In the eighteenth century Kentish Town was 'the' village in the large parish
of St Pancras, the centre of religious, social and political life. A place of
mansions and farms, with the river Fleets meandering through the fields, it was
a pleasant, healthy and quiet settlement outside the immediate lure of London.
But vast changes in the nineteenth century saw the local influence of Kentish
Town diminish and virtually disappear. How this happened is told in this new
history.
Though much of Kentish Town when developed became the home of well-to-do
people, another part of it was bedevilled by the onslaught of several railways.
For over a hundred years the two sides of Kentish Town, west and east, have been
divided by large tracts of railway lands that are hardly seen or noticed.
Since the last war, a great deal of the area has been razed and redeveloped,
but on the other hand the houses on the better nineteenth-century estates have
been renovated and spruced up.
The author also explores the medieval history of Kentish Town and attempts,
with the aid of documents and maps, to track down some elusive but important
houses.
Contents:
Acknowledgements
The Illustrations
The Early Village
Manors and Estates
Elusive Houses
The River Fleet
Kentish Town Chapel
A Gentleman's Retreat
The Making of the Junction Road
Good Intentions
Developing the Estates
Schooldays
Inn Places
Kentish Town People, 1805
Mr King and his Panorama
Divided by Lines
A Burst of Churches
Slums and Saviours
Body and Mind
Trading Places
The Social Side
Factories Hidden Away
Time of War
The St Pancras Rent Strike
Famous Names
Ideals and Actualities
Sources
Further Reading
Index
