Dear Editor
I am hoping this might be a ‘runner’.
Street names of Rye. Many of these are self-explanatory. However I would be grateful if readers could tell me the origins of other streets. I cite by way of example – Marley Road, Cooper Road, Ferring Close and Henley Close.
Who decides on the names of roads? If there is a new development why not get residents of Rye to put forward name of people who have made a significant contribution to Rye.
David Barling Gasson
[Editor’s note : This certainly seemed to happen in the last big development in Rye – Valley Park – as I live in Benson Way which leads to Vidler Square and the other street names are all very familiar]
Image Credits: Nick Forman .
Street naming is a Rother District Council responsibility. The Licensing and General Purposes Committee (which I chair) recently reviewed our policies which can be found via this link –
https://www.rother.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/street-name-and-numbering/
It’s good to see someone take an interest in our more esoteric functions!
‘I missed this story when it was originally published. I do wonder whether Marley Road and Lea Avenue (both on Tilling Green) were named after Lea Farm and Marley Farm, both in the Rye Foreign/Peasmarsh areas and at one time under common ownership.
The nearby Pottingfield Road (also on the same housing estate) is interesting, although I have no idea where the name comes from. No connection with the Patsy Cornwell thrilller, “From Potter’s Field”, which was published after the estate was built, but places with ‘Field’ in the name can have associations with death, burial, etc. The truth is probably more prosaic, but the origins of even quite modern names can be interesting.’
I have a few suggestions for future names of streets in Rye, maybe they could consider some of the following, how in my opinion have contributed to Rye in the past.
Bennett, Bourne, Deeprose, Edwards and Oliver for starters are just a few, there are others and I apologise if I’ve missed a favourite of yours.
Now there will be many on committees and various organisations in Rye who won’t have a clue what or who I’m talking about but there will be Ryers who will recognise these names and understand how they contributed to the town and helped to make it what it is today.
IMHO we have enough Bensons, Vidler’s, Peacocks etc and it’s time to move into the twenty first century.