BRITS BITS: Comical communities and humorous hamlets -- 10 peculiar places

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Preston Webb
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
From Stonehenge to Buckingham Palace, the U.K. is well known for its splendid scenery, majestic manors and beautiful boroughs. What are not so well known however, are the creative and even comical names of many of these spectacular sites that exist in the U.K.

Places like:

1. Booze, North Yorkshire. Most people relate the word booze to the Middle English "bouse," meaning "drink to excess." Others may know the Old Norse "boose," meaning box or partition. Fewer still know where this town gets its name, as there is no pub in Booze, North Yorkshire.

2. Catbrain Hill, Bristol. Simply known as Catbrain, there had to have been some sort of sizable event involving cats or brains at some point in history on this hill just north of Bristol, right? Sadly, no. This town gets its name from the Middle English "cattes brazen," referencing the type of clay and stones found nearby.

3. Dull, Perth. Though this town is comprised of a single street of houses, Dull is anything but boring -- Boring is its "twin town," located in Oregon, U.S.

4. Indian Queens, Cornwall. Several options exist that try to explain where the name for this town comes from. Most stories agree it came from the name of an inn built nearby in the late 18th century.

5. Lost, Aberdeenshire. A surprising amount of people find Lost after reading about it in tourist guidebooks. Unfortunately, many of the town's street signs are lost to theft. The Aberdeenshire Council attempted to change the name due to the cost of street signs, but was met with strong local opposition.

6. Huish Episcopi, Somerset. This town derives its name from the Old English "hiwisc" and "episcopi," meaning belonging to the Bishop of Wells.

7. Scratchy Bottom, Dorset. Though not really a town, this clifftop valley's name makes the list on humor alone. The name actually refers to a rough hollow and came in second in a poll for the worst named place in the U.K.

8. Westward Ho!, Devon. Named for the novel by Charles Kingsley, this village was formed in 1863 to develop tourism in the area. It's the only place in the U.K. to have an exclamation point in its official name.

9. Lickey, Worcestershire. While possibly sharing its name with an overly affectionate family pet, this village is the birthplace of author Jonathan Coe. The name is thought to have come from Scottish Gaelic "leac," a clearing, and "hey," an enclosed space. Some think the name refers to a forest clearing.

10. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Anglesley. The "short" name for this town is Llanfairpwllgwyngyll. Commonly known as Llanfair PG, the name means "St. Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool of Llanstysilio of the red cave," in Welsh. Llanfair PG has the longest place name, not just in the U.K., but in all of Europe!

With hundreds more laughable locations from around the country, it's safe to say that the U.K. has always maintained a healthy sense of humor about its original names. Some places even opt into a change to liven up a community or attract tourists, but one thing always stays the same -- the creativity of everyone who lives in the unique U.K.