The pole itself had no decoration or carving or anything at all to mark it out as interesting. It was simply a long stick used by the washerwomen of  China Lane to keep their laundry lines out of the mud. No-one ever discovered the true source of its magic but it is well known that William Birch, the washerwoman’s son,  was the first to discover the Pole’s power. 

 

He was a canny young man and he set himself up in a little booth at the narrowest point of China Lane. Whenever a carter with a wide load came by, he’d charge tuppence to broaden the passage just enough to allow them through. Day by day the tuppences piled up and William dreamed of becoming a rich man.

 

But every time William used the pole, the street grew wider and more carters could pass without his help. After a mere month, the street was too wide for even the pole to reach across it.  William’s dreams of riches crumbled. He gave up his booth and his tuppences and after a lot of grumbling went back to help his ma-am and the laundry. 

 

And that is the story of how China Lane became China Street, as wide as it is today and no more.