Elephant and Castle or Infanta of Castile

A. The Elephant and Castle, an important road junction in south-east London with brutal 60s architecture and a pink shopping centre, is said to be corrupted from the name Infanta of Castile, traditionally Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I. Iomfats asked us if that was the case

Q. What's an infanta

A. In Spain and Portugal, the infanta was the eldest daughter of the monarch without a claim to the throne.

Q. So how could a nubile Spanish royal be confused with a bit of sarf London

A. One version of the tale is that this Spanish princess was sent over to marry the king. She arrived from Dover via the Old Kent Road and stopped in this part of south London to prepare for her triumphant entry into the city. Her name was misheard as 'elephant and castle'.

Q. That seems a possibility, surely

A. Frankly, no. Edward was king 1272-1307 - and Eleanor wasn't an infanta- the term wasn't used until the 1600s.

Q. So what's it all about then The pub sign is of an elephant and castle.

A. The elephant and castle on the pub sign is a howdah on the back of the elephant, a seat traditionally used by hunters in India. The pub called the Elephant and Castle was converted about 1760 from a blacksmith's that had had the same name and sign. This had connections with the Cutlers' Company, a London craft guild that represented workers who made knives, scissors and surgical instruments. The guild used the same emblem. So it's likely that the infanta tale is spurious.

Q. So all in all, it's just a boring road junction

A. Certainly not! Charlie Chaplin was born nearby; there's a fascinating stainless steel structure on the roundabout and nearby is the London College of Printing, where many of Fleet Street's finest studied journalism.

To ask more People & Places questions, please click
here

By Steve Cunningham