Why Do Shepherds Need a Bush?

London's Underground History of Tube Station Names

The names of the 300 or so London underground stations are so familiar to us as we strap-hang our way across the capital that we take them utterly for granted. We hardly ever question their meanings or origins—yet these well-known names are almost always linked with fascinating stories of bygone times. Until the mid-19th century, London was almost unbelievably rural, with names belonging to a countryside we could never recognize or imagine today. Who in the 21st century, thinks of a real flesh-and-blood shepherd lolling back on a specially-trimmed hawthorn bush, when traveling through Shepherd's Bush underground station? And who, traveling through Totteridge and Whetstone on the Northern Line, imagines medieval soldiers sharpening their swords and daggers at the aptly named Whetstone just before engaging in the appallingly bloody battle of Barnet? This entertaining book will ensure that you will never view your normal journey to work in the same way again.