Place Name
Takes its name after one of the Olympian deities in classical mythology, Apollo was the god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the Sun and light, as well as poetry. The road was clearly laid out but unnamed on the Ordnance Survey map published in 1968, so it was likely inspired by the Apollo moon landing programme, which was itself named after the Greek and Roman god. It is one of a cluster of streets around Eastbury Park Northwood named after stars to represent the area’s association with the Royal Air Force. The Ministry of Defence website explains this “was the home of The Headquarters of Coastal Command, Royal Air Force from 1939 to 1969 and is now the home of its successor HQ 3 Group. It was in fact the RAF who started going underground to build their Headquarters. In 1953 the Headquarters of the NATO Commander-in-Chief Eastern Atlantic Area was established at Northwood.” Today the site is the base of the Permanent Joint Headquarters, which plans and directs all joint military operations abroad.
