Councillor Calls for Shoreditch Station Renaming

By Amanda Last edited 199 months ago

Last Updated 21 May 2008

Councillor Calls for Shoreditch Station Renaming
shoreditch_highstreet.jpg

Would Shoreditch still be the hip, trendy place it’s purported to be if it were given a more ethnic name? The high street itself is in no danger, but a proposal has been put forward for a name change to the station for when it reopens in two years. Tower Hamlets councillor Abdal Ullah wants to see the station renamed Banglatown in honour of the large Bangladeshi community in the area.

But TfL isn’t quite as keen on the idea. In addition to the cost of changing the signs in and around the station as well as on all maps and leaflets, TfL has given a statement saying that it is necessary for station names to reflect the streets they are on or the area they are in as recorded in official records (and, again, on maps, etc).

Mr Ullah had previously launched an unsuccessful campaign to have Aldgate Station changed to Brick Lane. But you can’t blame him for trying – it’s one way to beat gentrification.

Photo of Shoreditch High Street courtesy of jez s under the Creative Commons Attribution License.