Honey Mugs and Goosedubbs: Glasgow's curious street names of the past

The city has a wonderful history of street names – one of my most favourite, long-forgotten ones is The Goat, now Keith Street, in Partick. It was named for its Scots meaning of a trench or ditch.

Honey Mugs was the name of a farm on the Pollok estate, close to where the White Cart Water and the Levern Water meet.

Meanwhile, Goosedubbs, part of which is still there, is the name of an old lane between Stockwell Street and Bridgegate, itself named for lands in the area.

In fact, among Glasgow’s earliest city charters are those relating to these lands of Goosedubbs covering 1589 until 1657. Its original meaning is unclear, but it’s apocryphally attributed to the playful splashings of Provost John Aird’s geese in a puddle. John Aird was Provost at various times during the early 1700s.

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Nowadays, Glasgow is home to streets, roads, crescents and avenues but back in the 1700s, vennels, wynds and loans were common.

There was the Old Vennel and the New Vennel, both off the High Street. Vennel is a Scots word for a narrow alley or lane between houses.

A wynd was similar and there were plenty of those, including Bun’s Wynd, Moodie’s Wynd and Baxter’s Wynd. A loan was also a lane and Glasgow’s collection included the Cow Loan, Back Cow Loan and Dobbie’s Loan. Of course, Dobbie’s Loan still exists and is now a major road in the city.

The city’s annexation of surrounding burghs like Govan, Partick and Pollokshaws heralded a wave of street name changes during the 1920s and 1930s to avoid duplication with Mother Glasgow.

For example, there were multiple Main Streets, so those for Calton and Pollokshaws were renamed as continuations of Well Street and Shawbridge Road respectively, while Govan’s Main Street was renamed Clydebrae Street.

Sometimes, the most ear-catching names refer to people and places of times past.

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Take Shipka Pass near London Road. This was a small road leading to nowhere but was known in recent years for its colourful signs and graffiti.

Shipka Pass (Image: Newsquest)

The origin of its name is undiscovered but it’s thought to have been named after the Battle of Shipka Pass in Bulgaria - actually a series of battles between the Russian and Turkish empires (1877 – 1878) which centred around this vital pass.

London Road, near Shipka Pass, c1902 (Image: Glasgow City Archives)

Another Glasgow favourite is the wonderfully named Vesalius Street in Shettleston.

It was named for Andreas Vesalius, a 16th-century physician and anatomist, although the reason why remains a mystery.

One of the saddest tales behind a city road name concerns Grace Street in Anderston.

Grace was the youngest daughter of John Geddes, founder of famous Glasgow firm, Verreville Pottery.

One night as she dressed for a ball, her outfit caught fire and she died from her injuries. The street is named in her memory.

Certain areas of Glasgow have several themed street names.

Fans of Shakespeare may already know that Maryhill has some streets connected to the bard including Shakespeare Street and Hathaway Street which was named for his wife, Anne.

Shakespeare Street School, c1970 (Image: Glasgow City Archives)

Even long-gone Arden Street was named for his mother, Mary Arden.

Those who know their history will realise that several of the street names of Langside and Battlefield are related to Mary Queen of Scots and the Battle of Langside fought there in 1568.

For example, Lochleven Road relates to the castle in which Mary was a prisoner for more than a year before her escape and Dundrennan Road relates to the abbey in which Mary spent her final night in Scotland.

There are also geography-themed streets in Glasgow, such as Airlie Street, Polwarth Street, Lauderdale Gardens and Falkland Street in Hyndland, all named for places in Scotland.

For those interested in this subject, there are many resources in the Glasgow City Archives which can help - but special mention must be made of Hugh Macintosh’s six volumes of handwritten research notes which he prepared for his publication, The Origin and History of Glasgow Streets, published in 1902.