Chalton Street, NW1

Chalton Street was formerly Charlton Street.

Until 1800, the whole of the Somers Town area (the triangular space between the Hampstead, Pancras, and Euston Roads) was almost exclusively pastoral. With the exception of a few straggling houses near the "Mother Red Cap," at Camden Town, and also a few roundabout the old church of St. Pancras, there was nothing to interrupt the view of the Hampstead uplands from Queen’s Square and the Foundling Hospital.

Mr Jacob Leroux became the principal landowner under Lord Somers. The former built a handsome house for himself, and various streets were named from the title of the noble lord.

Jacob Leroux (c.1737-1799) was born in Covent Garden. In 1766 he was employed by Francis and William Goodge to supervise the development of their estate near Tottenham Court Road. In 1768 Leroux was engaged by Isaac Mallorie and John Carnac to design their planned Polygon development in Southampton - an ambitious scheme designed to match the new, genteel buildings of other spa towns like Bath and Tunbridge Wells.

In 1793 Leroux erected a second Polygon, with the same layout as that planned in Southampton, on the Somers estate. This scheme fared rather better than the Southampton Polygon, but was similarly not fully completed.

Charlton Street was laid out with barracks for the Life Guards regiment. It continued north as Union Street and Stibbington Street before these were renamed and combined as "Chalton Street".

Gradual advances were made on the north side of the New Road (now the Euston Road), from Tottenham Court Road, and, finally, the buildings on the south side reached the line of Gower Street. The gap between Southampton Place and Somers Town was soon one vast brick-field. The barracks in Charlton Street, became covered by Clarendon Square.

The Company of Skinners owned thirty acres of land which covered the north side of the New Road from Somers Place to Battle Bridge (Kings Cross) which then became when built Skinner Street, Judd Street and Tonbridge Place and other streets.

In Chalton Street, a public house was built - the Somers Town Coffee House. Before it was a pub it was the only coffee-house in the neighbourhood. "Early in the last century Somers Town was a delightful and rural suburb, with fields and flowergardens. A short distance down the hill," writes a Mr Larwood in the nineteenth century, "were the then famous Bagnigge Wells, and close by the remains of Totten Hall, with the ’Adam and Eve’ tea-gardens, and the so-called King John’s Palace. At this time the coffee-house was a popular place of resort, much frequented by the foreigners of the neighbourhood as well as by the pleasure-seeking cockney from the distant city. There were near at hand other public-houses and places of entertainment, but the speciality of this establishment was its coffee. As the traffic increased, it became a posting-house, uniting the business of an inn with the profits of a tea-garden. Gradually the demand for coffee fell off, and that for malt and spirituous liquors increased. At present the gardens are all built over, and the old gateway forms part of the modern bar; but there are in the neighbourhood aged persons who remember Sunday-school excursions to this place, and pic-nic parties from the crowded city, making merry here in the grounds."

Main source:	Somers Town and Euston Square \| British History Online
	Further citations and sources

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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

Fumblina Whitfield Street, W1T Added: 21 Feb 2023 11:39 GMT	Error on 1800 map numbering for John Street The 1800 map of Whitfield Street (17 zoom) has an error in the numbering shown on the map. The houses are numbered up the right hand side of John Street and Upper John Street to #47 and then are numbered down the left hand side until #81 BUT then continue from 52-61 instead of 82-91. Reply
Roy Batham Covent Garden Added: 7 Jan 2022 07:17 GMT	Smithy in Longacre John Burris 1802-1848 Listed 1841 census as Burroughs was a blacksmith, address just given as Longacre. Source: Batham/Wiseman - Family Tree Reply
Reg Carr Elstree Street, N1C Added: 10 Feb 2021 12:11 GMT	Campbellite Meeting In 1848 the Campbellites (Disciples of Christ) met in Elstree Street, where their congregation was presided over by a pastor named John Black. Their appointed evangelist at the time was called David King, who later became the Editor of the British Millennial Harbinger. The meeting room was visited in July 1848 by Dr John Thomas, who spoke there twice on his two-year ’mission’ to Britain. Reply
Scott Hatton Blackmoor Street, WC2B Added: 11 Sep 2020 19:47 GMT	Millions Of Rats In Busy London The Daily Mail on 14 April 1903 reported "MILLIONS OF RATS IN BUSY LONDON" A rat plague, unprecedented in the annals of London, has broken out on the north side of the Strand. The streets principally infested are Catherine street, Drury lane, Blackmore street, Clare Market and Russell street. Something akin to a reign of terror prevails among the inhabitants after nightfall. Women refuse to pass along Blackmore street and the lower parts of Stanhope street after dusk, for droves of rats perambulate the roadways and pavements, and may be seen running along the window ledges of the empty houses awaiting demolition by the County Council in the Strand to Holborn improvement scheme. The rats, indeed, have appeared in almost-incredible numbers. "There are millions of them," said one shopkeeper, and his statement was supported by other residents. The unwelcome visitors have been evicted from their old haunts by the County Council housebreakers, and are now busily in search of new homes. The Gaiety Restaurant has been the greatest sufferer. Rats have invaded the premises in such force that the managers have had to close the large dining room on the first floor and the grill rooms on the ground floor and in the basement. Those three spacious halls which have witnessed many as semblages of theatre-goers are now qui:e deserted. Behind the wainscot of the bandstand in the grillroom is a large mound of linen shreds. This represents 1728 serviettes carried theee by the rats. In the bar the removal of a panel disclosed the astonishing fact that the rats have dragged for a distance of seven or eight yards some thirty or forty beer and wine bottles and stacked them in such a fashion as to make comfortable sleeping places. Mr Williams. the manager of the restaurant, estimates that the rats have destroyed L200 worth of linen. Formerly the Gaiety Restaurant dined 2000 persons daily; no business whatever is now done in this direction. Reply
Carol Gifford Street, N1 Added: 7 May 2021 18:44 GMT	Nan My nan lily,her sister Elizabeth and their parents Elizabeth and William lived here in1911 Reply
Scott Hatton Savile Row, W1S Added: 30 Jan 2023 11:28 GMT	The Beatles on a London rooftop The Beatles’ rooftop concert took place on the rooftop of the Apple Corps building in London. It was their final public performance as a band and was unannounced, attracting a crowd of onlookers. The concert lasted for 42 minutes and included nine songs. The concert is remembered as a seminal moment in the history of rock music and remains one of the most famous rock performances of all time. Reply
Julian Collingwood House, W1W Added: 23 Mar 2021 10:11 GMT	Dennis Potter Author Dennis Potter lived in Collingwood House in the 1970’s Reply
Jessie Doring Tisbury Court, W1D Added: 22 Feb 2021 04:33 GMT	Tisbury Court Jazz Bar Jazz Bar opened in Tisbury Court by 2 Australians. Situated in underground basement. Can not remember how long it opened for. Reply
BG Lancing Street, NW1 Added: 20 Dec 2022 02:58 GMT	Lancing Street, NW1 LANCING STREET Reply
P Cash Woburn Place, WC1H Added: 19 Feb 2023 08:03 GMT	Occupants of 19-29 Woburn Place The Industrial Tribunals (later changed to Employment Tribunals) moved (from its former location on Ebury Bridge Road to 19-29 Woburn Place sometime in the late 1980s (I believe). 19-29 Woburn Place had nine floors in total (one in the basement and two in its mansard roof and most of the building was occupied by the Tribunals The ’Head Office’ of the tribunals, occupied space on the 7th, 6th and 2nd floors, whilst one of the largest of the regional offices (London North but later called London Central) occupied space in the basement, ground and first floor. The expansive ground floor entrance had white marble flooring and a security desk. Behind (on evey floor) lay a square (& uncluttered) lobby space, which was flanked on either side by lifts. On the rear side was an elegant staircase, with white marble steps, brass inlays and a shiny brass handrail which spiralled around an open well. Both staircase, stairwell and lifts ran the full height of the building. On all floors from 1st upwards, staff toilets were tucked on either side of the staircase (behind the lifts). Basement Floor - Tribunal hearing rooms, dormant files store and secure basement space for Head Office. Public toilets. Geound Floor - The ’post’ roon sat next to the entrance in the northern side, the rest of which was occupied by the private offices of the full time Tribunal judiciary. Thw largest office belonged to the Regional Chair and was situated on the far corner (overlooking Tavistock Square) The secretary to the Regional Chair occupied a small office next door. The south side of this floor was occupied by the large open plan General Office for the administration, a staff kitchen & rest room and the private offices of the Regional Secretary (office manager) and their deputy. First Dloor - Tribunal hearing rooms; separate public waiting rooms for Applicants & Respondents; two small rooms used by Counsel (on a ’whoever arrives first’ bases) and a small private rest room for use by tribunal lay members. Second Floor - Tribunal Hearing Rooms; Tribunal Head Office - HR & Estate Depts & other tennants. Third Floor - other tennants Fourth Floor - other tennants Fifth Floor - Other Tennants except for a large non-smoking room for staff, (which overlooked Tavistock Sqaure). It was seldom used, as a result of lacking any facities aside from a meagre collection of unwanted’ tatty seating. Next to it, (overlooking Tavistock Place) was a staff canteen. Sixth Floor - Other tennants mostly except for a few offices on the northern side occupied by tribunal Head Office - IT Dept. Seventh Floor - Other tenants in the northern side. The southern (front) side held the private offices of several senior managers (Secretariat, IT & Finance), private office of the Chief Accuntant; an office for two private secretaries and a stationary cupboard. On the rear side was a small kitchen; the private office of the Chief Executive and the private office of the President of the Tribunals for England & Wales. (From 1995 onwards, this became a conference room as the President was based elsewhere. The far end of this side contained an open plan office for Head Office staff - Secretariat, Finance & HR (staff training team) depts. Eighth Floor - other tennants. The Employment Tribunals (Regional & Head Offices) relocated to Vitory House, Kingsway in April 2005. Reply

LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Sue Meyrick Road, SW11 Added: 24 Sep 2023 19:09 GMT	Meyrick Rd My family - Roe - lived in poverty at 158 Meyrick Rd in the 1920s, moving to 18 Lavender Terrace in 1935. They also lived in York Rd at one point. Alf, Nell (Ellen), plus children John, Ellen (Did), Gladys, Joyce & various lodgers. Alf worked for the railway (LMS). Reply
Michael Tyrrell Avenue, DA16 Added: 20 Sep 2023 21:10 GMT	Momentous Birth! I was born in the upstairs front room of 28 Tyrrell Avenue in August 1938. I was a breach birth and quite heavy ( poor Mum!). My parents moved to that end of terrace house from another rental in St Mary Cray where my three year older brother had been born in 1935. The estate was quite new in 1938 and all the properties were rented. My Father was a Postman. I grew up at no 28 all through WWII and later went to Little Dansington School Reply
Mike Levy Arbour Square, E1 Added: 19 Sep 2023 18:10 GMT	Bombing of Arbour Square in the Blitz On the night of September 7, 1940. Hyman Lubosky (age 35), his wife Fay (or Fanny)(age 32) and their son Martin (age 17 months) died at 11 Arbour Square. They are buried together in Rainham Jewish Cemetery. Their grave stones read: "Killed by enemy action" Reply
Lady Townshend Bridge House Added: 8 Sep 2023 16:02 GMT	Tenant at Westbourne (1807 - 1811) I think that the 3rd Marquess Townshend - at that time Lord Chartley - was a tenant living either at Westbourne Manor or at Bridge House. He undertook considerable building work there as well as creating gardens. I am trying to trace which house it was. Any ideas gratefully received Reply
Alex Britton Roding Valley Added: 30 Aug 2023 10:43 GMT	Late opening The tracks through Roding Valley were opened on 1 May 1903 by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) on its Woodford to Ilford line (the Fairlop Loop). But the station was not opened until 3 February 1936 by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER, successor to the GER). Source: Roding Valley tube station - Wikipedia Reply
Kevin Pont Roding Valley Added: 30 Aug 2023 09:52 GMT	Shhh.... Roding Valley is the quietest tube station, each year transporting the same number of passengers as Waterloo does in one day. Reply
Kevin Pont Dollis Hill Added: 30 Aug 2023 09:47 GMT	The connection with Bletchley Park The code-breaking computer used at Bletchley Park was built in Dollis Hill. Reply
Kevin Pont Hampstead Added: 29 Aug 2023 15:25 GMT	The deepest station At 58m below ground, Hampstead is as deep as Nelson’s Column is tall. Source: Hampstead tube station - Wikipedia Reply

NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE

’Royal Blue’ horse omnibus outside 5 Euston Road The bus carries route information and an advert for Selfridge’s.

’Royal Blue’ horse omnibus outside 5 Euston Road

Ampthill Square Estate The Ampthill Square Estate (also known as the Ampthill Estate) is a housing estate built in the mid 1960s to replace Victorian housing in the area.

Ampthill Square Estate

Ossulston Estate The Ossulston Estate is a multi-storey council estate built by the London County Council in Somers Town between 1927 and 1931.

Ossulston Estate

Rhodes Farm Rhodes Farm was situated on Hampstead Road.

Rhodes Farm

Somers Town Somers Town is a district close to three main line rail termini - Euston, St Pancras and King’s Cross.

Somers Town

St James Gardens St James Gardens were used as a burial ground between 1790 and 1853.

St James Gardens

NEARBY STREETS

Aldenham House, NW1 Aldenham House is located on Aldenham Street.

Aldenham House, NW1

Aldenham Mews, NW1 Aldenham Mews was situated off Aldenham Street.

Aldenham Mews, NW1

Aldenham Street, NW1 Aldenham Street – Richard Platt, 16th century brewer and local landowner, gave land for the endowment of Aldenham School, Hertfordshire.

Aldenham Street, NW1

Ampthill Square, NW1 Ampthill Square is a name which has existed in two different time periods.

Ampthill Square, NW1

Argyle Walk, WC1H Argyle Walk is named for Argyll in Scotland.

Argyle Walk, WC1H

Barclay Street, NW1 Barclay Street led from Aldenham Street northwards to Medburn Street.

Barclay Street, NW1

Barnby Street, NW1 Barnby Street is a street in Camden Town.

Barnby Street, NW1

Battle Bridge Place, N1C Battle Bridge Place is the traditional name for a newer area of King’s Cross.

Battle Bridge Place, N1C

Belgrove Street, WC1H Belgrove Street, formerly Belgrave Street, leads south from Euston Road.

Belgrove Street, WC1H

Bentham House, WC1H Bentham House is sited on Endsleigh Gardens.

Bentham House, WC1H

Bidborough Street, NW1 Bidborough Street is one of the streets of London in the WC1H postal area.

Bidborough Street, NW1

Bridgeway Street, NW1 Bridgeway Street is a street in Camden Town.

Bridgeway Street, NW1

Brill Place, NW1 Brill Place is named after the former Brill Row in the area.

Brill Place, NW1

Brill Row, NW1 Brill Row was one of many small streets which became the basis for a Somers Town market.

Brill Row, NW1

Cardington Street, NW1 Cardington Street is a rare London street in that it closed for good as late as 2017.

Cardington Street, NW1

Cartwright Gardens, WC1H Cartwright Gardens is a crescent-shaped park and street located in Bloomsbury.

Cartwright Gardens, WC1H

Central House, WC1H Central House can be found on Upper Woburn Place.

Central House, WC1H

Chalton House, NW1 Chalton House is a block on Chalton Street.

Chalton House, NW1

Charrington Street, NW1 Charrington Street runs south to north and is a continuation of Ossulston Street.

Charrington Street, NW1

Chenies Place, NW1 Chenies Place is a road in the NW1 postcode area

Chenies Place, NW1

Chill Lane, N1C Chill Lane is a location in London.

Chill Lane, N1C

Christopher Place, NW1 Christopher Place is a street in Camden Town.

Christopher Place, NW1

Church Way, NW1 Church Way is a road in the NW1 postcode area

Church Way, NW1

Churchway, NW1 Churchway is a street in Camden Town.

Churchway, NW1

Clare Court, WC1H Clare Court is a block on Judd Street

Clare Court, WC1H

Clarendon Grove, NW1 Clarendon Grove ran south from Clarendon Square.

Clarendon Grove, NW1

Clarendon House, NW1 Clarendon House is a block on Werrington Street.

Clarendon House, NW1

Coach Road, N1C Coach Road is a road in the N1C postcode area

Coach Road, N1C

Cobourg Street, NW1 Cobourg Street is a street in Camden Town.

Cobourg Street, NW1

Cooper’s Lane, NW1 Cooper’s Lane is a road in the NW1 postcode area

Cooper’s Lane, NW1

Cranleigh Street, NW1 Cranleigh Street is a road in the NW1 postcode area

Cranleigh Street, NW1

Denton Street, N1C Denton Street disappeared under the construction of St Pancras station.

Denton Street, N1C

Doric Way, NW1 Doric Way is a road in the NW1 postcode area

Doric Way, NW1

Drummond Crescent, NW1 Drummond Crescent is a road in the NW1 postcode area

Drummond Crescent, NW1

Drummond Street, NW1 Drummond Street is alternatively known as ’Banglatown’,

Drummond Street, NW1

Duke’s Road, WC1H This is a street in the WC1H postcode area

Duke’s Road, WC1H

Elstree Street, N1C Elstree Street once laid off of St Pancras Road.

Elstree Street, N1C

Endsleigh Gardens, WC1H Endsleigh Gardens is one of the streets of London in the WC1H postal area.

Endsleigh Gardens, WC1H

Euston House, NW1 Euston House is a block on Eversholt Street.

Euston House, NW1

Euston Road, NW1 Euston Road runs from Marylebone Road to King's Cross. The road is part of the London Inner Ring Road and forms part of the London congestion charge zone boundary.

Euston Road, NW1

Euston Square, NW1 This is a street in the NW1 postcode area

Euston Square, NW1

Euston Street, NW1 Euston Street is a street in Camden Town.

Euston Street, NW1

Evergreen House, NW1 Evergreen House is a block on Euston Road.

Evergreen House, NW1

Eversholt House, NW1 Eversholt House is a block on Eversholt Street.

Eversholt House, NW1

Eversholt Street, NW1 Eversholt Street connects Euston with Camden Town.

Eversholt Street, NW1

Flaxman Terrace, WC1H Flaxman Terrace connects Burton Street with Cartwright Gardens.

Flaxman Terrace, WC1H

Foundry Mews, NW1 Foundry Mews is a road in the NW1 postcode area

Foundry Mews, NW1

George Mews, NW1 George Mews lies within the NW1 postcode.

George Mews, NW1

Gladwin House, NW1 Gladwin House is a block on Cranleigh Street.

Gladwin House, NW1

Goldington Street, NW1 Goldington Street is a street in Camden Town.

Goldington Street, NW1

Grafton Place, NW1 Grafton Place is a road in the NW1 postcode area

Grafton Place, NW1

Gridiron Building, N1C A street within the N1C postcode

Gridiron Building, N1C

Hamilton House, WC1H Residential block

Hamilton House, WC1H

Hampden Close, NW1 Hampden Close is a street in Camden Town.

Hampden Close, NW1

Hampstead Road, NW1 Hampstead Road connects the Euston Road with Camden.

Hampstead Road, NW1

Harrington Square, NW1 Harrington Square is named after the Earl of Harrington, one of whose daughters married the seventh Duke of Bedford.

Harrington Square, NW1

Hastings Street, WC1H Hastings Street is one of the streets of London in the WC1H postal area.

Hastings Street, WC1H

Hurdwick House, NW1 Hurdwick House can be found on Harrington Square.

Hurdwick House, NW1

Ian Hamilton House, NW1 Ian Hamilton House is a block on Doric Way.

Ian Hamilton House, NW1

Jessel House, WC1H Jessel House is a building on Judd Street.

Jessel House, WC1H

John Dodgson House, WC1H John Dodgson House is sited on Bidborough Street.

John Dodgson House, WC1H

Johnson House, NW1 Johnson House is a block on Cranleigh Street.

Johnson House, NW1

Judd Street, NW1 This is a street in the NW1 postcode area

Judd Street, NW1

Judd Street, WC1H Judd Street is one of the streets of London in the WC1H postal area.

Judd Street, WC1H

Kelvin House, WC1H Kelvin House is a block on Judd Street.

Kelvin House, WC1H

King’s Boulevard, N1C King’s Boulevard is a road in the N1C postcode area

King’s Boulevard, N1C

King’s Cross Square, N1C King’s Cross Square is a road in the N1C postcode area

King’s Cross Square, N1C

Kings Cross, N1C A street within the N1C postcode

Kings Cross, N1C

Lancing Street, NW1 Lancing Street is a street in Camden Town.

Lancing Street, NW1

Leigh Street, WC1H Leigh Street is one of the streets of London in the WC1H postal area.

Leigh Street, WC1H

Lidlington Place, NW1 Lidlington Place, named after a village in Bedfordshire, connects Houghton Place and Eversholt Street.

Lidlington Place, NW1

Mabledon Place, WC1H After Mabledon in Kent - home county of local 16th-century landowner Andrew Judd.

Mabledon Place, WC1H

Mayford, NW1 Mayford is a street in Camden Town.

Mayford, NW1

Medway Court, WC1H Medway Court can be found on Leigh Street

Medway Court, WC1H

Melton Street, NW1 Melton Street is a street in Camden Town.

Melton Street, NW1

Midland Road, N1C Midland Road is a road in the N1C postcode area

Midland Road, N1C

North Gower Street, NW1 North Gower Street is a street in Camden Town.

North Gower Street, NW1

Northam’s Buildings, NW1 Northam’s Buildings was swept away by the building of St Pancras station.

Northam’s Buildings, NW1

Oakley Square, NW1 Oakley Square is a street in Camden Town.

Oakley Square, NW1

Oakshott Court, NW1 Oakshott Court is a block on Polygon Road.

Oakshott Court, NW1

One Kings Cross, N1C A street within the N1C postcode

One Kings Cross, N1C

One Pancras Square, N1C A street within the N1C postcode

One Pancras Square, N1C

Ossulston Street, NW1 Ossulston Street is a street in Camden Town.

Ossulston Street, NW1

Pancras Road, N1C Pancras Road is a road in the N1C postcode area

Pancras Road, N1C

Pancras Road, NW1 Pancras Road is a street in Camden Town.

Pancras Road, NW1

Pancras Square, N1C This is a street in the N1C postcode area

Pancras Square, N1C

Penryn Street, NW1 Penryn Street is a road in the NW1 postcode area

Penryn Street, NW1

Perry Street, N1C Perry Street was buried by St Pancras station.

Perry Street, N1C

Phoenix Road, NW1 Phoenix Road is a street in Camden Town.

Phoenix Road, NW1

Polygon Road, NW1 Polygon Road is a street in Camden Town.

Polygon Road, NW1

Prankerd House, NW1 Prankerd House is a block on North Gower Street.

Prankerd House, NW1

Purchese Street, NW1 Purchese Street is a road in the NW1 postcode area

Purchese Street, NW1

Quantum House, NW1 Quantum House is a block on Euston Street.

Quantum House, NW1

Regnart Buildings, NW1 Regnart Buildings may date from the 1810s decade.

Regnart Buildings, NW1

Ryedale House, NW1 Ryedale House is a block on Eversholt Street.

Ryedale House, NW1

Sandwich House, WC1H Sandwich House is a block on Sandwich Street.

Sandwich House, WC1H

Sandwich Street, WC1H Sandwich Street is one of the streets of London in the WC1H postal area.

Sandwich Street, WC1H

Seymour House, NW1 Residential block

Seymour House, NW1

Sinclair House, WC1H Residential block

Sinclair House, WC1H

Smith Street, N1C Smith Street was buried under St Pancras station.

Smith Street, N1C

Somers Close, NW1 Somers Close is a road in the NW1 postcode area

Somers Close, NW1

Speedy Place, WC1H Speedy Place is one of the streets of London in the WC1H postal area.

Speedy Place, WC1H

St Margarets House, NW1 St Margarets House is a block on Polygon Road.

St Margarets House, NW1

St Martin’s House, NW1 St Martin’s House is a block on Polygon Road.

St Martin’s House, NW1

St Richard’s House, NW1 St Richard’s House is a block on Eversholt Street.

St Richard’s House, NW1

St. Philip’s Way, N1C A street within the N1C postcode

St. Philip’s Way, N1C

Stanley Building, N1C Stanley Building is a block on Pancras Square.

Stanley Building, N1C

Starcross Street, NW1 Starcross Street is a street in Camden Town.

Starcross Street, NW1

Thanet House, WC1H Thanet House is a block on Thanet Street.

Thanet House, WC1H

Thanet Street, WC1H Thanet Street is one of the streets of London in the WC1H postal area.

Thanet Street, WC1H

The Circle, N1C The Circle is a road in the N1C postcode area

The Circle, N1C

The Gridiron, N1C A street within the N1C postcode

The Gridiron, N1C

The Polygon The Polygon was an early housing estate, a Georgian building with 15 sides and three storeys that contained 32 houses.

The Polygon

Tiger House, WC1H Tiger House is a block on Burton Street.

Tiger House, WC1H

Tonbridge Street, WC1H Tonbridge Street is one of the streets of London in the WC1H postal area.

Tonbridge Street, WC1H

Upper Woborn Place, WC1H Upper Woborn Place is one of the streets of London in the WC1H postal area.

Upper Woborn Place, WC1H

Wakefield Street, WC1H Wakefield Street is a road in the WC1H postcode area

Wakefield Street, WC1H

Walker House, NW1 Walker House is a building on Unnamed Road.

Walker House, NW1

Watford Street, NW1 Watford Street was cleared away in the 1860s to make way to St Pancras station.

Watford Street, NW1

Wellesley House, NW1 Wellesley House can be found on Wellesley Place.

Wellesley House, NW1

Werrington Street, NW1 Werrington Street is a street in Camden Town.

Werrington Street, NW1

Whidborne Street, WC1H Whidborne Street is one of the streets of London in the WC1H postal area.

Whidborne Street, WC1H

Whittlebury Street, NW1 Whittlebury Street once laid to the west of Euston station.

Whittlebury Street, NW1

Wilsted Street, NW1 Wilsted Street was the original name for the lower end of Ossulston Street.

Wilsted Street, NW1

Woburn Walk, WC1H Woburn Walk was also known as Woburn Buildings.

Woburn Walk, WC1H

Wolcot House, NW1 Wolcot House is a block on Werrington Street.

Wolcot House, NW1

York Road Curve, N1 York Road Curve is a road in the N1 postcode area

York Road Curve, N1

NEARBY PUBS

Camden People’s Theatre

Cock Tavern The Cock Tavern is on the corner of Phoenix Road and Chalton Street.

Cock Tavern

County Hotel Ground Floor Bar

Secrets

The Place Theatre Bar

The Rocket

Unity Cup

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Somers Town

Somers Town is a district close to three main line rail termini - Euston, St Pancras and King’s Cross.

Historically, the name Somers Town was used for the larger triangular area between the Pancras, Hampstead, and Euston Roads, but it is now taken to mean the rough rectangle bounded by Pancras Road, Euston Road and Eversholt Street.

Somers Town was named after Charles Cocks, 1st Baron Somers (1725–1806). The area was originally granted by William III to John Somers (1651–1716), Lord Chancellor and Baron Somers of Evesham.

In the mid 1750s the New Road was established to bypass the congestion of London; Somers Town lay immediately north of this east-west toll road. In 1784, the first housing was built at the Polygon amid fields, brick works and market gardens on the northern fringes of London. The site of the Polygon is now occupied by a block of council flats called Oakshott Court.

The Polygon deteriorated socially as the surrounding land was subsequently sold off in smaller lots for cheaper housing, especially after the start of construction in the 1830s of the railway lines into Euston, St Pancras and King’s Cross. In this period the area housed a large transient population of labourers and the population density of the area soared. By the late 19th century most of the houses were in multiple occupation, and overcrowding was severe with whole families sometimes living in one room, as confirmed by the social surveys of Charles Booth and Irene Barclay.

When St Luke’s Church, near King’s Cross, was demolished to make way for the construction of the Midland Railway St Pancras Station and its Midland Grand Hotel, the estimated twelve thousand inhabitants of Somers Town at that time were deprived of that place of worship, as the church building was re-erected in Kentish Town. In 1868 the lace merchant and philanthropist George Moore funded a new church, known as Christ Church, and an associated school in Chalton Street with an entrance in Ossulston Street. The school accommodated about six hundred children. Christ Church and the adjacent school were destroyed in a World War II bombing raid and no trace remains today, the site being occupied by a children’s play area and sports court.

Improvement of the slum housing conditions, amongst the worst in the capital, was first undertaken by St Pancras Council in 1906 at Goldington Buildings, at the junction of Pancras Road and Royal College Street, and continued on a larger scale by the St Pancras House Improvement Society (subsequently the St Pancras & Humanist Housing Association, the present owner of Goldington Buildings) which was established in 1924. Further social housing was built by the London County Council, which began construction of the Ossulston Estate in 1927. There remains a small number of older Grade 2 listed properties, mostly Georgian terraced houses.

During the early 1970s the neighbourhood comprising GLC-owned housing in Charrington, Penryn, Platt and Medburn Streets was a centre for the squatting movement.

In the 1980s, some council tenants took advantage of the ’right to buy’ scheme and bought their homes at a substantial discount. Later they moved away from the area. The consequence was an influx of young semi-professional people, resulting in a changing population.

Major construction work along the eastern side of Somers Town was completed in 2008, to allow for the Eurostar trains to arrive at the refurbished St Pancras Station. This involved the excavation of part of the St Pancras Old Churchyard, the human remains being re-interred at St Pancras and Islington Cemetery in East Finchley.

Land at Brill Place, previously earmarked for later phases of the British Library development, became available when the library expansion was cancelled and was used as site offices for the HS1 terminal development and partly to allow for excavation of a tunnel for the new Thameslink station. It was then acquired as the site for the Francis Crick Institute (formerly the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation), a major medical research institute.

LOCAL PHOTOS

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Kings Place from York Way Credit: Alan Stanton TUM image id: 1518888183 Licence: CC BY 2.0	BT Tower The Post Office Tower - now known as the BT Tower - opened in the Fitzrovia area of central London in 1965. The tower’s main structure was 177 metres high. A further section of aerial rigging brought the total height to 191m. It was the tallest building in the UK until London’s NatWest Tower opened in 1980. Credit: Wiki Commons TUM image id: 1481989234 Licence:	Fairyland, 92 Tottenham Court Road (1905) Fairyland was an amusement arcade with a shooting range, owned and run by Henry Stanton Morley (1875-1916) during the period leading up to and during the First World War. It was closed after (unintentionally according to its owners), it was used to practice political assassinations. Notably, attempts on the life of Prime Minister Herbert Asquith (planned but not carried out) and Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie (carried out). TUM image id: 1490541720 Licence:	The British Library TUM image id: 1482066417 Licence: CC BY 2.0	The Carreras Cigarette factory, Mornington Crescent area This started life at the Acadia Works on City Road in the 19th century. It was a small business owned by Don Jose Carreras Ferrer who sold cigarettes, cigars and snuff out of small shops. A black cat began to curl up and sleep in the window of the shop near Leicester Square in Prince’s Street and the shop became known locally as "The Black Cat Shop". After the cigarette making machine was invented, the business required a large factory and moved to Hampstead Road between 1926 and 1928. It was designed by architect brothers, Marcus and Owen Collins with George Porri as their consultant. The black cat became the company’s logo. In 1959 the company merged with Rothmans and moved to Basildon, Essex. In the early 1960s the building became offices. The Egyptian décor was stripped away and the two cat statues removed. When the building got new owners in 1996, its former grandeur was restored. The building was later called “Greater London House” having become an office building. TUM image id: 1660650534 Licence: CC BY 2.0
Agar Town (1857) Credit: Percy Lovell TUM image id: 1499434317 Licence: CC BY 2.0	All Saints, Camden Town, in 1828. TUM image id: 1492970567 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Block of flats on the Regent’s Park Estate (2009) A large housing estate in the London Borough of Camden built after 1951, most of the estate is named after places in the Lake District such as Windermere, Cartmel and Rydal Water. Credit: Wiki Commons/Sheila Madhvani TUM image id: 1656943297 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Cromer Street TUM image id: 1547917827 Licence:	Taste of India restaurant, Drummond Street, NW1 (2022) Credit: The Underground Map TUM image id: 1658497652 Licence: CC BY 2.0
Rainy St Pancras Credit: IG/legere photos TUM image id: 1681221521 Licence:	Cobden Statue, corner of Eversholt Street and Camden High Street (1905) Richard Cobden (1804 - 1865) was a Radical and Liberal politician, manufacturer, and a campaigner for free trade and peace. He was associated with the Anti-Corn Law League and the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty. In 1866, the Cobden Club was founded to promote "Peace, Free Trade and Goodwill Among Nations". Old London postcard TUM image id: 1627144387 Licence:	Goods Way - old sign TUM image id: 1526241892 Licence: CC BY 2.0	View of the centre of Gordon Square (2008) The square was developed by master builder Thomas Cubitt in the 1820s, as one of a pair with Tavistock Square, which is a block away and has the same dimensions. Credit: Flickr/Ewan-M TUM image id: 1674221243 Licence:	10 Gower Street, Bloomsbury Credit: Spudgun67 TUM image id: 1546448389 Licence: CC BY 2.0

In the neighbourhood...

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Kings Place from York Way
Credit: Alan Stanton
Licence: CC BY 2.0

The British Library
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Agar Town (1857)
Credit: Percy Lovell
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Taste of India restaurant, Drummond Street, NW1 (2022)
Credit: The Underground Map
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Cobden Statue, corner of Eversholt Street and Camden High Street (1905) Richard Cobden (1804 - 1865) was a Radical and Liberal politician, manufacturer, and a campaigner for free trade and peace. He was associated with the Anti-Corn Law League and the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty. In 1866, the Cobden Club was founded to promote "Peace, Free Trade and Goodwill Among Nations".
Old London postcard
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Goods Way - old sign
Licence: CC BY 2.0

View of the centre of Gordon Square (2008) The square was developed by master builder Thomas Cubitt in the 1820s, as one of a pair with Tavistock Square, which is a block away and has the same dimensions.
Credit: Flickr/Ewan-M
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Amy Street Art Trail - Lidlington Place, NW1
Credit: Mr Cenz
Licence: CC BY 2.0

The Brill Market in Somers Town (1858) Centre stage in this engraving of a busy market scene is the Brill Tavern itself, situated at the end of Brill Row.
Credit: Illustrated News of the World, London
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The Polygon, Somers Town in 1850 The Polygon was an eighteenth century housing estate - a Georgian building with 15 sides and three storeys that contained 32 houses. The idea appears to have initially appealed to the middle-classes. Two of the most famous residents of the Polygon were William Godwin and his wife Mary Wollstonecraft, who died giving birth to Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. Another former Polygoner was Charles Dickens, who lived at No 17 in the 1820s shortly after his father, John Dickens, was released from debtors prison. Dickens later made the Polygon a home for his ’Bleak House’ character Harold Skimpole.
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