St Pancras () is a district in
north London
North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire.
The term ''nor ...
. It was originally a medieval
ancient parish and subsequently became a metropolitan borough. The metropolitan borough then merged with neighbouring boroughs and the area it covered now forms around half of the modern
London Borough of Camden
The London Borough of Camden () is a London borough in Inner London. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the area of the former boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and ...
. The area of the parish and borough includes the sub-districts of
Camden Town,
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the open ...
,
Gospel Oak
Gospel Oak is an inner urban area of north west London in the London Borough of Camden at the very south of Hampstead Heath. The neighbourhood is positioned between Hampstead to the north-west, Dartmouth Park to the north-east, Kentish Town to t ...
,
Somers Town,
King's Cross,
Chalk Farm
Chalk Farm is a small urban district of north London, lying immediately north of Camden Town, in the London Borough of Camden.
History
Manor of Rugmere
Chalk Farm was originally known as the Manor of Rugmere, an estate that was mentioned ...
,
Dartmouth Park
Dartmouth Park is a district of north west London in the Borough of Camden, north of Charing Cross. The area adjoins Highgate and Highgate Cemetery (to the north) and Kentish Town (to the south). Parliament Hill is to the west.
The nearest Un ...
, the core area of
Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia () is a district of central London, England, near the West End. The eastern part of area is in the London Borough of Camden, and the western in the City of Westminster. It has its roots in the Manor of Tottenham Court, and was urban ...
and a part of
Highgate
Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross.
Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...
.
History
St Pancras Old Church
St Pancras Old Church lies on Pancras Road,
Somers Town, behind
St Pancras railway station. Until the 19th century it stood on a knoll on the eastern bank of the now buried
River Fleet
The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers, all of which today contain foul water for treatment. Its headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath, each of which was dammed into a series of ponds—the Hampstead Ponds a ...
.
![St Pancras Old Church - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/St_Pancras_Old_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_757784.jpg)
The church, dedicated to the Roman martyr
Saint Pancras, gave its name to the St Pancras district, which originated as the parish served by the church. The church is reputed to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England; however, as is so often with old church sites, it is hard to find documentary or archaeological evidence for its initial foundation.
One tradition asserts that the church was established in AD 314 in the late Roman period. There is little to support that view, but it is notable that to the south of the church was a site called ''The Brill'', believed at the time to have been a Roman Camp. ''The Brill'' was destroyed during the urbanisation of the area, without any archaeological excavation to assess its age and purpose. The church is certainly very old; it was mentioned in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...
of 1086, and there is evidence to suggest it predated Domesday by several centuries.
A
chapel of ease was subsequently established at Kentish Town to supplement the main parish church, which was replaced by a new building in 1822,
St Pancras New Church
St Pancras Church is a Greek Revival church in St Pancras, London, built in 1819–22 to the designs of William and Henry William Inwood.
Location
The church is on the northern boundary of Bloomsbury, on the south side of Euston Road, at the ...
on the south side of
Euston Road. The then-dilapidated Old Church continued in use but was reduced to the status of a
chapel of ease. Most of the fabric of the Old Church building dates from a subsequent Victorian restoration.
Ancient Parish
![St Pancras Met](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/St_Pancras_Met._B_Ward_Map_1916.svg)
The
ancient parish of St Pancras (also known as Pancrace or Pancridge
) was established in the medieval period to serve five manors: two manors named St Pancras (one prebendial, one lay),
Cantlowes (Kentish Town),
Tottenham Court and
Rugmere (Chalk Farm).
![LONDON, MARYLEBONE by BARTLETT, F](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/LONDON%2C_MARYLEBONE_by_BARTLETT%2C_F.A._and_B.J._DAVIES.jpg)
By the end of the nineteenth century, the ancient parish had been divided into 37 ecclesiastical parishes, including one for the old church, to better serve a rapidly growing population. There are currently 17
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
parishes completely contained within the boundaries of the ancient parish, all of which benefit from the distributions from the St Pancras Lands Trust and most of which are in South Camden Deanery in the
Edmonton Area of the
Diocese of London.
Pre-urban period
In the Middle Ages it had "disreputable associations",
and by the 17th century had become the "'
Gretna Green
Gretna Green is a parish in the southern council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the Scottish side of the border between Scotland and England, defined by the small river Sark, which flows into the nearby Solway Firth. It was histori ...
' of the London area".
On that account
Elizabethan playwright Ben Jonson
Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
alludes to the area frequently in his plays.
It was a rural area with a dispersed population until the growth of London in the late eighteenth century.
Urbanisation
In the 1790s
Earl Camden
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...
began to develop some fields to the north and west of the old church as
Camden Town. About the same time, a residential district was built to the south and east of the church, usually known as
Somers Town. In 1822 the
new church of St Pancras was dedicated as the
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
. The site was chosen on what was then called the New Road (now
Euston Road) which had been built as London's first bypass, the
M25 of its day. The two sites are about a kilometre apart. The new church is
Grade I listed for its
Greek Revival style; the old church
was rebuilt in 1847. In the mid-19th century two major railway stations were built to the south of the Old Church, first
King's Cross and later
St Pancras. The new church is closer to
Euston station
Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city railw ...
.
Metropolitan borough
![Camden Town Hall 2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Camden_Town_Hall_2005.jpg)
The parish of St Pancras was administered by a
vestry
A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...
until the
Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras was established in 1900. In 1965 the borough was combined with two others to form the
London Borough of Camden
The London Borough of Camden () is a London borough in Inner London. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the area of the former boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and ...
.
In the 1950s, St Pancras Council gained a reputation for left-wing radicalism and was referred to as "the most freakish borough in London.” The council refused to take part in
civil defence
Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mit ...
preparations for war which local councils were obliged to provide. The Home Office monitored Mayor
John Lawrence, and as of 2016, still refuses Freedom of Information requests related to him on the grounds of protecting national security.
Housing was in
excess demand after the damage and disruption of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. There was strong opposition to the
1957 Rent Act, which led to a series of decisions that caused serious financial difficulty. John Lawrence and several other councillors were expelled from the Labour Party in 1958 but continued to serve as Independent Socialists. The Conservative Party won the 1958 council election.
In 1960, a widespread rent strike in the district led to rioting in September.
St Pancras Battalions
From 1859 to 1955, the St Pancras produced dedicated military units for the British Army, initially infantry battalions and later anti-aircraft and searchlight regiments. A high proportion of the recruits were drawn from working-class districts of St Pancras, such as
Camden Town.
At the start of World War I, the
St Pancras Battalion was part of the
London Regiment and known as 9th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (St Pancras). The increase in wartime recruitment led to it being split into two battalions (each around a thousand strong), the 1/9th and 2/9th, with the 3/9th established as a training battalion.
These three St Pancras battalions were joined by a fourth, a
Pals battalion
The Pals battalions of World War I were specially constituted battalions of the British Army comprising men who had enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbour ...
, which joined a different regiment, the
Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own)
The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...
, as the 16th (Service) Battalion, Rifle Brigade, (St. Pancras), (The Prince Consort's Own).
During World War I these three front line battalions were deployed:
* The 1/19th Londons were attached to the 141st (5th London) Brigade, in the
47th (1/2nd London) Division
The 47th (1/2nd London) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force.
Formation
The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Re ...
serving on the
Western Front.
* The 2/19th Londons, known as ''Christie’s Minstrels'', after their commander and prowess singing while on the march. This battalion was attached to the
180th (2/5th London) Brigade
The 180th (2/5th London) Brigade was a formation of the British Army during the First World War. It was assigned to the 60th (2/2nd London) Division and served in the Middle East.
Formation
All battalions of the London Regiment as follows:
*2/17t ...
in
60th (2/2nd London) Division
The 60th (2/2nd London) Division was an infantry division of the British Army raised during the First World War. It was the second line-formation of the 47th (1/2nd London) Division, and was the second of two such Territorial Force divisions for ...
, seeing action on the Western front before being moved to the Mediterranean and fighting in the
Macedonian front and in the
Sinai and Palestine Campaign.
* The 16th (Service) Battalion, or'' St Pancras Pals'', joined the
117th Brigade, part of the
39th Division. That division served on the Western Front, with
Sergeant Burman winning a
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
in 1917. In 1918 the whole Division came close to destruction in the
Battle of the Lys.
Geography
St Pancras was originally an
Ancient Parish that ran from a point a little north of
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and ...
, extending north to include part of
Highgate
Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross.
Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...
, and from today’s
Regent's Park
Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...
in the west to the road now called
York Way
York Way (part of the A5200) is a major road in the London Borough of Islington, running north for one mile from the junction of Pentonville Road and Euston Road, adjacent to King's Cross railway station towards Kentish Town and Holloway. At ...
in the east. These boundaries encompass much of the current
London Borough of Camden
The London Borough of Camden () is a London borough in Inner London. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the area of the former boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and ...
.
![British Library + St Pancras 7527-31hug](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/British_Library_%2B_St_Pancras_7527-31hug.jpg)
The former
River Fleet
The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers, all of which today contain foul water for treatment. Its headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath, each of which was dammed into a series of ponds—the Hampstead Ponds a ...
formed part of the boundary with
Clerkenwell, while a tributary of it – later known as
Lamb’s Conduit - formed the southern boundary with
Holborn
Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London.
The area has its root ...
. The course of this watercourse is now marked, in part, by Roger Street (formerly known as Henry Street). The tree which gave the
Gospel Oak
Gospel Oak is an inner urban area of north west London in the London Borough of Camden at the very south of Hampstead Heath. The neighbourhood is positioned between Hampstead to the north-west, Dartmouth Park to the north-east, Kentish Town to t ...
district its name, formed part of the boundary with neighbouring
Hampstead.
The boundaries of St Pancras include take in around half of the modern
London Borough of Camden
The London Borough of Camden () is a London borough in Inner London. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the area of the former boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and ...
, including
Camden Town,
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the open ...
,
Somers Town,
Gospel Oak
Gospel Oak is an inner urban area of north west London in the London Borough of Camden at the very south of Hampstead Heath. The neighbourhood is positioned between Hampstead to the north-west, Dartmouth Park to the north-east, Kentish Town to t ...
,
King's Cross,
Chalk Farm
Chalk Farm is a small urban district of north London, lying immediately north of Camden Town, in the London Borough of Camden.
History
Manor of Rugmere
Chalk Farm was originally known as the Manor of Rugmere, an estate that was mentioned ...
,
Dartmouth Park
Dartmouth Park is a district of north west London in the Borough of Camden, north of Charing Cross. The area adjoins Highgate and Highgate Cemetery (to the north) and Kentish Town (to the south). Parliament Hill is to the west.
The nearest Un ...
, the core area of
Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia () is a district of central London, England, near the West End. The eastern part of area is in the London Borough of Camden, and the western in the City of Westminster. It has its roots in the Manor of Tottenham Court, and was urban ...
and a part of
Highgate
Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross.
Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...
.
Transport
There are no motorways in St Pancras, and few stretches of dual carriageway road, but the district has great strategic transport significance to London, due to the presence of three of the capital's most important rail termini;
Euston,
St Pancras and
King's Cross, which are lined up along the
Euston Road.
The position of the railway termini on Euston Road, rather than in a more central position further south, is a result of the influential recommendations of a Royal Commission of 1846 which sought to protect the
West End districts a short distance south of the road.
National Rail
National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the ...
stations include
London King's Cross and
St Pancras. St Pancras is one of the best-known
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
s in England. It has been extended and is now the terminus for the
Eurostar
Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Most Eurostar trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operate ...
services through the
Channel Tunnel.
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.
The ...
stations include
King's Cross St Pancras.
Landmarks
Immediately to the north of St Pancras churchyard is
St Pancras Hospital
St Pancras Hospital is part of the Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust in St Pancras area of Central London, near Camden Town. The hospital specialises in geriatric and psychiatric medicine.
History
The hospital was established as the in ...
, once the parish
workhouse
In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...
and later the
London Hospital for Tropical Diseases
The Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD) is a specialist tropical disease hospital located in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is closely associated with University College Lon ...
.
Cemeteries
![2780theHardyTreeOldStPancrasChurchyard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/2780theHardyTreeOldStPancrasChurchyard.jpg)
During the 18th and 19th centuries, St Pancras was famous for its cemeteries. In addition to the graveyard of Old St Pancras Church, it also contained the cemeteries of the neighbouring ecclesiastical parishes of
St James's Church, Piccadilly
St James's Church, Piccadilly, also known as St James's Church, Westminster, and St James-in-the-Fields, is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, United Kingdom. The church was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren.
Th ...
,
St Giles in the Fields,
St Andrew, Holborn
The Church of St Andrew, Holborn, is a Church of England church on the northwestern edge of the City of London, on Holborn within the Ward of Farringdon Without.
History
Roman and medieval
Roman pottery was found on the site during 2001/02 ...
,
St. George's Church, Bloomsbury, and
St George the Martyr, Holborn. These were all closed under the Extramural Interment Act in 1854; the parish was required to purchase land some distance away, beyond its borders, and chose
East Finchley
East Finchley is an area in North London, immediately north of Hampstead Heath. Like neighbouring Muswell Hill it straddles the London Boroughs of Barnet and Haringey, with most of East Finchley falling into the London Borough of Barnet. It ha ...
for its new
St Pancras Cemetery
St Pancras and Islington Cemetery is a cemetery in East Finchley, North London. Although it is situated in the London Borough of Barnet, it is run as two cemeteries, owned by two other London Boroughs, Camden (formerly St Pancras) and Islin ...
.
The disused graveyard at St Pancras Old Church was left alone for over thirty years until the building of the
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
required the removal of many of the graves.
Thomas Hardy, then a junior architect and later a novelist and poet, was involved in this work. He placed a number of gravestones around a tree, now known as "the Hardy Tree".
The cemetery was disturbed again in 2002–03 by the construction of the
Channel Tunnel Rail Link but much more care was given to the removal of remains than in the 19th century. Old St Pancras Church and its graveyard have links to
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
,
Thomas Hardy, and the
Wollstonecraft circle.
Open spaces
Open spaces in the district include:
*
Camley Street Natural Park
Camley Street Natural Park is an urban nature reserve in St Pancras in central London and within the London Borough of Camden. It is a local nature reserve.
The park was closed to the public for reconstruction in December 2017 and reopened in ...
*
Coram's Fields
Coram's Fields is a seven acre urban open space in the Kings Cross area of the London Borough of Camden.
Adults are only permitted to enter if accompanied by children.
History
The park is situated on the former site of the Foundling Hospi ...
*
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...
*
Waterlow Park
Waterlow Park is a park in the south east of Highgate Village, in north London. It was given to the public (''i.e.'' the London County Council) by Sir Sydney Waterlow, as "a garden for the gardenless" in 1889.
Description
The park is set on a ...
*
Fitzroy Square
Fitzroy Square is a Georgian square in London. It is the only one in the central London area known as Fitzrovia.
The square is one of the area's main features, this once led to the surrounding district to be known as Fitzroy Square or Fitzro ...
*
Cartwright Gardens
*
Regents Park (part)
*
Hampstead Heath (part)
*
Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill is a Grade II listed public park located north of Regent's Park in London, England, first opened to the public in 1842.Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) It was named after the natural hill in the centre of ...
(part, the hill itself is in Hampstead)
Political divisions
The name “St Pancras” survives in the name of the local parliamentary
constituency,
Holborn and St. Pancras. One of the political
wards in Camden is called St Pancras and Somers Town; however, ward boundaries are chosen to divide a borough into roughly equal slices with little regard to historical boundaries or day-to-day usage. Besides Somers Town and the area around St Pancras Old Church, the ward includes much of Camden Town and the former Kings Cross Goods Yard, which is being redeveloped as a mixed-use district under the name
Kings Cross Central.
Notable residents
*
Alice Barth, soprano
*
Walter Alfred Cox, engraver
*
Ada Ferrar, actress
*
Monica Charlot, historian
*
Elizabeth Eiloart, writer
*
Beatrice Ferrar, actress
*
Reg Freeson
Reginald Yarnitz Freeson (24 February 1926 – 9 October 2006) was a British Labour politician. He was a Member of Parliament for 23 years, from 1964 to 1987, for Willesden East and later Brent East, with 14 years on the front bench. He be ...
, politician
*
William Hartnell
William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the first incarnation of the Doctor in '' Doctor Who'' from 1963 to 1966. In film, Hartnell notably appeared in '' Bri ...
, actor
*
Barnaby Kay, actor
*
John Lawrence, political activist
*
Andrew Lincoln, actor
*
Glyndwr Michael
Major William Martin was a persona invented by British Military Intelligence for Operation Mincemeat, the Second World War deception plan that lured German forces to Greece prior to the Allied invasion of Sicily. Also known as "the man who neve ...
, homeless man whose body was used for the
Operation Mincemeat
Operation Mincemeat was a successful British deception operation of the Second World War to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily. Two members of British intelligence obtained the body of Glyndwr Michael, a tramp who died from eating ...
deception in
WWII
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
*
W. B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...
, poet
*
John William Fisher Beaumont, justice
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Pancras
Areas of London
Districts of the London Borough of Camden