Union Street is nicknamed Smelly Alley EVERY town has quirky nicknames for local landmarks or areas that the community has carried on for many years. Reading is no different with Smelly Alley in Union Street being one of the many fond nicknames that has lasted generations. Now, researchers at the University of Reading (UoR) and Museum of English Rural Life (The MERL) are hoping to find out more about local nicknames. Teams are particularly interest in looking at the informal place names that have been coined by children due to their surroundings. Historians want people to complete a survey on the local lingo. This can be names children are using now, or names adults remember using when they were young.