Street name hunter finds more than she bargained for

What's in a name? Well, quite a lot if you have become obsessed with tracking down - and visiting - every street name in the country that bears your name.

And for artist Shelley Jacobs her visit to Ongar, Essex, will remain among the most memorable because not only did she get to see Shelley Close, but she also discovered that a part of the town is named after her, as well as a convenience store, Shelley Stores, and a primary school.

Recalling how she started her search for Shelley road names, she said: "When I was a kid I was quite frustrated and disappointed that I could never find any gifts - such as pens - on racks in shops with my name on, so it really started a life-long obsession."

An internet search on street map websites revealed some 288 streets in the country bearing the name Shelley, and so began what has become something of an obsession.

So far Shelley has visited and taken photographs of about 100 of the Shelley-named streets and roads, including Shelley Close in Ongar, and Shelley Grove in Loughton, one of 14 so-named roads in the country.

Shelley, 29, started her road name search in January last year as a project for her MA fine arts degree at Nottingham Trent University.