Hello my name's Gideon I'm a Londoner and today I'm in London and I'm going to show you how to
pronounce some irregular London place names and at the same time I'm going to tell you
a little bit of history about London and some interesting facts too but first coffee cheers.
Let's start with the river that runs through London and the reason the city exists in the
first place is called the River Thames not th-ames note that in British English we say the word
river first and then the name so River Thames not Thames River in American English it's the opposite
first the name then the word river the Mississippi River not the River Mississippi but in London it's
the river Thames. London used to be a Roman city called Londinium it was a walled city
the walled city was strengthened up until medieval times not much of the Roman wall exists now though
you can still see a few stretches to discover more about Roman London visit the Guildhall in
The City of London a beautiful medieval building in its own right and next door
go to the basement of the guildhall art gallery to find the vestiges of London's Roman amphitheatre
to pass into The City there were gates in the wall.
The gates don't exist anymore but the names do. Here I am at Aldgate pronounced awldgate or
awlgate with a silent D. Does it mean old gate? Maybe but there is some debate about that among
historians. Some suggest it means eastgate or alegate because - beer or all gate because
all people could pass through it. The gate was removed in 1761 and did you know that Geoffrey
Chaucer once lived in an apartment above the gate. if you're visiting London do check out
the neighborhoods around Aldgate. You're near the Tower of London and Tower Bridge
and a stone's throw from trendy Shoreditch the market at Spitafields and multicultural Brick Lane
and of course The City of London. There are loads of things to do and see there so do investigate.
These neighborhoods are in an area called The East End. Why The East End? Because they are east of
The City walls, if you are inside The City walls you are in what we call today The City of London
or just The City. It's the oldest part of London but it's also the financial centre.
It's a strange mix of old and new architecture. Definitely check it out. If you're visiting London
for the first time you'll probably be spending much of your time in the area called The West
End because it's west of the old city walls. It's the shopping and entertainment center of London.
Some of the place names are quite irregular this is the main shopping street Oxford Street Ox-ford
Street or osfor Street no and at the end of Oxford Street you'll get to Tottenham Court Road
most Londoners will pronounce it with two syllables never say Tot-ten-ham no it's tot-nehm
and some Londoners won't even pronounce the second T they'll just say To’nehm with a glottal stop can
you hear it Tot’nehm and there'll be another glottal stop on Court so the whole thing will
be To’nehm cour’ road. Some people even call it TCR. Don't confuse it with a neighborhood in north
London called Tottenham famous for a not very good football team. Nearby is another area which often
gets mispronounced and here it is it's Holborn that's right “ho-ben” if you want any respect
in London you'll say “ho-ben'' and not Holborn if you're in Holborn do visit Lincoln's inm Fields.
It's the largest public square in London and yet another place name round here with a silent L
“Lin-ken,” Just a five minute walk north of Tottenham Court Road you'll find Goodge Street
not “Good-ge” Street but “goo-dje” like goose. The area around it is called fitzrovia and it's
one of my favorite neighborhoods in London. It's just a stone's throw from all the hustle bustle
of Central London but here it's calm relaxed and really mellow. check out Charlotte Street and the
area around it for cool cafes and restaurants. one of the most famous squares in London
is called Leicester Square pronounced les-ter with two syllables like the city Leicester.
The square itself is a bit of a tourist trap these days and I tend to avoid it.
However just north of Leicester Square you'll find Soho pronounced Soho not “sorhor” why is it
called Soho? it used to be an area of hunting and apparently there was a hunting cry “soho” and the
dogs would start running - or something like that. Soho is an area of bars cafes and restaurants
Chinatown is in Soho. Chinatown's not very big but the fact that it's right in the center
of London is really incredible. Soho is also the home of London's main gay scene.
there are so many places to visit in Soho but do check out Bar Italia the spiritual home of
London's Italian community and The Dog and Duck pub famous for its Victorian glassware
and where George Orwell used to drink. famous residents of Soho include Karl Marx and Mozart.
Heading south you'll find a street which is difficult to read
but not difficult to pronounce. It’s Aldwych. “Ald” means old and “wych” means village or farm.
There are other place names in England with which or which such as Norwich, Ipswich or Harwich.
Almost all of The City of London is north of the River Thames. The exception is this
part it's pronounced “Su-therk” that's right “su-therk.” The City of London has two cathedrals
St Paul's cathedral which is more famous but there is also Southwark Cathedral it dates back to the
early 13th century. if you're walking along the South Bank of the Thames do check it out.
now take a slow boat along the Thames and head to Greenwich, pronounced “Gren-ich.” Here you'll find
maritime Greenwich and the village of Greenwich. It's a historical town in its own right before
it was incorporated into London. Let's head back into London and here is a London train terminus
that even Londoners can't agree how to pronounce. I say “Marlybone” that's how I grew up saying it
but others may say “Marlybun” and there are other pronunciations but never never never Mary-le-bone.
that's just wrong. Marylebone is near Baker Street and Regent’s Park which is really beautiful
at any time of the year. Finally we head west. a famous street in Knightsbridge,
a wealthy area of London famous for Harrods department store.
Just around the corner you'll find this street but how do you pronounce it huh?
If you're french you might fall into the trap no it's not “beau champ” it's
“beecham” that's right beecham and this is Beauchamp Place. At the end of the 19th century
it was a working-class neighborhood full of brothels but these days you're more likely to find
high-end boutiques and luxury flats for the super rich. So how many of those did you get correct?
and if you can recommend something in London that you don't find in all the tourist guide books
then let us know in the comments thank you for watching and see you next time on LetThemTalkTV