Shakespeare inspires thousands of road and house names - says the Royal Mail

THERE are over 12,000 street and house names in the UK related to William Shakespeare and his works, the Royal Mail has said.

It has published the figures today, Monday, 23rd April - the anniversary of the Bard of Avon's birth and death.

Westcliff-On-Sea in Southend (124) and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight (45) are some of the more surprising of the nation’s Shakespeare hotspots.

But it is London that has the most at over 2,000, followed by Leeds (237), Nottingham (215) and Bristol (162).

There are 45 in Stratford-upon-Avon - a third of the 128 in neighbouring Warwick, the fifth most in the country.

Hamlet has 500 streets and houses honouring the play, while A Midsummer Night’s Dream is also very influential, with over 300 related addresses.The Montague family from Romeo and Juliet is one of the largest inspirations for Shakespeare-related addresses, with over 1,000 street and house names.

Some of the Bard’s less well-known plays have also inspired the naming of the nation’s addresses, with 25 roads named after Titus Andronicus, and over 100 Achilles-related addresses from Troilus & Cressida.

Steve Rooney, head of Royal Mail’s address management unit, said: “Delivering mail to over 30 million addresses, six days a week, gives us an unparalleled view of the nation’s street and house names, and sometimes the results are fascinating.

“It’s no secret that William Shakespeare and his works form an enormous part of British history and identity, but it’s fascinating to see that his legacy is felt so profoundly across the entire country.”