Surveyor William Mackenzie had a penchant for Shakespearean street names

Falstaff Street was part of a survey laid out by William Mackenzie in 1853 that also included Milton and Shakespeare streets. It seems Mackenzie liked the tradition of using Shakespearean and literary names for Stratford streets.

Falstaff Street is named after Sir John Falstaff, one of the most famous comic characters in Shakespeare’s plays. Falstaff has been described as an obese, witty, bawdy, old knight known for his heavy drinking, lying and thieving. He was a boastful drinking companion of Prince Hal, who later became King Henry V.

While famous, Falstaff appears in only three of Shakespeare’s plays — Henry IV, Parts I and Il, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Though he does not appear in the play, Henry V, Falstaff’s death is reported there. In the first versions of the Henry IV plays, Sir John Oldcastle........

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