Agar Town Middlesex Family History Guide
Agar Town an Ecclesiastical Parish in the county of Middlesex, created in 1862 from St Pancras Ancient Parish, Kentish Town a chapelry of St Pancras Ancient Parish, and Camden New Town St Paul Ecclesiastical Parish.
Agar Town an Ecclesiastical Parish was abolished in 1954 with part creating Camden Town St Michael with All Saints and St Thomas Ecclesiastical Parish and part transferred to St Pancras Old Church Ecclesiastical Parish.
Alternative names: Ague Town, Hagar Town, Agar-Town and Agar-town
Table of Contents
Parish History
Agar Town from London Shadows 1854
Our readers have, doubtless, heard of Agar-town and district, near King’s-cross railway station. This extensive and ill-built district ranges from the railway station, past the graveyards of St. Pancras and St. Giles’s-in-the-fields, and continues in a northward direction until the extremity almost forms a line of intersection with Pratt-street, Camden-town.
The Agar-town estate is built on land leased from the dean and chapter of St. Paul’s; and the mode of granting leases of church lands is not calculated to ensure improvement in building, good drainage, or other measures necessary for health. This large tract of land was granted on lease to a gentleman connected with the law, Mr. Agar, after whom the district was named.
Mr. Agar died, leaving his property to some very young children. At that time the large residence near Pratt-street was in the fields, and no houses had been built on the estate. Indeed, so retired was this place, that within the last fifteen or sixteen years nightingales have been heard near a clump of trees at a short distance from Mr. Agar’s house.
The land was, however, soon let out into small strips, on leases for thirty years. No systematic plan of drainage was laid out : in fact, the houses were planted down very much in the same manner as the wooden huts and tents at the gold diggings: each man suited his means or fancy in the erection of an edifice on the land which for a few years was, on certain conditions, his own: we cannot wonder, therefore, that great oddness, and economy, and ignorance were in many instances exhibited.
The ditches, which had been originally used for draining the fields, were made to answer, to a certain extent, the purpose of drains in carrying away the refuse of the occupants. The ditches in summer time became stagnant, and diseases of the worst description were spread over the district. At the time of the last visitation of the cholera, most of these ditches or uncovered drains were piped and covered over, after great exertion on the part of some of the more intelligent of the inhabitants. Considering this large district at present little better than waste land, for many of the leases must soon expire, and thinking the site available for useful purposes, we will give a more particular description of it.
The sketch of “Paradise-row” shows a clump of houses which much belie their name, with part of the new railway station in the background. It is a neglected and unwholesome place, inhabited chiefly by costermongers. This row has long been the wonder of all visitors : in front of the dilapidated buildings are heaps of refuse the houses are of small dimensions, some of the doors near here are not more than five feet six inches high : and the smell of this place, particularly in hot weather, is dreadful, caused by the decay of refuse.
Leaving this point, we progress towards the northmost of the houses nearer the St. Pancras-road, which are occupied by costermongers, nightmen, chimney-sweeps, and other very pool people, who pay four, five, and six shillings per week for these dirty and confined dwellings, of four small rooms each. Wooden sheds are fixed for donkeys, used to draw trucks,-indeed, several of these most useful animals to costermongers occupy part of the family residence: dogs and pigeons are plentiful, and many desperate attempts are made to cultivate plants.
We now reach the gas-works, which are of great extent; the huge iron tanks contrasting with the pigmy dwellings; the smoke and escaped gas from this factory pervade, according to the direction of the wind, every part of the adjoining district. On the right hand is the coal depot of the Great Northern railway : in front of this passes the London and Birmingham canal, which runs through the Agar-town estate: about this part are “melters'” yards, a saw-mill, cinder heaps, and rows of houses such as we have spoken of, with large gardens in front of each : at the time of this visit the frost had partly dried the road, but a short time since it was soft mud for a depth of two feet.
Some of the interiors of these cottages are deplorable; they have for their inhabitants in addition to mechanics, costermongers, and worse characters, decent persons of small income and in struggling circumstances. There are men, each with a family, and perhaps an income of £80 or £100 per year, who will be found to brave the dangers and inconveniences of these places rather than run the risk of taking an expensive house and letting off a portion, or of taking part of a house, where their whole affairs would be exposed to the other inhabitants, not to mention the inconveniences which the construction of houses not intended for several families occasions.
Some of the houses at the northern end of Agar-town let from 7s. to 8s. per week: some small cottages in the King’s-road, leading from the workhouse, consisting of four rooms, a wash-house, and garden, let for £28 per annum.
Source: London Shadows, by George Godwin, 1854 – Prologue – Chapter 1