In 1842, an article in Punch magazine poked fun at Britain’s railway mania, suggesting that even St Paul’s Cathedral might be knocked down to make way for a railway terminus. That, naturally, was not to be, but in London — as indeed in other European cities — entire districts were sacrificed for railways. Agar Town simply disappeared from maps of London. This little area by the Regent’s Canal, just north of St Pancras, was never a pretty place.

Agar Town was grimy and overcrowded, yet there were mulberry orchards and space for kids to play.