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Mapping the etymology of Westminster.
After the Square Mile, Westminster is one of the most ancient parts of London. Small settlements were here from the beginning, but the core area really took off in the late Anglo-Saxon period with the establishment of Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster.
The wider borough (also a city) is a real mix of settlements and place names of different vintage. Names like Paddington (as Padintun) and Lisson Grove (as Lilestone) are of proper medieval origin, while Fitzrovia and Little Venice were only coined in the 20th Century.
From hunting cries to Italian battlefields, explore the etymology of Westminster's place names.
Previously
Etymology of the London Borough of Camden and the London Borough of Southwark.
