Tothill Street,
Westminster,
London, runs due
west from
Broad Sanctuary, at the west end of
Westminster Abbey, to join
Broadway outside the headquarters of
London Regional Transport at
St James's Park station. The street is named for the
Tothill Fields, an area close to the Abbey where medieval monarchs used to hold
tournaments, close to the
Palace of Westminster. We recall that legend has it
King Arthur drew the sword from the stone in Westminster Abbey churchyard while attending a tournament with
Sir Ector and
Sir Kay.
'Tothill' derives from the
Saxon 'tote hill', meaning a watch tower or
look-out point. This structure, situated in the
marshes that were to become
Westminster, must have stood close to the present site of
Westminster Abbey
- but not too close, as it is known to have been standing in the 12th century.
In the 1820s, it was still possible to go hunting and fishing in the area,
which did not become built up until later in the 19th Century.