In article , Andrew
writes
Do you know, I always wondered where the name of Staples Corner came from, I
felt it couldn't be after the office equipment/stationery company, in spite
of their presence.

I'm not sure when the furniture store closed. Guessing wildly, perhaps
15 years ago? I'd be interested to know if anyone remembers which corner
of the junction had the Staples store, and did it close before or after
the E/W North Circular flyover was built.

The office equipment store was their 2nd or 3rd in the UK [I forget if
it or the Cambridge one opened earliest]. Oddly, the PC World across the
road was also the third one of those (and before it was bought by
Dixons), the first being Croydon, second at Lakeside.

The Staples was built on the site of the former B&Q which was damaged by
the IRA bombing of the flyover (Oct 8th 93), and without doing more
research probably opened in the summer of 94 (that N/S flyover was still
closed). B&Q didn't want to redevelop the site as they were only opening
"B&Q Depots" at the time, and the site wasn't big enough.
--
"now, the thing you type on and the window you stare out of are the same thing"