What's the story behind 'Teddy bear town'?
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Alternative names for towns
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Wilts Wanderer
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Someone in my family is of Scottish origins and lives in Bo’ness just outside Linlithgow, which is always referred to as simply ‘Lithgae’.
(Incidentally Bo’ness is a shortened name for Borrostounness)
(Incidentally Bo’ness is a shortened name for Borrostounness)
Best one yet.
It's just an ironic slight at the town...more of a very dry sense of humour than any actual attempt to be funny!
Don't forget "Sadly Broke" for the suburb built near Bristol Parkway just before a big property price collapse...Years ago my wife had to visit 'Sodding Chipbury' every six months or so, and she said all her colleagues referred to it as such, though admittedly none of them actually lived there.
Tetchytyke
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It's usually a sarcastic or ironic jibe at a town e.g. Ponte Carlo for Pontefract. It's clearly got little in common with Monte Carlo, other than being filled with orange people.
ChiefPlanner
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Bradley Stoke ! ?
DavidGrain
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Surprised no one has yet mentioned Brumagem, usually shortened to Brum, for Birmingham.
Wolves for Wolverhampton which is a shortened form of Wulfruna's Hampton. The Lady Wulfruna was the daughter of Lady Godiva but it is not recorded whether she had her mother's dress sense.
Wolves for Wolverhampton which is a shortened form of Wulfruna's Hampton. The Lady Wulfruna was the daughter of Lady Godiva but it is not recorded whether she had her mother's dress sense.
lyndhurst25
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Skelmersdale is known as "Skem" - there's even an road sign on the M58 that says Skem.
Barnoldswick is known as Barlick.
Barnoldswick is known as Barlick.
Flange Squeal
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I’ve heard Aldershot regularly referred to as ‘Aldersh!t’.
Or, the other week, “Blazingsmoke” - https://www.basingstokegazette.co.u...er-train-catches-fire-at-basingstoke-station/
oddfellows if they still exist a scottish treat
daodao
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I used to live in Silktown, alias Macclesfield.
Strat-tastic
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There is also Stevenage old town, so it's a way to distinguish between the two shopping centres. I can't see it changing anytime soon.
HaggisBotherer
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Or St. Evenage... like St. Reatham, St. Anmore, etc.
More towards my end of thse isles... Scumdee
More towards my end of thse isles... Scumdee
Like Dan Train says, it's irony or gentle sarcasm, rather than being supposed to be laugh-out-loud humour. A lot of people don't get irony. Especially Americans
bramling
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One still hears "the new town" and "the old town" to distinguish between the two, however when one hears "Stevenage New Town" it's often (not always) meant negatively, especially by older people.
Another nearby place, also coincidentally a new town, which sometimes gets a less-than-complimentary alteration is Hatfield, in this case with an 'S' added onto the beginning.
hexagon789
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Glasgow - Dear Green Place
Aberdeen - The Granite City
Perth - The Fair City
Edinburgh - Auld Reekie
Musselburgh - The Honest Toun
Peterhead - The Blue Toun
Fraserburgh - The Broch
Also, I think Kirkcaldly is sometimes referred to as The Lang Toun.
Aberdeen - The Granite City
Perth - The Fair City
Edinburgh - Auld Reekie
Musselburgh - The Honest Toun
Peterhead - The Blue Toun
Fraserburgh - The Broch
Also, I think Kirkcaldly is sometimes referred to as The Lang Toun.
Tom B
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London Borough of Barné (reference to the high proportion of Hyacinth Buckets there)!
DavidGrain
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Sheffield Steel City,
Coventry Car City (but not any more)
Birmingham Spaghetti City (from Spaghetti Junction on the M6/A38M)
Coventry Car City (but not any more)
Birmingham Spaghetti City (from Spaghetti Junction on the M6/A38M)
mirodo
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South Croydon - SoCro
Essan
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Always though Fort William ought to have a proper Gaelic name. Something like Duil an Greigh ......
I've had my home city of Liverpool called by all manner of uncomplementary names. Ha ha. Me and a number of friends refer to Manchester as The Rainy City although we actually quite like the place. A mate from Preston calls his home town Mordor. A mate from Saint Helens just calls it Sainty. I guess Brum and Wolves are pretty well known.
adrock1976
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Apologies for the response as I have only just seen this post.
Regarding Larkhall's moniker, I have heard a few individuals refer to that as if you ever visit Larkhall, you will not find the colour green there, except for grass and traffic lights. Most of the townsfolk what I have heard are staunch supporters of the Orange Order, and take the events of 12th July 1690 very seriously.
adrock1976
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Being as I am originally from the West Midlands, in regards to Wolverhampton, it is referred to as "Wolvo". The Wolves are as you may be aware the nickname for the local football team, who are doing the region proud so far this season. "The Wolvo" is what is referred to the A4123 Birmingham - Wolverhampton New Road, which until the recent chopping and changing of the buses, was the route of the 126.
DavidGrain
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Yes to me Wolvo refers to the A4123. I have known it all my life having lived previously at 4 different addresses either on or just off that road. Even now I am only 2 miles away from that road. And it still looks odd to me seeing Dudley on the destination board of the 126 instead of Wolverhampton. I have mentioned upthread that 1000 years ago Wolverhampton used to be Wulfruna's Hampton and even in my lifetime (no I am not 1000 years old) I have heard Black Country people refer to the city as 'Hampton'. I have a record somewhere of a song about the Oxford and Hampton Railway (the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton, OWW or Old Worse and Worse),
Locally the accent is on the 'ram' sound in Wolverhampton.
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