The City of London was founded over 2,000 years ago, by the Romans, before they eventually left Londinium, leaving the City and its walls for nature to reclaim.
Over the centuries different tribes and groups moved to within the old city walls. Eventually these small villages coalesced into large hamlets and villages. And as they grew and expanded alleys, avenues, lanes, passages, pathways, streets, yards and walks were formed, creating thoroughfares. However, there were no roads.
This is because the Romans had streets, which comes from the Latin 'strata', making the word 'street' one of the oldest continually used words in the English language.
It wouldn't be until the late 1500s that the word 'road' would enter the English language. 'Road' is derived from the Old English word 'rad', which means 'a riding journey, usually with hostile intent', hence the word 'raid'.
As the City of London had been around for centuries, before this, all of its thoroughfares were already named.
In 1994 everything changed, for the City of London. Boundary changes were put in place which caused the City of London to 'absorb' part of Goswell Road from neighbouring Islington.
Ironically, Goswell Road was known as Goswell Street, up until 1864.
Goswell Road is over three quarters of a mile in length, but only about 100 yards of it falls within the City boundary. So, technically, there is still not a single entire road within the City of London.
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