This street, a cul-de-sac running west from Bedford Place, dates from the 1840s. It is shown in partial outline on the Town Map of 1845-46, which suggests it was then being developed. Canton Street and the nearby Amoy Street were named after battles in the Opium War against China in 1840-42, Canton and Amoy being ports which fell to British forces during that conflict. Local builder John Snook, who was responsible for much of the building in the Bedford Place area, had two sons who were involved in the British military operations, so he may have had personal reasons for naming the streets thus.
Further reading:
Southampton Occasional Notes,, by ‘Townsman’, p55. (HS/h)
More Stories of Southampton Streets, by A. G. K. Leonard, p27-9. (HS/h)
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