For the last five years, Una has become something of an expert at naming roads, maintaining the councils’ Gold Standard for Address Data and enabling them to win best in 

South East Region. Choosing the names is a lengthy process which involves working with developers to find the perfect match for the local area. Proposals linked to the history of the land tend to be favoured and Una herself takes great pride in unearthing each road’s hidden history.

For example, while the new residents of Worthing’s Saw Mill Place may remember the site when it was known as Providence Works, Una looked at the earliest maps on record and discovered that a steam-powered sawmill was located there in 1875.

Then there’s Home Guard Mews at the old Broadwater Rectory in Worthing. The rectory replaced several sixteenth-century houses and when Una found out that one of them was used by the local Home Guard, she made sure that the new development’s name reflected its history. 

Seeing it as a tribute to the people who kept Worthing safe during the war, Una is particularly proud of this road name:

“We hope our choice is appreciated by those who were stationed there, their relatives and the community.”

The rules of street naming normally include avoiding the name of a person, but occasionally an exception is made. In 2013, the councils received a request to honour the fallen, so Brothers Avenue was named in memory of three brothers from a Worthing family who died during the Great War. 

Worthing’s Puttick Drive was also named after a local resident; 20-year-old serviceman William Francis Puttick. Puttick went down on the battlecruiser HMS Hood during World War Two and as his relatives still live in Worthing, Una’s decision to name a road after him was a popular choice.

It’s not always possible to uncover the history behind a particular street, so in these cases, Una draws her inspiration from nature. Names like Daffodil Way, Cornfield Close and Peony Grove are inspired by Northbrook’s plant life, whereas the Cygnets, The Finches and The Curlews reflect the wildlife that’s local to Shoreham by Sea.

 

Photo credit: Mary McKeown 2018