Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Shitterton
Ok folks, for everone who enjoyed the Scratchy Bottom post, here is another to amuse and delight. This heavyweight sign in Purbeck stone is a recent instalment that has replaced the usual metal signs which were regularly stolen for some strange reason! The name is probably derived from a river called Shiter, "a brook used as a privy", but we can assure you the brook is crystal clear these days!
Shitterton itself is charming; a tiny hamlet filled with lovely thatched cottages. One house is even appropriately named Pooh Corner! The place is sometimes referred to as Sitterton, so as not to offend those of a more delicate disposition...
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It's so hard to invent English place names that are wilder than the existing ones!
ReplyDeleteHi Fairyhedgehog, thanks for visiting again. You are right about place names, your Pratt's Bottom is a cracker! We have a River Piddle around herelots of places have 'Piddle' in them which is great fun!
ReplyDeleteNick and Karen
Piddle is a good one! I've tried writing a story set in the English countryside and nothing I made up sounded as daft as real place names.
ReplyDeleteDon't be afraid of using real place names if you want. Look at Dan Brown, or Colin Dexter, or Ian Rankin. They have all used real places to great effect, (and possibly sold lots of books to the locals and boosted tourism in the area!)
ReplyDeleteIf you do want to make up a place name, I'd keep it fairly simple - Weatherfield, Warmington- on Sea, St Marymead are all quite innocuous and don't unduly dominate the story for example.
Nick & Karen
Warmington-on-Sea was a great one!
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