place name
Charles John Chetwynd-Talbot (April 13, 1830 – May 11, 1877), 19th Earl of Shrewsbury, styled Viscount of Ingestre, the British Conservative politician who financed the building of an artisans’ block here in 1853-6. The name comes from Ingestre, Stafford where Chetwynd’s family had owned the local manor since the reign of Edward III. Chetwynd served in the British Army, holding various different commissions, before embarking upon a career in politics. He entered the House of Commons as one of two representatives for Stafford in 1857, a seat he held until 1859, and later represented Staffordshire North from 1859 – 1865, and Stamford in 1868. From 1875 – 1877 he served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms in the second Conservative administration of Benjamin Disraeli and became a member of the Privy Council in 1874. Built by the Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes, ‘Ingestre Buildings’ were a pioneer attempt to tackle the problem of the working-class slums in a benevolent and practical way. The street was created a few years later, in 1868, replacing two earlier streets – New Street and Husband Street, as appears on John Rocque’s 1746 map of London, the latter being named after 18thCentury builder Thomas Husbands who held a lease here from 1701, and the former likely being a literal name. Chetwynd was also responsible for developing a large estate in Kentish Town, hence Ingestre Road and Chetwynd Road in Kentish Town.
