On Tue, 31 Mar 2009, Mr Thant wrote:

On Mar 31, 11:21*pm, Tom Anderson wrote:
But that doesn't make a huge amount of sense to me. I don't see how any
branch going to Spitalfields could have anything to do with Cambridge
Heath.

If you look on Google Maps just south of Selby Street (north of
Whitechapel station) there's a bit where the cutting widens to the east,
which was the junction for Spitalfields goods yard. If you scroll up a
bit you can see a chunky curve of disused viaduct that led the GER
depot.

Aha, yes, thanks. I've never looked at this area on an aerial photo
properly before - there's loads of viaduct. Must have been an amazing
sight when the Bishopsgate and Spitalfields goods yards were still going.

The definition of "Spitalfields" must have been wider in the past,

Quite!

though Spitalfields City Farm is not far from the goods yard site.

The so-called wikipedia says that the name Spitalfields comes from the
back end of 'St Mary's Hospital Fields' (St Mary's Hospital being a
12th-century priory):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitalfields

I assume the front end gave us St Mary's station, and latterly curve.
Anyway, i suppose for a long time Spitalfields would have meant all the
former land of that priory, which was probably quite a lot. These days, i
tend to think of it as just meaning the market.

tom

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DO NOT WANT!