The Saturday Street is our weekly series in which we unlock the stories behind the names of London's famous thoroughfares. It's compiled by London Walks guide Karen – listed by Travel + Leisure magazine as The World's Greatest Tour Guide. You can find Karen on Saturdays guiding her Old Westminster and British Museum walks. If you've got a London street query or suggestion, email Karen at the usual address
Piccadilly
Location: SW1
Formerly known as Portugal Street, Piccadilly was renamed in the 17th Century.
Robert Baker made his fortune on The Strand selling piccadills (also called picadils or pickadils) – stiff collars with scalloped edges and a broad lace or perforated border. His grand mansion to the fashionable west of the metropolis was soon dubbed Piccadill (later Piccadilly) Hall.
