one the new estates in my town after local county councillors, their wives, kids etc. Yuk!
The Count might have heard of a Scotsdowne racecourse but I haven't - and neither has Google!

Indeed an advanced search on Google for 'Scotsdowne' (eliminating all references to 'Scotsdowne Road' and 'Scotsdown') effectively draws a blank. It doesn't appear, for example, as someone's surname or as the name of a stately home. There are simply no meaningful references.

In Ipswich (where I was raised) the councillors have named estate roads after racecourses, poets and lots of other themes (with no apparent reason other than 'it seemed a good idea at the time'). In other towns there are sometimes more meaningful connections to local history. (Where I live now has a series of roads named after former head teachers of the local primary school).

In Trumpington, the councillors appear to have possibly named a group of roads after cathedral towns. (Ely, Salisbury, Beverley and Exeter). However the local history society accepts that 'Beverley' might have simply been the surname of a prominent local resident:
http://www.trumpingto..._connection_Hall.html

However there appear to be few clear pattern in Trumpington's street naming:
http://www.trumpingto...roup.org/streets.html

Chris
I had a look at these areas on the 1851 - 1901 census and there was an Anstey Hall which was just like Downton Abbey by the sound of it except smaller as there were only 6 house servants, though one was a Butker.
Alpha Terrace is on all the census returns too and so that must be quite old,
Like Beverley, the name Paget has a connection with racing. Dorothy Paget was a very successful, and rich, racehorse owner. A lesbian, when she kissed a winning horse some bystander said "That's the first time she's kissed a male" only to receive the riposte "Yes, but he's a gelding !" Note; this passed for wit in racing in the 1950s.
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Thank you everyone for your answers, it's really interesting.

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