I live in Valetta Road W3 off Larden Road and thought it odd my road is named after a port in Malta, and another nearby road Dordrecht Road called after, as I thought, a rather dreary part of Brabant in the Low Countries. Turns out the landowner in this part had a military career that did indeed take him to Malta and also to South Africa where there is another Dordrecht.Some road names were given to bestow poshness (e.g. roads named Chippenham, Malvern etc.) Sometimes whole neighborhoods were named to bestow 'rub-off' esteerm, e.g. West Kensington which isn't really anything to do with Kensington. A lot of early Bishops of London gave their names to roads up in East Acton. Dagmar Road, wherever found, can always be dated almost precisely to about 1864 (I think, without checking the year), when Princess Alexandra came to England from Denmark to marry the Prince of Wales (future Edward VII) and everyone was stunned by her very pretty sister Dagmar who came along for the ride. Off The Vale, builders' imagination just ran out, so First Avenue, Second Avenue etc.Road names are fascinating - why Roxwell Road (a village in Essex), Vespan Road, Hadyn Park Road (was there ever a park?)?
Dan Filson ● 5911d