One of the six gates built by the Romans in London’s city wall. From here the road from London led to the Roman capital of Britain

so place names containing ‘ing’ almost always point to a Saxon chief and his group of followers. Other examples include Tooting, Paddington and Kensington.

‘Chiswick’ means ‘cheese farm’. The Old English word wic refers to a specialised farm, and was often linked to the name of the produce of that farm.

Covent Garden market in about 1820. St Paul’s church is seen at the back of the picture.

the word ‘cannon’ in these names is a reference to all the candle makers who used to live and work there.

The Thames was a perfect navigation aid for the German bombers, especially when there was a full moon. Londoners came to call these ‘bombers’ moons’.

Shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066, Geoffrey de Mandeville bequeathed three extensive properties, Ebury, Neate and Hyde, to the monks of Westminster.

In modern English, we would refer to a Cutty Sark as a ‘mini-skirt’! The ship got its name from the witch in Robert Burns’ poem ‘Tam o’ Shanter’ (1791), which was written in a Scottish idiom. The witch wore just a ‘cutty sark’

Bayswater is derived from a drinking place for horses – a ‘Bayards’ Watering’.