[HPforGrownups] Re: Vauxhall Road and the Elixir of Life ( was The Diary (just where did V get

[Shaun Hately]

No: HPFGUIDX 86772

On 9 Dec 2003 at 10:06, Shaun Hately wrote:

> On 8 Dec 2003 at 21:54, Geoff Bannister wrote:
> 
> > Geoff:
> > However, before you start re-locating Tom Riddle's orphanage to 
> > Chepstow (I do prefer names like Cas-Gwent and Cas-Newydd to the 
> > mundane English versions), remember that, in canon, the book 
> > carried "the printed name of a newsagent's in Vauxhall Road, LONDON" -
> >  my emphasis.
> 
> Kennington Lane in Kennington (which is part of London) was known for a long 
> time as Vauxhall Road. I'm not sure when the change occurred - I do know it was 
> still Vauxhall Road as late as 1942.

OK - I've been doing some research into this this afternoon.

There *does* appear to have been a Vauxhall Road in London. The name *does* 
seem to have been in use as late as 1942.

And it seems to have been the road either now known as Kennington Road, or 
Kennington Lane.

Now my reasons for these statements - which could be wrong, but I think you'd 
need to be in London with access to historical maps and local knowledge to show 
its wrong.

On July 17th, 1942, workers demolishing the Vauxhall Baptist Church in Vauxhall 
Road, London, found a body. It was initially believed to be a victim of the Blitz (the 
area had been bombed several times in 1940 and 1941) or an old burial from the 
churchyard, but was later identified as Mrs Rachel Dobkin, the wife of Harry 
Dobkin who worked at 302 Vauxhall Road, London. He was later hanged for her 
murder.

I don't have access to the initial accounts - at some point I'll be able to get it, but if 
this is accurate, it does seriously suggest the name Vauxhall Road was still in use 
in 1942. And I've seen one source on the net that says it is what is now known as 
Kennington Lane.

However, looking at old maps of London, the name Kennington Lane seems to 
have been in use in 1942 - so I'm wondering if the street could have been known 
by two different names. This isn't unprecedented in large cities.

I've looked at some old maps - and an 1859 map of London (Reynolds Map of 
Modern London) while Kennington Lane is identified by that name, Kennington 
Road is also identified as Vauxhall Road.

I'm just getting confused here - but I am seeing some indication of the term 
Vauxhall Road in use in 1942 - best approach, I think, to confirm would be to 
consult London newspapers about the Dobkin murder. I can probably do that 
myself at some stage - but it'd probably be a while (it'd require a trip into the State 
Library).


Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately | www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       | drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200 
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one
thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the 
facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be 
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need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who: The Face of Evil
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