One of the sites we visit is the intriguing Polygon in Somers Town. Today, it’s a modern housing estate, but in 1791, it marked a pioneering housing experiment in London, initiated by Jacob Leroux, who also contributed to the construction of part of Canonbury in Islington. The Polygon was unique with its sixteen sides, each side containing two adjacent three-story houses. Initially, it was an upscale place to reside, and even Mary Shelley was born in the Polygon in 1797 (we’ll delve into her family’s history during the walk). However, over time, it faced challenges.
One significant issue was immigration – the Polygon became inhabited by French emigrants who had fled the French Revolution. By 1810, over a hundred of these emigrants had taken up residence in the Polygon. Unfortunately, the neighborhood’s fortunes declined further, and by 1827, it was predominantly used as lodging for the poor. In that year, Charles Dickens’s family moved into the Polygon, having been evicted from their previous residence on Johnson Street (now Cranleigh Street) in the same area.
The Polygon made its way into Dickens’s literary works, featuring as the run-down “downtown” residence of Mr. Skimpole in “Bleak House.” This period coincided with Dickens’s transition from the Wellington House Academy, which he fondly remembered as one of the best times in his eventful youth, to becoming a law clerk at Grey’s Inn. Dickens’s daily commute to work involved crossing the Euston Road and passing by the recently completed St Pancras New Parish Church twice a day. Approximately a decade later, his first daughter, Mary, was baptized in this very church.