OVER 2,000 street and house names in the UK have been inspired by Shakespeare.
The figures were revealed by Royal Mail to mark the Bard’s 457th birthday on Friday (April 23).
Aside from London, Bristol is officially the UK’s ‘most Shakespearean’ city in terms of named addresses, boasting more than 30 related street and house names, including ‘Montague Hill’ and ‘Shakespeare Avenue’.
Stratford falls in at number five, preceded by Birmingham and Colchester, with 25 Bard-related addresses. Warwick comes in at a respective number seven with 22.
That said, the Midlands is the most densely populated region for Shakespeare-related streets and houses, with 150 alone in Warwickshire. Some pertinent examples include ‘Cymbeline Way’ in Warwick, ‘Richard III Road’ in Leicester and ‘Cordelia Close’ in Stratford.
Colchester in Essex, York and Guernsey are some of the more surprising national hotspots for Shakespeare-linked addresses.
Among the most popular names are ‘Shakespeare Road’ followed by ‘Montague Road’, named for the sparring Montague family from ‘Romeo & Juliet’, with streets coming in at around 80 and 70 respectively. Similarly, ‘Shakespeare House’ and ‘Montague House’ are the most common for house names.
The iconic tragedy ‘Hamlet’ has also significantly influenced the naming of our addresses, with over 260 streets and houses honouring the play – including ‘Hamlet Gardens’ in Andover, Liverpool’s ‘Ophelia Court’ and ‘Yorick Road’ in Colchester. ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ also features significantly – there are over 300 related addresses, including ‘Titania Close’ in Bilston, ‘Puck Hill Cottage’ in the Midlands and ‘Midsummer Common’ in Cambridge.
However some of his less widely known plays, including ‘Titus Andronicus’ and ‘Troilus & Cressida’, have also inspired some of the nation’s street and house monikers.
Some of the more unusual street and house names on the list include the ‘As You Like It’ residence in South East England, and ‘Puck Pit Lane’ in Cheltenham.
Royal Mail spokesman Steve Rooney said: “Delivering mail to over 31million addresses, six days a week, gives us an unparalleled view of the nation’s street and house names, and sometimes the results are fascinating.
“It’s no secret that William Shakespeare and his works form an enormous part of British history and identity, but it’s fascinating to see that his legacy is felt so profoundly across the entire country.”
