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| Once these streets were fields
of green |
A history book disguised as 10 walking
tours gives us a timely warning about hasty re-development, writes
Dan Carrier
The Streets of Kentish Town
Camden History Society, £8.50
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Highgate Road, looking north west, circa 1900, above, and
as it is now below
Entrance to London at Kentish Town, by the Castle Tavern,
sketched in 1859 (below) and, as it looks now, above
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THE air was fresh. Fields, dotted with woods, stretched as far
as the eye could see. Streams tinkled through the rich soils and
a river, snaking its way down from the springs of Hampstead, provided
wholesome waters for the lucky few to have settled there.
It was so delightful ‘Good Queen Bess’ – Elizabeth
I – and her entourage paid the place a visit in 1568 –
and showed her generosity by treating villagers to a drink at the
tavern. Elizabeth was so taken by the countryside, on the outskirts
of her capital, that she returned again to enjoy the views and get
away from the bustle.
This rural idyll is revealed in a new book produced by Camden History
Society.
It may be hard to imagine now, but the place in question is Kentish
Town.
The Streets of Kentish Town takes the reader on a tour of the area
from the first real settlement in Kentish Town came when parishioners
from St Pancras began to migrate to the rich farmlands. According
to the book, this was “probably because of the persistent flooding
of the River Fleet” at the bend in the river at St Pancras
church.
By the reign of King John – 1199 to 1216 – there was a
well established village. And it is an area that has already been
well covered in print: the seminal work on the history of Kentish
Town is The Fields Beneath, by society member Gillian Tindall, who
lives in Leighton Road.
But the difference here is it reads as a tour guide, rather than
a straight piece of social history.
Split into 10 routes for the reader to follow, the book is a handy
guide. Road names and house numbers are highlighted, and the keen
amateur historian will have no difficulty teasing out fascinating
nuggets as they wander down back streets, book in hand.
The team of five researchers have also traced the people behind
the front doors.
Drawn from members of the Camden History Society, the work is diligently
composed and no architectural nuance is missed. Snippets include
the information that the shopfront of jewellers Dawson and Briant
is the only listed building on Kentish Town Road. However, this
changed in the past month when the Victorian gin palace The Bull
and Gate received listed status. The Assembly House opposite also
enjoys listed status.
For those with long memories, the news that McDonald’s was
once a Lyons Corner House will be no surprise, but for the younger
generation, the demise of Lyons and the rise of the ‘Golden
Arches’ is an interesting example of the multi-national taking
over our high streets.
This is why the book is charming: it tells the reader of a world
long gone, but still recognisable if you know where to look.
Take, for example, the passage near O’Reilly’s pub. It
describes the history, including the mysterious plaster face that
overlooks Holmes Road and the legend at roof level, and details
how it was re-built in 1885 to become the Old Farm House.
Walk past the fire station on Highgate Road to find the piano warehouses.
Kentish Town was the centre of the London piano industry, something
that in the days before radio was the main form of home entertainment.
At the south end of Kentish Town Road, the historians have found
gems like the advert for a home found opposite the pub Quinn's.
The parade of houses are called Jeffreys Terrace. The name comes
from Elizabeth Jeffreys, wife of the first earl of Camden who owned
the land.
Built in 1809 to 1814, an advert published in 1813 stated: “The
Terrace commanded extensive prospects of the surrounding countryside...
stages pass the house nearly every hour.”
It is hard to imagine the land around Quinn’s could once be
described in this manner, but that is the essence of this book.
Such vignettes are littered throughout, and what is striking is
how the writers have traced the area’s growth; the organic
development over the years is well chronicled.
The land that provides fertile back gardens for the green fingered
residents was once orchards and pastures: it was known for its apples
and dairy herds.
The book also shows where development has been poor.
It reminds us of the importance of good urban planning. When you
see the many maps reproduced, and think of the fields beneath, it
serves as a timely reminder that once land is built on, its original
state is gone forever. Unintentionally, the book puts together a
case for the regeneration of brownfield sites before the regeneration
of greenfield sites.
With the Thames corridor, soon to be rebuilt to provide housing
and work for the capital’s overspill, there are lessons to
be learnt.
• The Streets of Kentish Town is available from local bookshops
or CHS publications, 13 Tavistock Place, WC1H 9SH. |
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