Colombo Street - the origin?

Hi, a little request for some info here. Can someone please tell me why Colombo street in Southwark is named thus? I am from Sri Lanka, whose former capital is the city of Colombo and I am wondering whether this road has any connection to the Colombo city or whether the name has some other provenance. I was surprised to find a Colombo street in London, and there is another one in Christchurch in New Zealand also named after the city of Colombo.

Believe it or not I was thinking about that yesterday as I walked through.
Origins of street names is of massive interest to me and whilst I couldn't find much on the net my guess would be some kind of tea wharf or warehouse,there are many streets in the area with names associated with historic buisiness's.

I have often wondered the same thing

I came across this site that says the name change happened in 1937

Isn't that a bit too late for the old docks? unless it was done to reflect what was there during the dock's heyday?

I also see that there were some houses there known as the Fisherman's Cottages but there is no historic record to suggest why they were called this!

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=65336&strquery=colombo#n61

thats the site there if you want a butchers!

Colombo was a little dark haired americian detective with a dirty raincoat, friends of Jessisca Fletcher I believe
(sorry could not resist)
It would be interesting to know the real providence. But I do always think of him though when I walk down the street ( before you shout I know he is 'umbo)

samlouise01 wrote:

I have often wondered the same thing
I came across this site that says the name change happened in 1937

Isn't that a bit too late for the old docks? unless it was done to reflect what was there during the dock's heyday?

I also see that there were some houses there known as the Fisherman's Cottages but there is no historic record to suggest why they were called this!

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=65336&strquery=colombo#n61

thats the site there if you want a butchers!

Thinking about what you said I looked up Cherry garden pier,I always believed this was a referance to a place in Jamaica called Cherry garden,especially given it ran off Jamaica rd,and I linked that to the docks,not so sure now...

http://www.visitmap2.co.uk/sites/clients/bermondsey/detailpage.php?pid=22

I enquired once about a street name change at Southwark Local History Library. My recollection of their advice is that researching this area is a matter of luck. Sometimes official records contain the reasons for the new name and change and other times don't.

The library has an index volume containing information on the dates etc. of street name changes which you can use to locate the contemporary record at the London Metropolitan Archive (LMA). Meanwhile if you click the link in the source samlouise01 cited there's a reference to a London County Council document which may assist a search at LMA.

A quick search showed the change occurred in 1937 and the old name was Collingwood Street. Here are a couple of interesting links (there are several more):-

http://www.rayment.info/general/road_name_changes/14_3C_Inner_London_Streets_New_Names.html

http://maps.thehunthouse.com/Streets/Bartholomew_Supplement.html

To solve this Sohan probably needs to visit the London Metropolitan Archive. If that doesn't generate an answer I wonder if there's a connection to Christ Church on Blackfriars Road, such as the church having relations in the interwar period/before with a church in pre-independence Ceylon?

There's also the Confraternity of St. James, which appears to be a pilgrimage body...

Just googled "Ceylon wharf"....


http://collage.cityoflondon.gov.uk/collage/app;jsessionid=EE8DE5D6985C90BEB37CCE44B7DBFFD4?service=external/Item&sp=Zlondon&sp=117736&sp=X

The site Boroughonian makes reference to 'Collage' contains a large number of other historic photos etc re SE1. I was looking on it a few weeks back. It is no substitute for a visit to the London Metropolitan Archives though as they've got masses more. A few years back, there was the EVA (European Visual Archives) project which put much, much more of the LMA's photographic archive online, but that was only a 'project' and the site is no longer accessible.

Gavin Smith wrote:

The site Boroughonian makes reference to 'Collage' contains a large number of other historic photos etc re SE1. I was looking on it a few weeks back. It is no substitute for a visit to the London Metropolitan Archives though as they've got masses more. A few years back, there was the EVA (European Visual Archives) project which put much, much more of the LMA's photographic archive online, but that was only a 'project' and the site is no longer accessible.

Collage comprises the City of London's own collections (Guildhall Library and Art Gallery) so obviously has fuller coverage of the City than of other parts of London. But for SE1 don't forget Southwark's own local collections online at
http://www.southwarkcollections.org.uk/code/eMuseum.asp?page=lhl
where you can search (a large number of) the Local History Library's photos and images. Just enter 'Elephant and Castle' in the quick search box, for example.

Sohan,
I’ve just written a book name on the origins of street names in Colombo (Sri Lanka) see www.colombojumbo.com. I mention the NZ Christchurch and SE1 Colombo Streets in passing.
The 1937 date of the street name is puzzling. So I am going to suggest two options:
1. The Anglican connection is certainly a strong candidate. This explains why Colombo Street in Christchurch (NZ) got its name see: http://www.colombojumbo.com/2012/12/why-is-there-colombo-strret-in.html
2. The only event in 1937 that seems relevant to Colombo and London was the death of the Italian violinist Emilio Colombo. He was a famous musician of his time and a friend of British and Russian royalty.
See
`http://www.tchaikovsky-research.net/en/people/colombo_emilio.html
http://archive.catholicherald.co.uk/article/3rd-december-1937/14/cavaliere-colombo
He died in November so the street naming must have been rapid. But is there any connection to SE1? Did he live in the old Collingwood Street?