“Lads, we need some new road signs for this street in Charlton – you know, we need to tell ’em we’re now a royal borough and all that. Can you sort that for me?”
“Of course, boss, what’s it called?”
“It’s called Sutlej Road. Runs between Marlborough Lane and Canberra Road.”
“How do you spell that, then?”
“It’s S-U-T-L-E-J.”
“Got that boss – leave us to it.”
“Good. And remember – it’s Royal Borough of Greenwich now.”
(In case you were wondering, Sutlej is a river in the Punjab. Thanks to Adham Smart for the tip-off.)
The Charlton Champion 
I’ve been puzzled by Sutlej road for a few years now, wondering why it should be named after a river flowing down from the Himalayas, that I only knew of from mountaineering trips.
Recently I found the answer through the Charlton Parks reminiscence project. http://www.charltonparks.co.uk/the-parks/charlton-house-estate/#tour-3
Viscount Gough, of Charlton House, amongst other titles is 5th Baron of Sutlej. This goes back to battles fought by the 1st Baron in the Punjab, in the days of the Raj. http://www.britishbattles.com/first-sikh-war/sobraon.htm
For balance: it happened the other way round too. For years the sign for the road to your right at the top of the hill as you come up Charlton Lane said ‘Farifield Grove.’ People living on the road had some affection for it, and after all, they had managed to spell it right at the other end of the road and 50% is a pass mark most places. Somebody at the council had noticed it after all though it seems because it was one of the first SE7 signs to be replaced under the Royal branding.
There are a few sign cock-ups around the place – Holgate Street, by the Thames Barrier, has gained an extra “e” on one or two of its signs. It does amaze me how nobody thinks to double-check these things.
I fail to see why the old sign needed replacing, as the condition looks good. I thought the council was only replacing these signs if they were damaged or worn out. I like the name Sutlej, and it’s meaning – thanks for the information.
How much do you think these signs cost? council employees should be more responsible for their negligence in Grammar!!!
You would have thought the people that installed it would have seen something amiss. The old sign was staring them in the face.
The saying, “You’re not here to think, laddie’ comes to mind.
Regarding the replacement of the street name plates with royal Greenwich plates in the borough…
Why is it that a sign can be changed on one end of the street and not the other end?
Spelling mistakes? Wow that’s bad. Think of all the implications.
Is there a plan as to when a particular street will have the new plates ? Is there any way Charlton Church Lane can get a new set of plates (including the top end at the village and the lower end at Woolwich road and in between where required.
Surely main roads should be done first and tiny streets can be done later. Are they done alphabetically? Who is in charge of managing this task and could I possibly apply for this job. I understand this is a huge project. However, some of us take pride in the area where we live and need improvements.
Charles