Earlier today a friend wrote that her home is located off of "the Latchmere Road." The use of a definite article to describe a thoroughfare is a particularly English construction. (And it appears to happen only with "road" as opposed to Street.)
I'm thinking that the implication of it is: this is the Road that goes to Latchmere. As in, the Brixton Road is the road that goes to Brixton. There's something quaint about that, from a pre-industrial time when people knew they were headed to the right place because the road was named after their destination.
Nowadays it can get a bit confusing. Since Brixton Road goes to Brixton, that means it's actually located in Kennington and Stockwell, the adjoining neighborhoods.
And let's not get started on the confusion caused by clusters of roads with names like Camberwell Road and New Camberwell Road; Kennington Road and Kennington Park Road. Etc. etc.!
Everything sounds so different over there. In New York you just take the train and that's it. Bleh. Chuckle Chuckle
ReplyDeleteArticles? ah yes, the good old SAT blues. i think its interesting how each country has its own way of organizing travel routes. I hope my Dominican Republic doesn't turn into this when they decide to build those train metro stations!
ReplyDelete"There's something quaint about that"--isnt it nice how each country still has a piece of history left in it?
ReplyDeleteI would hate to live over there. That map looks like vomit on printing paper. I read your post about the trains, it doesn't sound like fun moving around there. I hope you have fun studying drama!
ReplyDeleteI can't even find my way around NYC; I'd die over there. That looks complicated!
ReplyDeleteI think all of you guys are exaggerating. Did you even read? It doesnt look all that complicated to me.
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