Cape Town expats in the UK: Recognise these nine place names?

For South African expats in the UK, the strangest moments of nostalgia come from the most unexpected places – like walking past a street sign and realising it shares a name with the suburb you grew up in back home.

I grew up on a street bearing the word Gloucester in Cape Town, named after the English county I’d never given much thought to. Fast forward twenty years, and I now walk past Kenilworth Court daily on my way home in Putney – coincidentally sharing a name with the Cape Town suburb I once lived near. It got me thinking: how many Cape Town expats have unknowingly traced these colonial naming patterns in reverse?

The Unexpected Bridge Between Home and Away

But here’s what I want to know from fellow Cape Town expats in the UK: do you make these connections too? When you’re jumping on a train to Goodwood for the races, do you think of Cape Town’s Northern Suburbs? When you pass a sign for Claremont, does it remind you of that leafy southern suburb and Cavendish Square? Or am I the only one getting a weird kick out of the coincidence that my London address shares its name with a Cape Town suburb I once lived near?

Turns out, there are at least nine Cape Town place names that have identical matches across the UK – from Welsh seaside resorts to English market towns. It’s like a geographical treasure hunt that most of us never realised we were playing.

A Complex Heritage

Before we dive into the nostalgia, it’s worth acknowledging the complex history behind these names. Many of Cape Town’s British place names reflect the colonial era’s practice of imposing familiar references from ‘home’ onto indigenous landscapes – a form of cultural mapping that helped settlers feel less displaced while simultaneously displacing local names and histories.

Today, as South African expats, we experience these names differently – not as symbols of conquest, but as unexpected bridges between our old and new homes. Still, the irony isn’t lost: we’re now immigrants ourselves, navigating the very places that once named our childhood streets.

The Complete List: Cape Town Meets the UK

Here are the nine exact matches that might surprise you:

1. Kenilworth: This upmarket Cape Town suburb takes its name from the historic town in Warwickshire, England, famous for its castle ruins. Both share a reputation for being rather posh, though the English version has significantly fewer jacaranda trees. (And yes, I’m not confused – we do have jacaranda trees in Cape Town, you can find them in the Arderne Gardens.)

2. Claremont: From Cape Town’s bustling shopping district to various UK locations including areas in London and Surrey. The name appears multiple times across Britain, making it one of the most widely shared between the countries.

3. Llandudno: Cape Town’s exclusive beach suburb shares its name with the famous Welsh seaside resort. Both offer stunning coastal views, though the Welsh version is considerably more windswept and features significantly fewer shipwrecks.

4. Goodwood: The Cape Town suburb known for its historic Wingfield Aerodrome, a former military and municipal airport used during World War Two until 1954, and northern suburbs location was named after Goodwood in West Sussex, home to the famous racecourse. Both places have strong transportation links – just different kinds.

5. Newlands: Home to the famous cricket ground and now retired rugby stadium, Cape Town’s Newlands shares its name with multiple locations across the UK. The sporting connection feels fitting, given both countries’ love affair with rugby and cricket.

6. Woodstock: The trendy, gentrifying Cape Town suburb that’s become an art and foodie hub was named after Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England. The English version is considerably quieter and has fewer craft breweries.

7. Somerset West: This Helderberg town was named after Lord Charles Somerset, a British colonial governor. There’s a whole county called Somerset in England, making this one of the more obvious connections for those who know their British geography.

8. Wellington: The Cape Winelands town honours the Duke of Wellington, victor of Waterloo, and shares its name with Wellington in Somerset, England (among other UK locations). Both are known for their rural charm, though the South African version has notably better wine.

9. Rosebank: While Johannesburg’s Rosebank is more famous, Cape Town has its own version. The name appears in several locations across the UK, reflecting the Victorian-era love of optimistic, garden-inspired place names.

The Cape Town Expat Experience

What makes this particularly fascinating for Cape Town expats is how these names create unexpected moments of recognition. You might find yourself double-taking at a train station sign, or feeling a weird sense of familiarity when someone mentions their weekend plans.

It’s also a reminder of how place names carry stories – not just of the landscapes they describe, but of the people who named them and the histories they represent. For us, living in the UK means we’re experiencing these names from the “other side” of colonial history, often discovering that the “original” places are nothing like we imagined them to be.

Have you made these connections as a South African expat in the UK? Share your stories on our socials – we’d love to hear about your own moments of geographical déjà vu.

Found this interesting? Share it with fellow South African expats who might be surprised to discover they’re living closer to “home” than they realised.