Trivia: Place names that you're not sure how to pronounce

[30907]

Not strictly "unsure" but...
When Leeds NW was electrified, the Leeds PIS referred to the station just south of Shipley as Frizzinghall, to much amusement/annoyance. Of course Frizinghall hadn't had a regular Leeds service since its reopening....

 

[Holly]

Anyone know how to pronounce Caergwrle? Station on the Wrexham-Bidston line.

Everyone I knew called it "car-girly"
It was a very popular day trip from Seacombe in prewar days. The Sunday excursion trains were packed in Summer.

By the way, I thought Meols (Wirral) rhymes with "else". At least for people who live there.

 

[Busaholic]

Absolutely correct, but many many people are confused when it is said the "proper" way! "Hoeburn" is also OK.

===

On a separate note, regarding the posts upthread about Marylebone, I can assure you on really quite good authority (well, the local authority, or at least employees thereof, as well as accepted custom of at least one local university campus) that it should be "Marry-le-bone" not "Marley-bone".

The area is named after the church of St Mary le Bourne, St Mary and the Bourne (a local river) being two entirely separate entities, and as such the two parts of the word should be kept as distinct as possible.

I can give what I consider to be an even more authoritative validation of the Marylebone pronunciation. There has been a magisterial series of publications over decades called 'A Survey of London', latterly published through Yale University Press, and a contributor to these has been a gentleman eminent in his field, now around 90 years of age, whom I have known for the last 30 years as a customer of my bookshop, with him dividing his time between Cornwall and Central London. He has a complete collection of the Survey, and the last in the series, something like the 115th, is to be published in the autumn, this being 'St. Marylebone'. Now, he is a creature of habit and, when in Penzance, he buys his copy of the Times at a certain shop at a certain time every day, so I made sure today I happened to be in the shop at the same time. I made polite conversation and brought up the subject of the Survey, which caused his eyes to light up and he said quite distinctly 'Saint Marry-le-bone' which was my cue for gently enquiring whether there might be another approved way of pronouncing the word. He paused, looked intently at me and then, as if addressing a madman, said 'not as far as I'm concerned', and that, for me, was QED multiplied.

On a familial level, I believe my mother, born in Wimpole Street in the First World War, and father were married in St Marylebone too, during the Second World War. So, let the Marley-bones be banished!

 

[anti-pacer]

Everyone I knew called it "car-girly"
It was a very popular day trip from Seacombe in prewar days. The Sunday excursion trains were packed in Summer.

By the way, I thought Meols (Wirral) rhymes with "else". At least for people who live there.

What was in Caergwrle to attract lots of daytrippers? I ask out of ignorance and not sarcasm by the way.

 

[Holly]

What was in Caergwrle to attract lots of daytrippers? I ask out of ignorance and not sarcasm by the way.

The hilly castle grounds.
Folks used to take picnics and portable musical instruments, for impromptu amateur performances. And I suspect young couples would get away from crowded housing conditions for a bit of discreet hugging and kissing.
That's how my parents met

 

[FenMan]

I grew up not very far west of those parts; and according to my parents and others in our home territory, the general and correct pronunciation, including by the locals, was "Hun-stan-ton"; it was only "posh, precious and pretentious twits" who said "Hun-ston". Maybe, though, my elders were mistaken on this point.

I also say "Hun-stan-ton", but was comfortable with "Hun-stun" when I lived in the area.

The old railway from King's Lynn to Hunstanton certainly had its share of misleading names for the unwary. Travelling north from "Lin" (King's Lynn) trains stopped at "Nor Wuton" (North Wootton), "Dursn'm" (Dersingham), Snetsh'm (Snettisham) and Hitch'm (Heacham). AFAIK, the other intermediate station, Wolferton, a halt in the middle of nowhere but handy for the Royals going to Sandringham, is pronounced as spelt.

As a bonus, these days the bus service between Lynn and Hunstanton also stops at "Inglesthorpe" (Ingoldisthorpe).

 

[endecotp]

Seen quite possibly in the Ravenglass station gift shop - a guide to the pronounciation of various Cumbrian placenames. I wish I could remember more.

Barrow is of course Barrer,
Workington is Wuckin,
Aspatria is Speatry,
and Egremont is pronounced Excrement.

 

[Clansman]

Dumfries is pronounced "Dum-freece", not "Dum-fryes" or "Dum-freez"

Bonus points for anyone who can get Camelon right on the first try!

 

[EssexCommuter]

Alresford, Lyminge, Leominster, Bures, Ruislip.

Alresford = Arlsfed

Bures = rhymes with yours

 

[Wivenswold]

Meopham confused me as a kid. I pronounced it phonetically on train to Chatham and got a few sniggers. My sister corrected me. Mop-ham apparently.

Kelvedon caused a problem for the PIS when Nat Ex were running the GEML. "This is Kelv-Don". The second "e" is pronounced.

Wymondham in Norfolk is odd too, in the local accent it's pronounced "Windham"

 

[DuncanS]

Dumfries is pronounced "Dum-freece", not "Dum-fryes" or "Dum-freez"

Bonus points for anyone who can get Camelon right on the first try!

Scotrail haven't been getting it right for decades

 

[EM2]

Anyone want to have a bash at Woolfardisworthy, a village in Devon?

 

[Julia]

One that regularly fooled the students I used to have to give information out to is Magdalen Road (now Watlington), should be Mag-duh-len as it looks, and not Maud-lin like the Oxbridge colleges...

 

[pennineuk]

In East Sussex...

Lewes pronounced Lew-is rather than Loos

And you can always tell a 'local' announcer when they say Sea-ford rather than the usual Seafud.

PS. These days Salford is in Greater Manchester, not Lancashire.

 

[cuccir]

Barrow is of course Barrer,
Workington is Wuckin,
Aspatria is Speatry,
and Egremont is pronounced Excrement.

A few more from the Cumbrian Coast: the recorded on-train announcements on TransPennineExpress always pronounced 'Roose' to rhyme with 'goose'; its local pronunciation is much closer to 'ruse'.

You also hear from time to time 'Barrow-in-FurNESS' or 'Kirkby-in-FurNESS' (such that 'in-Furness' sounds like 'Inverness'). The local pronunciation is to put the emphasis on 'Fur', that is, Barrow-in-FURness', 'Kirkby-in-FURness'.

 

[stut]

For some reason "Arlesey" confuses people. It's pronounced fairly simply, just "arl-zee". However, you hear lots of "ar-less-zee", particularly on the old 317s, or the slightly dyslexic "arse-lee" from people outside the area.

 

[urbophile]

...and for a laugh... Newton Heath in Manchester - "New'un Eeeeef"

and Thornton Heath in Croydon is Fow'neef.

 

[Thebaz]

Arundel is one I'm unsure of. Is it "Arrun-DELL" or "a-rundle"? Or indeed something else entirely?

It's a hard 'a' sound with the emphasis also being on it:

A-run-duhl

But in Australia, Er-RUNdle

 

[Thebaz]

Anyone want to have a bash at Woolfardisworthy, a village in Devon?

I know this one!

Wools-er-ree

 

[steamybrian]

and Thornton Heath in Croydon is Fow'neef.

I was born in Thornton Heath and when resident there we used to pronounce it as "Fort Neath".

 

[Calthrop]

I also say "Hun-stan-ton", but was comfortable with "Hun-stun" when I lived in the area.

Thanks -- that's interesting. Not purely a "posh affectation", then -- though I have the impression that that factor is also on the scene. John Betjeman in his commentated-on journey by DMU from King's Lynn to the "H" place, filmed for television, refers to his destination as "Hunston". While Betjeman was, IMO, a sweet old buffer and an impressive artist-with-words; with his recorded voice, his extremely-patrician diction grates on me a bit -- another instance, his saying "goff" for golf.

The old railway from King's Lynn to Hunstanton certainly had its share of misleading names for the unwary. Travelling north from "Lin" (King's Lynn) trains stopped at "Nor Wuton" (North Wootton), "Dursn'm" (Dersingham), Snetsh'm (Snettisham) and Hitch'm (Heacham). AFAIK, the other intermediate station, Wolferton, a halt in the middle of nowhere but handy for the Royals going to Sandringham, is pronounced as spelt.

As a bonus, these days the bus service between Lynn and Hunstanton also stops at "Inglesthorpe" (Ingoldisthorpe).

Let's face it: Norfolk people pronounce place-names funny, end-of ! One which I like, is the village (between Wroxham and Aylsham) of Little Hautbois -- second word pronounced "Hobbiz". Hence the limerick:

There's a robber named Robert from Hautbois,
And looting rich houses his jautbois.
Through windows he wangles
At improbable angles --
A most rubbery robber our Bautbois.

 

[Dr_Paul]

In the Coventry area there used to be a station at Coundon - some called it, wrongly, Coondun instead of Cowndun - and one at Foleshill, which is locally spoken as Foes-ul

My pal's late dad, who lived in Coventry all his 95 years, pronounced it 'Fozzil'.

 

[AlterEgo]

Anerley.

 

[Dr_Paul]

I know this one! Wools-er-ree

A bit like Wraysbury, which is how Wyrardisbury in Buckinghamshire (next station on the Windsor line from Staines) is pronounced. This is one of those places where the pronunciation has become the official spelling, including the railway station.

 

[Dr_Paul]

Re the Hoathlys: am I right that one of them is Hoathlye and the other Hoathly? Ardingly is certainly Ardinglye.

A pal of mine lives in West Hoathly, and she always pronounces it with 'lee' at the end; she says the 'lye' -- rhyming with the word 'high' -- ending for nearby Ardingly, and also for Leigh near Reigate.

 

[Calthrop]

West Hoathly (former station on the Bluebell Railway's route, north of Horsted Keynes, not reopened): Hoath-LYE (not -LEE).

Re the Hoathlys: am I right that one of them is Hoathlye and the other Hoathly? Ardingly is certainly Ardinglye.

A pal of mine lives in West Hoathly, and she always pronounces it with 'lee' at the end; she says the 'lye' -- rhyming with the word 'high' -- ending for nearby Ardingly, and also for Leigh near Reigate.

I must admit that my idea about West Hoath-"lye", came from a piece of comic verse featuring a good number of the places which have been mentioned in this thread -- and which implied the "-lye" pronunciation for (generalised) "Hoathly", not specifying East or West: re the above info, maybe the versifier was "full of it" about this matter, anyway.

Incidentally, West and East Hoathly are a very considerable distance apart, are they not?

 

[PHILIPE]

On "Homes under the Hammer" on BBC1 this morning, the presenter, in Abertillery" pronounced it as "Abertilleri" instead of "Abertilairy"

 

[tspaul26]

PS. These days Salford is in Greater Manchester, not Lancashire.

Yes and no.

Salford lies in the metropolitan and shrieval counties of Greater Manchester for administrative and ceremonial purposes, but the ancient county palatine of Lancaster otherwise.

 

[MK Tom]

Milton Keynes rhymes with 'beans', and not with 'canes' like 'John Maynard Keynes' or 'Horsted Keynes' as I often hear it pronounced.

I've used the LM Crewe service for nearly a decade and still have no idea how to say Alsager. Is it 'all-sage-r' or 'al-sage-r' or 'al-sarg-er' or 'al-sa-ger' or what? I've heard everything.

I get annoyed whenever I hear marley-bone on the tube. Mary-le-bone please.

Berkhamsted is often pronounced with a 'hemp' because of Hemel Hempstead being next door.

My French girlfriend still can't say Southwark right. :/

 

[Calthrop]

On "Homes under the Hammer" on BBC1 this morning, the presenter, in Abertillery" pronounced it as "Abertilleri" instead of "Abertilairy"

I'd always imagined that the bolded pronunciation above, was how it was pronounced (false analogy with "artillery", I suppose). Actually I don't think I've ever heard the name spoken, or had occasion to say it out loud !