Butt Hole Road

Residents of Bladder Lane, Bent Street or Butt Hole Road, just providing their address could be fraught with potential embarrassment.

But the solution for them – and many others left similarly red-faced by their odd-sounding street names – was simply to change the name of the road.

Dozens of councils across Britain have reported cases of residents changing the names of their street because they dislike the one on the map.

In some cases, the name change has followed years of ridicule.

The inhabitants of Butt Hole Road even had to put up with coach loads of US tourists visiting to have their pictures taken near the road sign, after the street appeared in an American book and on the internet.

The name, which is thought to refer to a communal water butt once located in the area, has now been changed to Archers Way.

Last week residents in the street expressed relief at the change. One, who declined to be named, said: "We had had enough. We are much happier now. We just want to move on."

Bladder Lane, in Plymouth, believed to have been named for the bladderwort plant which grew in an adjacent meadow, was changed to Boniface Lane at the request of a St Boniface's Catholic College, on the road, which was unhappy with it.

Bent Street, in Blackburn, was renamed following lobbying from a new sheltered accommodation complex on the road. It has now been given the rather more bucolic-sounding Greenhurst Place.

In the same town, a local college has also successfully requested that Brewery Street, on its campus, is changed to the more scholarly – and more sober – University Close. "We just felt it was more appropriate," a Blackpool College spokesman added.

However, the changes have upset local heritage campaigners, who are concerned about the loss of local history in such names.

Tony Burton, director of Civic Voice, a new umbrella organisation representing local heritage groups, said: "Street names are an honest reflection of an area.

"They give character. They are part of a rich history and even if they feel a bit dated or unusual, they are worth hanging on to.

"A bit of quirkiness and surprise doesn't go amiss. We don't want to lose the character and distinctiveness that a variety of street names offer us. You would need a very good reason to wipe away that history."

The name changes have been uncovered in a survey of local councils by The Sunday Telegraph and have all occurred within the last ten years.

Changing the name of a street is an expensive and lengthy process, the cost of which is usually met by the local residents, or a developer.

Home owners on the street must also change the deeds of the homes and their mortgage details, as well as other billing information.

As well as to avoid "rude" names, many changes have been made in response to the advent of satellite navigation systems which can confuse certain, similar-sounding names and which often fail to take account of changes to road layouts.

In several cases, however, the changes were requested after addresses became stigmatised, in some way.

Following the conviction of Maxine Carr for perverting the course of justice during the investigation into the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, in Soham, villagers in Haddenham, about ten miles away, requested that Carr Close be renamed.

Residents of Whiteway Avenue, near Bath, changed their street to the more picturesque Englishcombe Rise, because of the "negative connotations" of sharing a name with a nearby suburb called Whiteway.

In Walsall, part of Beddows Road was renamed Lavender Grove because the old name had become associated with a high crime rate and anti social behaviour.

Developers in Gloucester requested that the name of Asylum Lane, where a mental hospital in the city is based, be changed to Royal Lane.

According to the local council, the original name was "considered to have negative implications and association with the area".

In Liverpool, the names of a number of streets were changed to avoid linking new properties with the bad credit history of other properties in the area.

Sometimes, residents have changed the name simply because they do not like it.

In Rotherham, residents of Collier Street started a petition to change its name because they felt it was not as attractive as other names on the same estate.

Gritstone Close, in Lancaster, was changed to Oakland Close at the residents' request, while in Bournemouth, Derby Road was changed to Garden Views because the new name was "perceived to have more desirable connotations".

However, it seems that not all residents are concerned by an unusual address. In Northamptonshire, residents asked for Rectory Close, in Great Houghton, to revert to its original – Cracknuts Lane.

Source : Telegraph