From prominent families to long-gone landmarks and archaic phrases, road signs in the city reference many things that won’t be apparent to everyday passers-by. Here are the illuminating stories behind the names of 11 Sheffield streets.
5. Pomona Street
Pomona Street, which runs behind Ecclesall Road, was named after the Pomona Inn which was once the centre of a pleasure ground known as the Pomona Gardens. An 1852 advertisement described them as 'the largest public gardens in Sheffield' with 'a splendid collection of evergreen and flowering shrubs, musical meetings every Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights, tea and dinner parties, and a choice stock of wines, spirits and bitter beer'. The gardens, and the inn, took their name from Pomona, Italian goddess of fruit and gardens. Photo: Google
6. Psalter Lane
Like Saltergate in Chesterfield, this was the route by which salt came into town. The initial 'p' was thought to have been added later, and has no significance. Photo: Google
7. Leppings Lane
Leppings is the old name for stepping stones across a stream or river. They were also called leppen stones, or hippen stones. Last century the leppings across the river at Hillsborough were a well-known feature of the area. Photo: Google
8. Cambridge Street
This street, which runs beside John Lewis, was first called Coalpit Lane. It was renamed to mark the laying of the foundation stone of the Crimea Monument at Moorhead by the Duke of Cambridge on October 21, 1857. The Duke, who was Commander-in-Chief of the army, died in 1904. The monument was moved to the Botanical Gardens in 1959. Photo: Google