Strange place names

G

Glowworm

Senior Member
Location
Sweden
This thread may be an old one but here goes.

Have you ever come across a strange place name? What was it and where is the place?

This is one that often comes up, it's a village in north Wales

llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

And here's a lesson in how to pronounce it

 

What's strange about Llanfair P.G., which is the normal usage?

"The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio’s of the red cave,” is just an ordinary village name.

And I don't need any pronunciation lessons thank you very much.
 
Laurie said:
What's strange about Llanfair P.G., which is the normal usage?

"The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio’s of the red cave,” is just an ordinary village name.

And I don't need any pronunciation lessons thank you very much.
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Oh dear, I'm sorry if I offended your sensibilities. This may not seem to be a strange place name to you but it may be to many people outside Britain and although you may not need pronunciation lessons others might be interested.
 

Glowworm said:
Do they have a chip shop in Chip Shop?
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Sorry Glowworm I don't know.

The history of this village is that a store was built
that sold everything from food to hardware, way
back in Victorian times, by the local mining company,
who might have mined copper, silver, arsenic or lead,
in that district.

The workers in the mines were paid in what were
called "Chips", a bit like Casino chips I suppose,
the shop would only accept these chips, people
wouldn't have much money in those days and it
protected the supplies for the workers, making
another profit for the mine owners.

Mike.
 
iu
 
Laurie said:
What's strange about Llanfair P.G., which is the normal usage?

"The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio’s of the red cave,” is just an ordinary village name.

And I don't need any pronunciation lessons thank you very much.
Click to expand...
Being the Scot that you are Laurie, you won't have any bother pronouncing Hawick. For anyone unfamiliar, the letter 'W' is silent.
 
These three towns formed a "League of Extraordinary Communities" in 2013

Dull in Perthshire Scotland

Boring in Oregon USA

Bland Shire in New South Wales Australia. I've actually been there as I have distant relatives who live there
 
hollydolly said:
LOL, Mike I think you missed glowworms' joke..:D.. but thanks for the history I've never heard of it before..
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I didn't miss it hollydolly.

I just threw in a bit of history as I thought that it
was named after a chip shop too and asked a few
questions, the history was the answer to them.

Mike.
 
No point me naming any Swedish places because I'd be the only one who understood the joke and in English they would be like the movie "Lost in Translation" :ROFLMAO:
 
horseless carriage said:
Being the Scot that you are Laurie, you won't have any bother pronouncing Hawick. For anyone unfamiliar, the letter 'W' is silent.
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Just because I live here don't mean I are one!

Welsh born and bred and I've had a lifetime of being told how "strange" my language is.

My given name is Morddwyd (named after "The Slayer of the Irish"!).
 
Laurie said:
Just because I live here don't mean I are one!

Welsh born and bred and I've had a lifetime of being told how "strange" my language is.

My given name is Morddwyd (named after "The Slayer of the Irish"!).
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Sorry about that, Welsh eh? We won't mention the Rugby then.
 

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