WHAT'S in a name?

I was amused by a comment (Letters, February 1) regarding new housing on the site in Brothers Street, Blackburn formerly occupied by the Co-op Trendsetter store in recent years and originally by Malvern Mill, your correspondent being disgruntled at the developers promoting their properties as being at Cherry Tree and not Mill Hill or Green Lane.

No aspersion on Mill Hill, but perhaps they think Cherry Tree to be more attractive to prospective clients - a detail which they may be concerned about later.

Time was when the whole area from Ewood to Mouldon Water Bridge, Feniscowles, was designated as Livesey Township.

Changing the name has been a stratagem often applied in Blackburn to improve the tarnished status of a neighbourhood. For example, in 1980, Bispham Crescent, Silverdale Close, Filey Crescent and Bridlington Terrace at Highercroft were respectively renamed as Norbreck Close, Formby Close, Fleetwood and Glasson Close and Thornton Close.

And who remembers Union Buildings, changed in 1928 to Daisy Lane?

Others altered from antiquated rural names to compliment urban development were Featherbed Road which became Parsonage Road in 1924; Sour Milk Hall Lane changed to Beechwood Road in 1929.

And at present (LET, February 6) residents of Within Grove estate at Huncoat want it renamed as part of a scheme to improve the image of their community. People create "status". Good luck!

J A MARSDEN, Scarborough Road, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.