The Essex commuter town that changed its name just to attract tourists

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From Essex Live

... The future of the town is now in danger as a cash infusion intended for revitalising the area hangs in the balance. Purfleet changed its name to Purfleet-on-Thames three years ago in an effort to significantly rebrand the Essex town.

What town / village / city / station name would YOU change, to what and why?

[Mark A]

Gotham, Nottinghamshire to Gotham City.

Mark

[stuving]

The adding-on-Thames-itis virus strikes again! Has anyone found a cure yet?

[eightonedee]

To be fair, Stuving, part of that has been to distinguish from other towns of the same name - Purley in Surrey/London Borough of Croydon, Henley in Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, Streatley in Berkshire and Bedfordshire (although the "on Thames" is not official for the former), Goring in Oxfordshire and Sussex, Whitchurch all over the place, Dorchester in Oxfordshire and Dorset. On many of those cases it's a Thames-side village smaller than its namesake, so a second reason to avoid confusion, and it's hardly unusual elsewhere along English rivers.

I am intrigued to know what tourist attraction they hope to promote in Purfleet, and doubt that Staines has benefited from its renaming - which are the only two that I know where confusion towns or villages don't come to mind.

[bobm]

I am intrigued to know what tourist attraction they hope to promote in Purfleet, and doubt that Staines has benefited from its renaming - which are the only two that I know where confusion towns or villages don't come to mind.

Abingdon?

[Mark A]

From Essex Live

What town / village / city / station name would YOU change, to what and why?

Wellington to become 'Handsacre'.
Cullompton to be renamed 'Crewe'.

Mark

[bobm]

Slight tangent but with so many Twyfords around the country should there be a move to rename the one in Berkshire Twyford on Loddon?

[CyclingSid]

Slight tangent but with so many Twyfords around the country should there be a move to rename the one in Berkshire Twyford on Loddon?

Certainly there is a Twyford Abbey in London.

Not sure adding "-on Thames" to Staines made it more attractive. Glad somebody sat on the idea of adding "-on Thames" to Didcot. If they hadn't what next, Basingstoke on Thames?

[grahame]

Southampton-on-Test

"Thamesdown" anyone?

[ray951]

Southampton-on-Test

"Thamesdown" anyone?

Surely should be Southampton-on-Itchen 

[GBM]

"Thamesdown" anyone?

Defunct bus company (Now part of Swindon town network)!

[grahame]

"Thamesdown" anyone?

Defunct bus company (Now part of Swindon town network)!

Indeed, but in addition WikiPedia tells us

In 1974 the borough of Thamesdown was created under the Local Government Act 1972. Thamesdown covered the areas of the municipal borough of Swindon and the neighbouring Highworth Rural District (which had been created in 1894), which were both abolished at the same time. Thamesdown was a lower-tier non-metropolitan district, with Wiltshire County Council being the higher-tier authority for the area. Thamesdown was given borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.

On 1 April 1997 Thamesdown was made a unitary authority, making it administratively independent from Wiltshire County Council. In June 1996, during the transition period to becoming a unitary authority, the council passed an order that the area would be renamed Swindon with effect from 1 April 1997 as well

[didcotdean]

When Rutland was absorbed by Leicestershire, there were 2 villages called Belton in the enlarged county. After a few years of them getting confused, the relevant one changed its name to Belton-in-Rutland. With the re-separation it is now Belton-in-Rutland, Rutland.

[Red Squirrel]

Thamesdown was created by the same Local Government Act as Avon. Avon and Thamesmead had a couple of features in common: they were named so as not to offend the suburban and exurban communities within them, and no-one outside them knew where they were. Thamesdown possibly got the worst of the deal, as it's name sounded very similar to a large housing estate on the Plumstead Marshes. Most people thought of Avon as a door-to-door cosmetic company.

Swindon seems a much more sensible name for, well, Swindon. If Bristol logic had been applied, it would probably be called the Lower Midlands now. Or maybe Lower Midlands-on-Thames.

[Richard Fairhurst]

When Rutland was absorbed by Leicestershire, there were 2 villages called Belton in the enlarged county. After a few years of them getting confused, the relevant one changed its name to Belton-in-Rutland. With the re-separation it is now Belton-in-Rutland, Rutland.

Also a Braunstone (Leicester) and a Braunston (Rutland). The latter changed to Braunston-in-Rutland, partly because every time someone phoned for an ambulance it went to the Leicester one first...