Tufnell chronicles the transformation of agricultural land on the northern fringes of London into urban developments in the mid-nineteenth century. Through the intertwined biographies of four key figures, the narrative brings this period of change to life: Henry Tufnell, a landowning civil servant and politician; Anne Wilmot, Henry’s first wife, who played a pivotal role in developing the Tufnell Park Estate; Tom Murphy, an Irish immigrant and bricklayer who fled the Great Famine (1845–1852) and became a contractor overseeing the construction of terrace housing in Tufnell Park; and Kathleen Kean, a domestic servant from rural Ireland, who became Tom’s betrothed and later his wife.
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